Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)

The Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments were developed by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) in partnership with Colorado educators and the assessment vendor, Pearson, Inc. The CMAS assessments are designed to evaluate students’ knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills identified in the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS).Teaching to the CAS with fidelity is the best way for teachers and schools to prepare students for these assessments.

Why does the state give CMAS assessments?

The purpose of CMAS is to indicate the degree to which students have mastered the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) in mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies at the end of the tested grade level. CMAS results provide a standardized measure of a student’s academic progress relative to the CAS.

For Individual Students: Assessment results provide information that shows what your child has been learning and how well they are connecting with classroom instruction.
For Families/Community: Test results provide you and other families in your community with information about how local schools are meeting the needs of all students.
For Schools/Teachers: Test results highlight gaps in achievement so that principals and teachers can make improvements to instruction and work to ensure that all students succeed.
For Policymakers: The results help state policymakers and local school boards identify schools that may need more assistance or resources.

What students are required to test?

How often are students tested?

How long do CMAS assessments take to complete?

The length of CMAS assessments varies by content area and grade level:

CMAS English Language Arts testing time

Grades 3-5: three test units; 90 minutes per unit; 4.5 hours of total test time.
Grades 6-8: three test units; 110 minutes per unit; 5.5 hours of total test time.

CMAS Mathematics testing time

Grades 3-8: three test units; 65 minutes per unit; 3.25 hours of total test time.

CMAS Science testing time

Grades 5 and 8: three test units; 80 minutes per unit; 4.0 hours of total test time.
Grade 11: two test units; 60 minutes per unit; 2.0 hours of total test time.

CMAS Social Studies testing time

Grades 4 and 7: one test unit; 65 minutes per unit; 65 minutes of total test time.

What is the CMAS English Language Arts test designed to measure?

The CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) English Language Arts test is designed to comprehensively measure students' knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for English Language Arts. This assessment evaluates proficiency across various domains, including:

Literary Text: Assessing students' ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret various forms of literary text.
Informational Text: Evaluating students' understanding and analysis of non-fiction texts.
Vocabulary: Measuring students' knowledge and application of a wide range of vocabulary words.
Writing Overall: Gauging overall writing proficiency, encompassing various aspects of composition.
Written Expression: Assessing students' ability to convey ideas clearly and effectively in their writing.
Language and Convention: Evaluating mastery of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other language conventions.
Key Ideas—Literary: Examining students' ability to identify and understand the central ideas and themes in literary works.
Key Ideas—Informational: Assessing students' capacity to identify and comprehend the main ideas and supporting details in informational texts.
Craft and Structure: Evaluating understanding of how authors use literary devices and organizational structures to convey meaning.
Knowledge and Ideas: Measuring students' ability to integrate and apply knowledge gained from texts.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Assessing how well students learn new vocabulary and use it appropriately in context.
History and Social Studies (Integrated With ELA): Evaluating reading comprehension and analysis skills in the context of historical and social studies content.
Science and Technology (Integrated With ELA): Assessing reading comprehension and analysis skills in the context of scientific and technical content.

What is the CMAS Mathematics test designed to measure?

The CMAS Mathematics test is designed to comprehensively measure students' knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Mathematics. This assessment evaluates proficiency across key mathematical domains, including:

Reasoning: Assessing students' ability to logically think through mathematical problems and justify their solutions.
Modeling: Evaluating students' capacity to apply mathematical concepts to real-world situations and represent them mathematically.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Examining understanding of operations, algebraic expressions, and patterns.
Numbers and Operations—Base Ten: Gauging proficiency with place value, arithmetic operations, and numerical reasoning within the base ten system.
Numbers and Operations—Fractions: Assessing understanding of fractions, their operations, and their application.
Measurement and Data: Evaluating skills in measuring quantities and interpreting data.
Ratios and Proportions: Examining comprehension of ratios, proportional relationships, and their applications.
Number System: Assessing overall understanding of different types of numbers and their properties.
Geometry: Evaluating knowledge of geometric shapes, their properties, and spatial reasoning.
Expressions and Equations: Measuring understanding of algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities.
Stats and Probability: Assessing skills in data analysis, statistical reasoning, and probability.
Functions: Examining understanding of functions, their properties, and their representations.

What is the CMAS Science test designed to measure?

The CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) Science test is designed to comprehensively measure students' knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Science. This assessment evaluates proficiency across several key reporting categories and standards areas:

Physical Science: This domain assesses students' understanding of matter and its interactions, motion and stability, and energy. It evaluates their knowledge of concepts such as forces, waves, electricity, magnetism, and the conservation of energy and matter.
Life Science: This domain measures students' comprehension of fundamental biological concepts, including ecosystems, heredity, biological evolution, and the structure and function of living organisms. It assesses their understanding of processes like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the interdependence of organisms.
Earth and Space Science: This domain evaluates students' knowledge of Earth's systems (geology, meteorology, oceanography) and its place in the universe. It covers topics such as Earth's processes, weather and climate, natural resources, and the solar system and beyond.
Science and Engineering Practices (SEP): This crucial domain assesses students' ability to engage in the practices that scientists and engineers use to investigate the natural world and design solutions. This includes practices such as asking questions and defining problems, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

What is the CMAS Social Studies test designed to measure?

The CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) Social Studies test is designed to comprehensively measure students' knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Social Studies. This assessment evaluates proficiency across several key domains:

History: This domain focuses on assessing students' ability to analyze primary and secondary sources, understand historical events, interpret cause and effect, and recognize different perspectives within historical narratives. It evaluates their comprehension of significant historical periods, figures, and movements.
Geography: This domain emphasizes students' capacity to use geographic tools (such as maps, globes, and GIS) and knowledge to research, analyze, and make inferences about geographical concepts, patterns, and locations. It assesses understanding of topics like human-environment interaction, migration, cultural diffusion, and spatial reasoning.
Economics: This domain assesses students' understanding of fundamental economic principles. This includes concepts such as supply and demand, scarcity, incentives, production, distribution, and consumption. It evaluates their ability to analyze economic systems and make informed decisions.
Civics: This domain examines students' knowledge of civic participation, governmental systems, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. It assesses their understanding of democratic principles, the functions of different levels of government, and the processes of civic engagement.
Personal Financial Literacy: This domain focuses on students' ability to apply economic reasoning skills to make informed personal financial decisions. It assesses their understanding of concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing, credit, debt, and risk management.