Mar 16, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2021
Colorado Education Association (CEA) lauds House Bill 21-1161 becoming law
Bill gives some relief to students and educators in 2021; more work to do
DENVER – On Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill (HB) 21-1161, Suspend Statewide Assessments For Select Grades, into law. Spearheaded by the Colorado Education Association, the bill will allow educators to focus their limited time and resources on instruction and interventions to put students’ learning and mental health needs first. Specifically, the bill will direct the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to formally request a waiver from the US Department of Education to suspend standardized testing for certain subjects and grades for 2020-21. It also prohibits a school district from using student academic growth measures or student performance measures when evaluating licensed personnel or for school accountability for the 2020-21 school year.
The 39,000 educators of the CEA along with 15,000 Coloradans who signed a petition were clear in their desire to cancel CMAS this year, but ultimately fought for a bill that would meet the federal guidance and preserve as much as possible instructional time for students.
“HB 21-1161 is the direct result of our elected officials listening to our members and taking action to provide relief to our students and members during a school year that has been anything but ‚Äòstandard’,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association.“CEA members have been clear that we need to ease the burden that CMAS testing will put on students, educators, schools and districts, and we want to thank bill sponsors Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, and Sen. Don Coram for standing with Colorado students and educators.”
“Students, parents and teachers have been through a lot this year,” said Rep. Alec Garnett, Colorado Speaker of the House.“I’m proud of the way everyone in the education community came together for our students to lessen the testing burden while still complying with federal requirements. Reps. Sirota and McLachlan led the charge to find a meaningful and responsible solution that will allow teachers to focus on teaching, and I am grateful for their efforts.”
The need for Colorado to prioritize direct instruction time over standardized testing this year has been clear for some time. After two recent CEA public polls showed just 4% of Colorado parents favored standardized testing, the Colorado Education Association and Colorado legislature worked together to prioritize student learning in a year of pandemic turmoil.
“I applaud the Colorado Education Association and the Colorado State Legislature for working together and putting the needs of students first,” said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association.“All students deserve to have the ability to demonstrate knowledge in many ways that are measurable by those who know them best – their educators. I hope Sec. Cardona and the Department of Education will work with Colorado to tailor assessments that can actually determine where students are and help design an educational experience that fully supports their academic, social and emotional needs.”
While the Colorado Education Association lauds the passage of HB 21-1161, the work of providing Colorado students and educators with relief during the pandemic is not over.
“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 that educators use every day to assess and meet the current needs of our students in ways that help them thrive,” said Baca-Oehlert.
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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Mar 5, 2021 | Press
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.
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Feb 23, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2021
CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert:
Standardized testing will take away valuable instruction time for students
Biden Administration issues guidance on how states assess student progress this spring
DENVER, CO – On Monday President Joe Biden’s administration issued guidance to states on assessments and accountability this spring.
The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“Today’s guidance by the Biden administration was not unexpected. There is opportunity in this guidance to determine avenues to address and understand student learning. We are analyzing the guidance issued today and look forward to continuing to work with our elected officials to ensure that students’ time is focused on direct instruction and providing them the mental health supports they need in order to best support their learning.”
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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Feb 4, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2021
New Polling shows Coloradans want to postpone 2021 CMAS standardized testing for grades 3-8
CEA, CASE, CASB, and the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance urge focus on instruction and social/emotional supports instead
DENVER – Leaders from the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Association of School Executives, the Colorado Association of School Boards, and the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance released new polling data today showing clear majorities of Colorado voters and school parents put a higher priority on classroom instruction to close student learning gaps than on the CMAS standardized testing for grades 3-8 to assess potential learning gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We care deeply about making sure all our students are learning, especially during the pandemic,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“But when students and educators are struggling, bouncing between in-person, virtual and hybrid learning depending on the COVID-19 conditions in their community, administering the CMAS this spring would be irresponsible. The wisest thing to do is to focus every single second on instruction so our students are able to concentrate on learning and maintaining their mental health until the pandemic subsides.”
More than half of respondents prioritized classroom instruction focused on teaching to close student learning gaps, while almost 4 in 10 identified social and mental health supports for students as the most important priority. Just seven percent chose standardized testing to assess potential learning gaps as a priority this spring, slipping to just four percent for parents with students in public school.
“Considering all that’s happened this year, I question the value of replacing instructional time with another test whose results won’t help my son this school year,” said Laura Martinez, parent in the Adams 14 School District.“We don’t see the benefit of standardized tests for our children, but we do see the costs. Loss of instructional time, money ‚Äî which could be spent in making our schools safe from COVID ‚Äî and additional needless stress and anxiety for our children. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
The polling data shows solid majorities believe that CMAS testing should be cancelled this spring, including two-thirds of public school parents and six out of 10 rural voters.
“The reality is that schools can’t provide fair and uniform testing conditions for students,” said CASE President and Strasburg superintendent Monica Johnson.“Not only is every community different in terms of how many students are able to attend school in person versus hybrid or remote, access to technology and the internet also varies for students based on their own personal and family circumstances. To comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, many schools would need to test across multiple days in multiple locations, including virtually. This compromises the integrity and security of CMAS and takes away instructional time that our kids so badly need.”
“The results of this poll align with what our school board members are hearing from their local communities,” said John Wittler, Board President of Vilas School District and CASB President.“During this challenging school year, our families want to prioritize student learning by preventing additional disruptions to learning and CASB stands ready to work with policymakers on this important issue.”
View the Polling Memo on Colorado Voters & School Parents Favor Cancelling CMAS Tests this Spring
View the Press Conference
About
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.
The Colorado Association of School Executives represents more than 2,400 public school administrators from nearly all of Colorado’s 178 school districts. CASE empowers Colorado’s education leaders through advocacy, professional learning and networking to deliver on the promise of public education.
The Colorado Association of School Boards unites more than 1,000 school board members and superintendents statewide to promote the interests and welfare of Colorado’s 178 school districts. CASB provides information, training and support to enhance school board effectiveness.
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Apr 13, 2020 | Legal Update
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