FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2021
Statement from the Colorado Education Association (CEA) on 2021 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) results
DENVER, CO – The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) released 2021 CMAS data today showing an overall decrease in both raw scores and participation. This statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“The results of this year’s CMAS data are not surprising considering the number of variables that students and educators have had to deal with since March 2020 while educating students in the midst of a global pandemic. We urge extreme caution in interpreting or drawing conclusions with this data as it does not tell a complete story of how students, educators or schools performed over the last year. We will need to look at a multitude of information and data points to get a full understanding of the 2020-2021 school year. We continue to applaud the tremendous efforts of students and educators who overcame extreme challenges in teaching and learning this past school year.
“We also believe that this is a wake up call and a continued plea for all public education stakeholders to come together to discuss and find solutions to underlying issues like the chronic underfunding of public education, the lack of mental health and social-emotional supports, and crumbling infrastructure and outdated materials.
“We need to prioritize our students and support our public schools’ ability to meet their needs, especially those who are the most vulnerable. Others often interpret lower scores in some schools as evidence that those schools are not doing a good job, but the fact of the matter is, schools are educating student populations that have greater educational challenges with access to minimal resources and supports. Federal stimulus funds can be used to address some of these issues and educators, those who actually work with students on a daily basis, should be at the forefront of these conversations. And while these dollars will help, they do not solve the long-term funding gaps we see on an annual basis. We look forward to the results of the upcoming accountability audit and using that data to spark conversations with other public education stakeholders on the way forward.”
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is the voice of 39,000 educators, working together in a strong union to ensure all students get the exceptional public schools they deserve, in every neighborhood across the state. As Colorado’s largest labor union, CEA works collectively with all education stakeholders to ensure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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