Senate Committee of Reference Report
Committee on Education
-
All text that will be removed from the bill will be indicated by strikethrough as follows:
-
This is text that is removed from law. -
Text that is added to a bill will be indicated by either all capitals or bold & italic as follows:
-
- This all capitals text would be added to law.
- This is bold & italic text that would be added to law.
March 16, 2026
After consideration on the merits, the Committee recommends the following:
SB26-068 be amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations with favorable recommendation:
Page 1, Line 1Amend printed bill, strike everything below the enacting clause and
Page 1, Line 2substitute:
Page 1, Line 3"SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general
Page 1, Line 4assembly finds and declares that:
Page 1, Line 5(a) The Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments
Page 1, Line 6place an undue burden on students and educators across the state;
Page 1, Line 7(b) According to the department of education, each student in
Page 1, Line 8grades 3 through 8 spends up to eleven hours each year completing these
Page 1, Line 9statewide assessments;
Page 1, Line 10(c) The amount of time required to administer statewide
Page 1, Line 11assessments does not include additional instructional time lost to test
Page 1, Line 12preparation, educator training, make-up testing, or modified school
Page 1, Line 13schedules, which disrupt multiple weeks of academic instruction for
Page 1, Line 14students and staff;
Page 1, Line 15(d) Statewide assessments are administered to satisfy federal
Page 1, Line 16requirements. Federal law permits flexibility in the state's assessments to
Page 1, Line 17meet those requirements.
Page 1, Line 18(e) Colorado administers more statewide testing than is required
Page 1, Line 19under federal law;
Page 1, Line 20(f) Statewide assessments are summative in nature and intended
Page 1, Line 21to produce comparable data for accountability, but the delayed return of
Page 1, Line 22results limits the ability of educators to use that data to inform instruction
Page 1, Line 23for the tested students;
Page 1, Line 24(g) In addition to statewide assessments, students in Colorado
Page 1, Line 25complete multiple other locally administered assessments;
Page 1, Line 26(h) Locally administered assessments typically return results
Page 1, Line 27quicker and provide educators with timely data that can be used to
Page 1, Line 28support instruction and student mastery of the assessed subjects;
Page 2, Line 1(i) Reducing statewide assessments would return meaningful
Page 2, Line 2instructional time to students and educators and allow greater reliance on
Page 2, Line 3timely, actionable assessment data already collected by local education
Page 2, Line 4providers;
Page 2, Line 5(j) Furthermore, reducing the length of statewide assessments
Page 2, Line 6provides a cost savings to the state, which spends approximately $20
Page 2, Line 7million annually to develop and administer statewide assessments; and
Page 2, Line 8(k) It is necessary to convene a working group to develop
Page 2, Line 9recommendations to reduce the amount of time required for statewide
Page 2, Line 10assessments used to satisfy federal requirements.
Page 2, Line 11SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-7-1006.2 as
Page 2, Line 12follows:
Page 2, Line 1322-7-1006.2. State assessments modifications - working group
Page 2, Line 14- report - definitions - repeal.
Page 2, Line 15(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
Page 2, Line 16requires:
Page 2, Line 17(a) "Department" means the department of education
Page 2, Line 18created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-115.
Page 2, Line 19(b) "Rural school district" means a school district in
Page 2, Line 20Colorado that the department determines is rural based on the
Page 2, Line 21geographic size of the school district and the distance of the
Page 2, Line 22school district from the nearest large urbanized area.
Page 2, Line 23(c) "Small rural school district" means a rural school
Page 2, Line 24district that enrolls fewer than one thousand two hundred
Page 2, Line 25students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Page 2, Line 26(d) "Working group" means the state assessments
Page 2, Line 27modifications working group created and existing pursuant to
Page 2, Line 28subsection (2) of this section.
Page 2, Line 29(2) (a) There is created the state assessments
Page 2, Line 30modifications working group.
Page 2, Line 31(b) The working group is:
Page 2, Line 32(I) The following members, appointed by the chair of the
Page 2, Line 33senate education committee, or any successor committee:
Page 2, Line 34(A) Two individuals, each of whom is either a teacher
Page 2, Line 35employed by or an employee of a school district, appointed with
Page 2, Line 36the advice of a statewide association that represents
Page 2, Line 37educators;
Page 2, Line 38(B) A rural school district administrator, appointed with
Page 2, Line 39the advice of a statewide association that represents rural
Page 2, Line 40schools;
Page 2, Line 41(C) A superintendent, employed by a school district that
Page 2, Line 42is not a rural school district or small rural school district,
Page 2, Line 43appointed with the advice of a statewide association that
Page 3, Line 1represents school executives;
Page 3, Line 2(D) A director of a local board of education, appointed
Page 3, Line 3with the advice of a statewide association that represents
Page 3, Line 4school district boards of education; and
Page 3, Line 5(E) A charter school teacher, appointed with the advice
Page 3, Line 6of a statewide association that advocates for charter schools;
Page 3, Line 7and
Page 3, Line 8(II) The following members, appointed by the chair of the
Page 3, Line 9house education committee, or any successor committee:
Page 3, Line 10(A) Two individuals, each of whom is either a teacher
Page 3, Line 11employed by or an employee of a school district, appointed with
Page 3, Line 12the advice of a statewide association that represents
Page 3, Line 13educators;
Page 3, Line 14(B) A small rural school district administrator,
Page 3, Line 15appointed with the advice of a statewide association that
Page 3, Line 16represents rural schools;
Page 3, Line 17(C) A school administrator who is employed by a school
Page 3, Line 18district that is not a rural school district or small rural
Page 3, Line 19school district, appointed with the advice of a statewide
Page 3, Line 20association that represents school executives;
Page 3, Line 21(D) A director of a local board of education, appointed
Page 3, Line 22with the advice of a statewide association that represents
Page 3, Line 23school district boards of education; and
Page 3, Line 24(E) A charter school administrator, appointed with the
Page 3, Line 25advice of a statewide association that advocates for charter
Page 3, Line 26schools.
