Assessment Exemption
State law requires local school boards to develop a policy allowing parents to excuse their students from participating in one or more state assessments. According to the law, districts cannot impose negative consequences on students or parents if a parent excuses their student from an assessment. Likewise, districts cannot set burdens on students to discourage them from participating in an assessment.
Written communication from a child's parent or guardian is required to excuse a child from the following state assessments: Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
An assessment exemption is not allowed for the ACCESS for English Language Learners assessment. ACCESS is a required test for all Non-English Proficient and Limited-English Proficient students in Colorado.
Non-participation in state assessments means no information on a child's achievement and growth related to the Colorado Academic Standards will be available.
Students exempt during testing windows will likely be assigned to another classroom to work independently.