Performance Frameworks - Assurances and Test Participation

Assurances

In addition to evaluating student outcomes on Academic Achievement, Academic Growth and Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness indicators, the performance framework reports verify that districts and schools are operating in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements outlined by state legislation. Districts must demonstrate compliance with requirements concerning budget and finance policies, safety provisions, and student participation in annual state assessments. Schools are not individually accountable for meeting finance and safety provisions but must demonstrate compliance with annual testing requirements. Failure to meet these requirements may result in a lowered performance rating. The visual below shows whether districts and schools have met these assurances.

Test Participation Rates

Test participation rates are used to determine whether districts and schools comply with the statutory requirement that students participate in annual state assessments. Districts and schools are required to have a minimum of 95% of students participate in the annual state assessments in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Failure to meet the 95% threshold in more than one subject area may result in the overall performance rating being lowered by one level.

Colorado statute does allow parents to opt children out of the annual state assessments. These students are not represented in the participation rate calculations that are used to determine whether districts and schools fulfill the requirements of the Test Participation Assurance. In the bar graphs below, the Accountability Participation Rate for each subject area shows the rate of participation among those students whose parents who did not excuse them from testing. This means that parent excusals are not represented in either the denominator or the numerator for the Accountability Participation Rate. Total Participation Rates are shown in the text that appears above each bar graph. The Total Participation Rate reflects the percentage of students out of the total population who tested. For the Total Participation Rates, parent excusals are treated as non-participants.