General Assessment Information

Spring 2023 Tentative Colorado State Assessment Windows

A typical state assessment administration season is scheduled for spring 2023 as required by state and federal law.

ACCESS for ELLs

• January 9 - February 10, 2023

CMAS/CoAlt¹: ELA/CSLA/Math/Science

• April 10 - April 28, 2023²

CO SAT

• Primary Test Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
• Make-up Test Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

CO PSAT for grades 9 and 10

• Primary Test Date: Wednesday, April 12 - Friday, April 14, 2023 (district choice for primary test date)³
• Make-up Test Date: Tuesday, April 25 - Thursday, April 27, 2023 (district choice for make-up test date)⁴

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 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 Math and ELA window early for online administrations. The earliest start date for online Math and ELA is March 20, 2023.
• 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 science window early for a total of 3 testing weeks:
  • Option 1: March 27, 2023 – April 14, 2023
  • Option 2: April 3, 2023 – April 21, 2023

Districts must inform CDE by December 15, 2022 if an extended math and ELA and/or early high school science window will be used (notification provided to CDE through the District Testing Information and Format Selections Form distributed to official DACs upon completion of the Spring 2023 CMAS Administration Training for DACs).  

³ 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 17, 2023 if needed.

⁴ 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.