Colorado suspends 2019-2020 state assessments

DENVER (KRDO) -- COVID-19 has already put a pause on the school year in Colorado, and now the state Department of Education has announced that all end-of-the-year assessments will be paused for the remainder of the school year.

That includes the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), but officials are working with The College Board to find solutions to administer the PSAT and SAT.

The department is making the decision to "allow schools and districts to concentrate on determining ways to deliver continued instruction to the extent they are able during this unprecedented disruption in education," according to Education Commissioner Katy Anthes.

“With the extraordinary actions we are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it’s clear that we need to press pause on our CMAS tests this year,” Commissioner Anthes said. “Students and educators need to feel a sense of stability and normalcy before state tests can be administered and produce valid results. This also means we plan to pause our school and district state accountability system as it relates to state assessments for a year.”