FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2021
CEA President Baca-Oehlert:
Colorado’s Largest Union Applauds the Colorado House Education Committee for Standing with Students and Educators
Committee passes Standardized Testing Relief to Full House
DENVER, CO – Today, the House Education Committee passed House Bill (HB) 21-1161, Suspend Statewide Assessments for Select Grades, out of committee to the full House. The bill will give Colorado the ability to scale down CMAS testing this year, providing some necessary relief for students and educators from standardized testing this spring.
The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“CEA members have been clear that we need to ease the burden that CMAS testing will be on students, educators, schools and districts, and we want to thank Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, and Sen. Don Coram for standing with Colorado students and educators.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the federal government usurped our work with Colorado legislators on finding a solution that works for Colorado students. Our goals are unchanged: protect the precious remaining classroom time to focus on instruction and intervention, meet students’ social-emotional and mental health needs, and use existing data to reduce the logistical burden of CMAS.
“Recognizing this, we now call on all Colorado legislators and the governor to do what’s best for our students and enact HB 21-1161 into law so that our students can get the instruction time they need and deserve.”
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.
# # #