Study of Assessment Use in Colorado Districts and Schools

Prepared for HB14-1202 Standards and Assessment Task Force in 2014

The Colorado Standards and Assessments Task force, established by HB 14-1202, selected Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA) to conduct a study regarding assessment use in Colorado districts and schools. The study does not draw conclusions or recommendations, instead gathering needed information for the Task Force in the areas of assessment timelines; annual costs for CDE and districts; time spent to prepare for and administer assessments; opportunity costs of diverting time and resources from instruction; perceived benefits and impacts of assessments; and suggested changes to the state assessment system. APA gathered this information through document review, a statewide survey of district administrators, school administrators and teachers, follow-up interviews with five districts about assessment costs, and gathering information from CDE.