To excuse your student from state assessments, complete a Parent Excusal form digitally by logging into ParentVUE and accessing Services Tracker. Instructions are here. Please note that you will need to fill out a form for each subject area.
You may also print a PDF version of the "2023-24 Opt Out of State Testing Form" and return it to your school. Forms are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Schools are required by the state to administer statewide assessments to students in grades 3-11 in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Also, as required by the state, PSD has implemented a policy about excusing students from state assessments.
State assessments that fall under this policy are:
- CMAS and CoAlt English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
- 9th and 10th grade preparatory exam
- 11th grade college entrance exam
Student excused from state assessments do not receive negative consequences. During state testing, excused students are supervised in a place where they may read or work quietly on other assignments. Parents may choose to keep their student home during testing. Absences will be excused.
The state assessment system, Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), measures student mastery of the Colorado's academic content standards. Colorado's academic standards indicate skills and knowledge necessary to prepare students for success from early school readiness to post-secondary competencies, reflective of both workforce readiness and 21st century skills. CMAS measures student progress, which gives teachers information as they incorporate the standards in their daily instruction. CMAS results are also used for school and district accountability.
If your student is excused from testing, you will not receive results of his or her achievement and growth as measured by CMAS. Educators use CMAS results for instructional planning, class placement, and academic screening, and this information will not be available to your student's educators.
Note: The English language proficiency exam (ACCESS for ELLs) is not included in this policy. Also not included are READ Act and School Readiness assessments. Currently, state and federal requirements around testing and parent refusals are not fully aligned. The federal 95 percent participation requirements are still an expectation of federal law.