High-Stakes Standardized Testing

Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. M26-0976.01 Katelyn Guderian x3205 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Marchman, Senate Committees SENATE MEMORIAL 26-001 MEMORIALIZING CONGRESS TO END HIGH-STAKES STANDARDIZED TESTING MANDATES, RETURN TO EVIDENCE-BASED, HUMANE EDUCATION PRACTICES, AND RESTORE LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.

WHEREAS, The citizens of Colorado have the highest interest in ensuring a high-quality, equitable, and student-centered public education system that prepares young people for civic life, careers, college, and community well-being; and WHEREAS, Colorado's Constitution affirms that the state's 178 school districts are governed by democratically elected local school boards responsible for oversight, accountability, and educational adequacy; and WHEREAS, More than 25 years of state and federal high-stakes standardized testing requirements, beginning with the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 186 in 2000 and the federal "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001", have failed to improve student outcomes or close achievement gaps, and have instead widened disparities correlated with socioeconomic status and access to opportunity; and Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law. Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

WHEREAS, High-stakes standardized tests lack accuracy and reliability, have proven bias, rely on questionable scoring practices, and function as weak and inequitable indicators of student learning and school quality; and WHEREAS, High-stakes standardized testing has narrowed the curriculum, reduced instructional time, and displaced creativity, critical thinking, applied learning, and experiential opportunities essential for modern education; and WHEREAS, Students experience heightened anxiety, disengagement, and emotional strain resulting from high-stakes standardized testing pressures, while teachers report burnout, diminished autonomy, and declining retention linked to test-driven evaluation systems; and WHEREAS, Colorado taxpayers spend approximately $100 million each year on high-stakes standardized testing, encompassing vendor contracts, test administration, district and state staffing, technology systems, and compliance logistics, while an estimated 450,000 Colorado students subjected to these tests lose an average of 20 hours of classroom instruction each year, resulting in more than 9 million hours of teaching and learning time diverted annually and representing an enormous opportunity cost in foregone reading, math, science, civics, experiential learning, the arts, and mental-health supports, which are investments that improve students' lives and deliver meaningful educational outcomes; and WHEREAS, Evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that smaller class sizes, equitable teacher compensation, modern instructional technology, diverse pathways to career and college, expanded special education services, early-intervention supports for at-risk students, mental-health resources, community school models, and strong family-community partnerships yield significant and measurable improvements in learning, engagement, and long-term outcomes for Colorado students; and WHEREAS, These student-centered investments restore public trust, strengthen local schools, and ensure that resources are directed where they make the greatest difference supporting teachers, reducing stress and disengagement, expanding student learning opportunities, and building a more educated and civically engaged future generation; and WHEREAS, The General Assembly reaffirms the right of parents to opt their children out of high-stakes standardized testing without penalty or adverse consequence, and urges that all education policies respect and protect this established parental decision; and WHEREAS, When the federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) expired after 2021, Congress failed to reauthorize the federal mandate. Colorado seeks full flexibility, including the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority, ESSA waivers, and any successor authority, to transition away from statewide high-stakes standardized tests and toward comprehensive performance-based and formative assessment systems; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

That we urge Congress to:

(1) End federal high-stakes standardized testing mandates that tie statewide standardized tests to accountability determinations, sanctions, teacher evaluations, or school penalties;

(2) Reduce federal reporting and compliance burdens that impose excessive administrative costs without improving learning;

(3) Restore state and local authority to design assessment and reporting systems consistent with Colorado's constitutional structure and community priorities;

(4) Authorize and expand state flexibility for innovative assessment systems, pilot models, and local accountability frameworks without penalty;

(5) Support the reinvestment of public dollars into the programs that research and experience show are most effective, including, but not limited to: ! Smaller class sizes; ! Teacher salaries that are both adequate and equitable; ! Alternative pathways to success, vocational education, and experiential learning;

Special education services, multi-lingual education, and inclusive practices; Interventions and early supports for at-risk students; Mental health resources, counselors, and trauma-informed practices; and Arts, physical education, after-school programs, enrichment, and elective offerings; and

(6) Repeal remaining provisions of test-based accountability, eliminate punitive consequences tied to standardized tests, and continue utilizing the National Assessment of Educational Progress as the benchmark for educational comparison.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to the Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate; the Speaker and House Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives; each member of Colorado's Congressional delegation; each member of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; each member of the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce; the governor of each state in the United States; and each superintendent in Colorado's 178 school districts and boards of cooperative services.