First CMAS test scores admittedly lower

When it comes to school districts in southern Colorado, students are performing close to the state average.

Results were released today for the new Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests.

It’s the first time fourth-and seventh-graders took the social studies portion of the exam and fifth and eighth-graders took the science portion.

The state says lower test scores were expected, because standards were so different.

Southern Colorado schools were above average in some marks, but there’s still a ways to go.

It’s a learning curve for students and for teachers.

“Colorado adopted new science and social studies standards in 2009. Last year was the first year districts were required to fully implement,” said Joyce Zurkowski, executive director of assessment for the Colorado Department of Education.

Those standards include science experiments for elementary schools and researching historical documents instead of just dates.

That led to the CMAS, a standardized test that replaces the old system of standardized tests.

The CMAS is a more difficult test because not all questions are multiple choice and the test is taken online.

“It’s not atypical to see a dip in scores,” Zurkowski said. “Other states have had similar experiences. It’s not just the students getting familiar with those new standards, its teachers, its students, it’s parents and family.”

On a scale from 300–900 points, southern Colorado’s largest district, D11, scored 583 points in fifth-grade science and 577 points in seventh-grade social studies.

That’s just a few points shy of the state’s averages, but it’s also well under 900.

“I think it’s fair for parents to contact their school and see what does science education look like? What does social studies look like?” Zurkowski said.

These new standards are also coming to high-schoolers this year.

As for the districts, they’ll use the results to track achievement and make changes as needed.