Colorado Cuts State Testing Time for Students
The state will shorten standardized math and science tests for grades 3 through 8 beginning in spring 2027.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Homework
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Colorado's Department of Education will reduce Colorado Measure of Academic Success testing time for students in grades 3 through 8 in 2027. Testing time for grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will drop from seven hours and 45 minutes to seven hours, while grades 5 and 8 will fall from 11 hours to nine and a half hours.
Why it matters
The change responds to concerns from parents, educators, and state lawmakers that the tests are too burdensome. It follows data showing most students did not use all of the allotted testing time.
Students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will lose 45 minutes of CMAS testing time in 2027, while grades 5 and 8 lose one hour and 30 minutes. Students averaged three hours on spring 2026 literacy tests against a four-and-a-half-hour allotment, and the state is not cutting any test questions.
The players
Colorado Department of Education
The state agency responsible for public K-12 education policy and the administration of the Colorado Measure of Academic Success assessments.
The details
The state is reducing testing time by allotting fewer hours rather than removing questions, and schools holding one testing session per day will have fewer testing days in spring 2027. A 2025 bill ordering a study of shorter tests had earlier failed as a standalone measure.
Timeline
2025: A bill passed ordering the state to study ways to shorten the CMAS tests.
Spring 2026: Students averaged three hours on literacy tests.
November 2, 2026: The Colorado Department of Education announced the reduced testing time.
Spring 2027: Reduced testing time and fewer sessions take effect.
Season Trajectory
The Colorado Measure of Academic Success program has long been the state's primary standardized measure of student achievement in math, science, and literacy. This 2027 reduction in testing time builds on a 2025 bill that failed as a standalone measure before the state was directed to study shorter tests.
Families of students in grades 3 through 8 will see shorter standardized testing days beginning in spring 2027. Fewer testing sessions mean fewer disrupted school days for students during the testing window.
The takeaway
Students are not losing any test questions, only allotted hours, so the change reduces time pressure without altering what is assessed. Parents of students in grades 3 through 8 can plan for shorter testing windows in spring 2027.
What happens next
Reduced CMAS testing time and fewer testing sessions take effect in spring 2027.
Further reading
For related coverage of study routines and school workload, see Homework.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chalkbeat.
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