General Assessment Information

Spring 2022 Tentative Colorado State Assessment Windows

A typical state assessment administration season is scheduled for spring 2022 as required by state and federal law.

ACCESS for ELLs

• January 10 - February 11, 2022

CMAS/CoAlt¹: ELA/CSLA/Math/Science/Social Studies²

• April 11 - April 29, 2022³

CO SAT

• Primary Test Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2022
• Make-up Test Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

CO PSAT for grades 9 and 10

• Primary Test Date: Wednesday, April 13 - Friday, April 15 2022 (district choice for primary test date)⁴
• Make-up Test Date: Tuesday, April 26 - Thursday, April 28, 2022 (district choice for make-up test date)⁵

HS CoAlt ELA/Math (DLM) for grades 9-11¹

• Aligned to PSAT/SAT schedule to the extent possible

¹ To the extent possible, students taking the alternate assessment in a content area for which they are participating in a general education class should be assessed at the same time as their general education peers to avoid missed instruction.  Schools may also ensure that students taking the alternate assessment do not miss instruction from their general education class(es) through other means.

² Per state statute, 4th and 7th grade social studies assessments are administered on a sampling basis.

³ CMAS/CoAlt Administration Window

• All CMAS elementary and middle school science administrations must be completed within the official window. 
• To compensate for technology capacity, districts can open the CMAS ELA and Math window early for online administrations. The earliest start date for online Math and ELA is March 21, 2022.
• In recognition of this school year’s ongoing COVID challenges and increased staff shortages, CDE expanded access to the CMAS and CoAlt ELA and Math early administration window to increase scheduling flexibility for schools and districts. Any school or district participating in the official April testing window may begin administering ELA and Math tests (online and paper) as early as April 4, 2022. (Material shipment dates cannot be adjusted.)
• CDE encourages early returns of paper test books to expedite scoring and results processes and timelines.

Students taking CoAlt ELA and Math (DLM) and those requiring paper accommodations  

              (including CSLA) should test at the same time as their peers.

• To accommodate high school assessment schedules including SAT, AP and IB exams, districts can open and close the high school window early for a total of 3 testing weeks:
  • Option 1: March 28, 2022 – April 15, 2022
  • Option 2: April 4, 2022 – April 22, 2022

Districts must inform CDE by December 15, 2021 if an extended math and ELA or early high school window will be used.  

⁴ Each school will administer the PSAT on one of the three available primary test dates. Grade 9 may be administered on a different day than Grade 10 if needed. DACs are encouraged to make a district-wide decision but may allow individual schools to select their primary test date. Districts that operate under a 4 day week and have Fridays as scheduled non-contact days will be permitted to schedule the primary test date for the Colorado PSAT on Monday, April 18 if needed.

⁵ Each school will administer the PSAT on one of the three available make-up test dates. Grade 9 make-up tests may be administered on a different day than Grade 10 if needed. DACs are encouraged to make a district-wide decision but may allow individual schools to select their make-up PSAT test date.