The Colorado Department of Education released summary state-level results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSAT and SAT assessments administered this spring to Colorado public school students in grades three through 11.
On Wednesday, May 27, districts and schools received access to their confidential CMAS student-level results to support planning and system-level instructional decision-making ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.
Families can also access their students’ CMAS results directly through the Family Score Report Portal, while high school students may view their PSAT and SAT results through their online College Board accounts.
“State assessments provide one important measure of how well we are supporting students across Colorado, and these results show both progress and areas where we must continue to improve,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova.
Córdova said, “Early literacy has been a major focus in Colorado, and we are encouraged by the progress we are seeing. When comparing the same cohort of students over time, CMAS English Language Arts (ELA) scores increased by 5 percentage points from third grade in 2025 to fourth grade in 2026. Similarly, ELA scores for students moving from fourth grade in 2025 to fifth grade in 2026 increased by nearly 8 percentage points. We are also seeing year-over-year gains in CMAS math performance. We know that we still have work to do, but we are very proud of the hard work that goes into these gains.”
Full state assessment results — including state, district and school-level data, performance-level distributions, disaggregated student group results, and academic growth information — will be publicly released in August.
The 2026 state assessment results reflect continued academic progress in several grades and subjects, alongside opportunities to further strengthen student achievement.
CMAS, Colorado’s statewide assessment aligned to the state’s academic standards, measures the progress students are making toward grade-level expectations, while the PSAT and SAT provide important indicators of college readiness and support postsecondary planning for high school students.
Students at all performance levels continue to demonstrate important grade-level knowledge and skills as they progress toward mastery.
Highlights from the 2026 results include:
• ELA: The percentage of third-grade students who met or exceeded expectations declined slightly but remained generally consistent with last year’s results. However, by the end of elementary school, a higher percentage of students met or exceeded expectations compared to previous years, with fourth- and fifth-grade students continuing to show improvement over prior years.
When comparing the same cohort of students over time, CMAS ELA scores increased by 5 percentage points from third grade in 2025 to fourth grade in 2026.
Similarly, ELA scores for students moving from fourth grade in 2025 to fifth grade in 2026 increased by nearly 8 percentage points.
Middle school ELA performance declined compared with 2025 results. Students who approached expectations demonstrate reading and writing skills, including reading and responding to grade-level texts, while students who meet expectations generally demonstrate stronger accuracy, comprehension and depth in applying those skills.
• Math: Elementary and middle school students continued to demonstrate steady progress, with notable year-over-year gains in grades four and eight, and stable or modest improvement across other grade levels. Overall, Colorado continues to see positive trends in math achievement across elementary and middle school grades.
• Science: Science achievement remained relatively stable statewide in grades eight and 11, while the percentage of fifth-grade students who met or exceeded expectations declined compared with last year.
• Social Studies: More students met or exceeded expectations in grade seven compared to grade four.
• PSAT/SAT: SAT results for 11th-grade students declined in reading and writing and remained consistent in math compared with 2025 results, while PSAT performance for students in grades nine and 10 generally improved compared with last year.
“Providing timely access to state assessment results gives families a clearer picture of year-end learning and helps them identify opportunities for summer support if needed,” said Chief Assessment Officer Christina Wirth-Hawkins. “Making confidential student-level results available to districts and schools as early as possible also supports planning and system-level decision-making ahead of the new school year. By publicly releasing statewide summary data now and providing families direct access to individual student scores through the Family Portal, we’re reinforcing our commitment to keeping families, educators and communities informed about Colorado student achievement before the start of the 2026-27 school year.”
More information about state assessments is available on the department’s website, and families can access their child’s CMAS results at the CDE Family Portal. To access this information, parents and guardians must have their child’s State Assigned Student Identifier (SASID). Parents can find this information on prior year CMAS reports, in their district’s student information system, if available, or by contacting their district’s assessment coordinator.
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