Colorado students making post pandemic gains on CMAS, but achievement gaps persist

Standardized test scores were released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Education.

The tests administered last spring - known as CMAS, or the Colorado Measures of Academic Success - show that students are making gains in achievement, with some grades surpassing scores from before the pandemic.

Every grade except eighth had more students meeting math standards compared to last year. The rate at which students are growing academically is close to pre-pandemic for English and higher for math. But achievement gaps by race and ethnicity persist - ranging from 20 to 35 points.

Student performance in math on the PSAT and SAT is down compared to last year, with 9th grade dropping by seven points. The CDE said these may be partially due to the PSAT and SAT moving to a fully online format, and to a different content focus.

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Cordova said, "We are encouraged by the continued improvement of our students since the pandemic. We continue, however, to see troubling and persistent achievement gaps across student groups. It is not enough to see growth for some Colorado students, we need to ensure that every child is getting the support they need to be successful."

Overall state-level results for all Colorado schools and districts can be found on CDE's website. School- and district-level results will be released on Aug. 29.