Page 3, Line 27(c) The appointing authorities shall make their
Page 3, Line 28appointments to the working group on or before August 1, 2026.
Page 3, Line 29(d) The commissioner shall appoint an employee of the
Page 3, Line 30department to serve as a consultant to the working group in
Page 3, Line 31developing the recommendations and best practices required to
Page 3, Line 32be made pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.
Page 3, Line 33(3) The working group shall hold its first meeting no
Page 3, Line 34later than September 1, 2026. At the first meeting, the working
Page 3, Line 35group shall select from among its members a person to serve as
Page 3, Line 36chair of the working group. The working group shall meet at the
Page 3, Line 37call of the chair as often as necessary to complete its duties.
Page 3, Line 38The members of the working group may participate in meetings
Page 3, Line 39electronically.
Page 3, Line 40(4) The working group shall investigate options available
Page 3, Line 41to the state for, and make findings related to, reducing the time
Page 3, Line 42dedicated to administering state assessments in English
Page 3, Line 43language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies in
Page 4, Line 1grades three through eight, administered pursuant to section
Page 4, Line 222-7-1006.3 (1), so that:
Page 4, Line 3(a) State assessments are administered to the minimum
Page 4, Line 4extent required to comply with state and federal law, including
Page 4, Line 5the federal "Every Student Succeeds Act", 20 U.S.C. sec. 6301 et
Page 4, Line 6seq., and its implementing regulations; and
Page 4, Line 7(b) The time dedicated to state assessments in grades
Page 4, Line 8three through eight aligns with the time spent on state
Page 4, Line 9assessments in high school, to the extent practicable.
Page 4, Line 10(5) On or before December 1, 2026, the working group
Page 4, Line 11shall submit a report to the education committees of the house
Page 4, Line 12of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees,
Page 4, Line 13and to the commissioner of education concerning its findings
Page 4, Line 14conducted pursuant to subsection (4) of this section, and make
Page 4, Line 15recommendations and best practices concerning the working
Page 4, Line 16group's findings described in subsection (4) of this section.
Page 4, Line 17(6) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2027.
Page 4, Line 18SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-7-1013, amend
Page 4, Line 19(6) as follows:
Page 4, Line 2022-7-1013. Local education provider - preschool through
Page 4, Line 21elementary and secondary education standards - adoption - academic
Page 4, Line 22acceleration - definition.
Page 4, Line 23(6) Each local education provider shall adopt and implement a
Page 4, Line 24written policy by which the local education provider will decide whether
Page 4, Line 25the students enrolled by the local education provider will use pencil and
Page 4, Line 26paper to complete any portion of a state assessment administered pursuant
Page 4, Line 27to section 22-7-1006.3 (1)(a) that the students would otherwise complete
Page 4, Line 28using a computer. The policy must ensure that the local education
Page 4, Line 29provider makes the decision in consultation with parents and, if the local
Page 4, Line 30education provider is a school district or board of cooperative services,
Page 4, Line 31the public schools that the local education provider operates. The local
Page 4, Line 32education provider may decide that the students in one or more of the
Page 4, Line 33public schools, or in one or more of the classrooms of the public schools,
Page 4, Line 34operated by the local education provider will use pencil and paper to
Page 4, Line 35complete the computerized portions of a state assessment. Each year
Page 4, Line 36before the start of fall semester classes, the local education provider shall
Page 4, Line 37distribute copies of the policy to the parents of students enrolled in the
Page 4, Line 38local education provider and post a copy of the policy on the local
Page 4, Line 39education provider's website. The local education provider shall
Page 4, Line 40bear the cost of administering any portion of a state assessment
Page 4, Line 41described in section 22-7-1006.3 (1)(a) that is conducted by pencil
Page 4, Line 42and paper in accordance with the local education provider's
Page 4, Line 43policy adopted pursuant to this subsection (6) that the students
Page 5, Line 1would otherwise complete using a computer.
Page 5, Line 2SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,
Page 5, Line 3determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
Page 5, Line 4preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for
Page 5, Line 5the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state
Page 5, Line 6institutions.".
Page 5, Line 7