State assessments provide valuable data for our schools and teachers

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Spring has arrived, which means state assessments are right around the corner. BVSD schools will start administering these tests in April which include the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSAT or SAT tests.

Available online is a general schedule of these assessments in the Boulder Valley School District, including the grades affected. If your student is scheduled to take one of these tests, please encourage them to participate.

We want every BVSD parent to know the importance of these tests. The results provide important data for our educators to help students grow, develop student academic test-taking skills for the future, and influence our school rankings which drive many important decisions at the school level.

Even if students don’t feel 100% prepared or their friends opted-out so they now want to, remember that any participation in testing is better than opting out. 

BVSD is Accredited with Distinction

BVSD is only one of 17 school districts across the state to be Accredited with Distinction by the Colorado Department of Education and the only one in Metro Denver to earn the honor. This represents the highest ranking from the Colorado Department of Education, signifying excellence in education. 

Earning this accreditation rating represents the growth and achievement of all students in our district, and is only possible when as many students as possible participate in state assessments. This accreditation rating not only improves the reputation of the district, but assists greatly recruitment, staffing, enrollment efforts districtwide.

Want to see how our students are performing on these tests? Check out our newly launched Strategic Plan data dashboard, which shows metrics in state assessments scores both districtwide and by school. 

“Each student participating in assessments contributes to the representation of our whole student body, which helps to paint a more complete picture of achievement in Boulder Valley,” said Dr. Jonathan Dings, BVSD’s Executive Director of Assessment and Program Evaluation.

Not a perfect representation, still very important

“We understand that parents have the ability to opt-out or allow their children to skip the tests,” said Dings. “While we acknowledge that the state’s assessments are not perfect and may even seem unclear as to how they impact a student’s future, this data is so critical for our schools and teachers.”

State test scores by school provide teachers valuable information about the performance of their students, allowing them to individualize support as needed. 

“At a district level, the tests provide a direct comparison with other school districts in the state that helps us evaluate whether our curriculum and instructional practices are working and where professional development or adjustments are required,” said Dings.

The Boulder Valley School District is an outstanding academic institution, with excellent teachers who are dedicated to making sure that students are successful and prepared for the future. When only a fraction of students participate in these assessments, BVSD’s rankings and grades do not truly reflect its students or schools. 

We encourage all students to participate so that BVSD can accurately demonstrate how well our schools and district are performing.

Learn more about the importance of assessments along with testing schedules on the BVSD Take the Test webpage. Additional information about assessments can be found on the BVSD Assessment FAQ page.