Colorado Cuts CMAS Testing Time for Students in 2027

Colorado plans to shorten its spring 2027 state tests by reducing the time students have to complete them and, at some schools, the number of testing days. The state will keep every question on the Colorado Measure of Academic Success, or CMAS, after a study found that cutting questions could weaken score accuracy without saving much time. The decision puts the emphasis on the clock rather than the test itself: students will face the same questions, but they’ll have less time to work through them.

The change follows concerns from parents, educators, and lawmakers that tests for students in grades 3 through 8 take too long. Earlier efforts to reduce testing hours hadn’t settled the debate. That history matters: shortening a statewide assessment can sound straightforward, but choices about what to cut affect both the time students spend testing and the information schools receive from their scores.

Under the new schedule, students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will have seven hours to complete their tests, down from seven hours and 45 minutes. Students in grades 5 and 8, who also take a science test, will have nine and a half hours, down from 11. The size of the reduction varies by grade, reflecting the additional science assessment for fifth and eighth graders.

Schools that give one testing session each day may also need fewer days to finish. The state tests students in grades 3 through 8 each spring in math and literacy, including reading and writing; science is tested in grades 5 and 8. The practical effect will depend on how a school schedules its sessions and how students use the time available. A shorter allowance may compress the calendar, but the state’s plan doesn’t remove any subject or questions.

“Students didn’t need as much time as they were given, so there were places where we could make cuts,” Christina Wirth-Hawkins, the Colorado Department of Education’s chief assessment officer, told the State Board of Education. She said the aim is to reduce the burden, while acknowledging the changes may not satisfy everyone. That’s a measured promise: the state can set a shorter limit, but it can’t assume every student experiences the change in the same way.

Why Colorado is changing the schedule

The state’s decision followed a study ordered by a 2025 law. A bill to reduce CMAS testing time failed in the previous legislative session, while a measure passed in 2025 directed the department to examine ways to shorten the tests. The study gave officials a basis for weighing different approaches, even though it didn’t resolve the larger disagreement over how much testing is appropriate.

The study found that removing literacy questions would have limited effect on test length because students still need time to read the passages. Fewer questions could also make the results less precise, according to the study’s summary. In other words, reducing the question count might change the quality of the measurement without reducing the reading time that accounts for much of the test.

“If we keep shortening the test, we may be messing with the integrity of that information that truly is being valued,” State Board Chair Rebecca McClellan said. Her concern points to a basic tradeoff in assessment design: scores need enough evidence behind them to be useful, while the process of gathering that evidence takes time from students and schools.

An adaptive format, where each question depends on a student’s previous answer, was also unlikely to save much time, the study found. It would require Colorado to develop a larger pool of questions. That kind of redesign would change how the test operates and require additional material to be prepared; the study did not identify it as a quick route to shorter sessions. The study identified reducing the time allotted as the most viable option.

Time limits raise questions about student needs

Board member Kathy Plomer questioned whether shorter limits could increase anxiety or disadvantage students who need more time. Wirth-Hawkins pointed to testing data: students spent an average of three hours on literacy tests this past spring, though they had four and a half hours available. She said the 2027 limit will remain above that average. That comparison offers a reason to expect many students can finish within the new window, but an average can’t tell families how much time a particular student needs.

Standardized testing remains contested. Critics say it can cause stress and encourage teachers to focus too narrowly on test content. Supporters argue scores help families, educators, and the public assess student learning and school performance. Colorado also uses the results to evaluate schools and teachers. Those competing purposes help explain why a change to testing time draws attention: the same assessment is both a school accountability tool and a demanding task for children.

Some board members hope the study’s findings will inform lawmakers’ views about how much time Colorado students spend testing. “I’m just hoping we can figure out how to get the data off the shelf and into some of their heads, because I think this is really good data,” board member Kathy Gebhardt said. The comment reflects a familiar gap between producing evidence and persuading policymakers to act on it. A study can clarify the available options; it can’t settle which tradeoffs lawmakers or families should accept.

What the shorter schedule will show

CMAS scores remain part of the state’s school information. The 2027 changes will test whether a tighter schedule can ease the load while preserving the data officials say schools and families rely on. This is more significant than it looks: the state is trying to reduce the burden without changing what the test measures, a balance that will be judged in classrooms as well as in board discussions.

And yet, the available figures describe time spent on average, not every student’s experience. If you’re working in a school, the useful question will be whether the new limits leave enough room for students to read, think, and complete the work without turning the test into a race. The change will offer a practical answer only after schools administer the tests under the revised schedule. A tighter clock. Same questions.

Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at [email protected].