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Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REENGROSSED
This Version Includes All Amendments
Adopted in the House of Introduction
LLS NO. 26-0881.01 Ken Fowler x2372 HOUSE BILL 26-1353
House Committees Senate Committees
Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING STATE -ADMINISTERED SOCIAL STUDIES ASSESSMENTS ,101
AND , IN CONNECTION THEREWITH , REDUCING AN102
APPROPRIATION.103
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/.)
Joint Budget Committee. The bill eliminates the requirement for
the department of education (department) to administer a state assessment
in social studies to elementary school students and specifies that the
department is only required to administer a state assessment in social
studies to students enrolled in seventh grade in a public school.
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 11, 2026
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 8, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Brown and Taggart, Sirota, Goldstein, Story
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Amabile and Bridges, Kirkmeyer
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
The bill also eliminates the requirement that the department
administer a state assessment in social studies in a representative sample
of public schools each year.
The bill reduces the appropriation made in the annual general
appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of
education from the state education fund for the statewide assessment
program.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-7-1006.3, amend2
(1) introductory portion and (1)(a)(III) as follows:3
22-7-1006.3. State assessments - administration - rules -4
definitions.5
(1) (a) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, The department of6
education, in collaboration with local education providers, shall7
administer the state assessments in the instructional areas of English8
language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, as adopted by the9
state board pursuant to section 22-7-1006, as follows:10
(III) The department shall administer a state assessment in social11
studies to students enrolled in public elementary and middle schools12
throughout the state. The department shall select the specific grades in13
which to administer the state social studies assessment, ensuring that14
students take the state social studies assessment once in elementary15
school and once in middle school. The department shall administer the16
social studies assessment required by this subsection (1)(a)(III) in a17
representative sample of public schools each school year, ensuring that it18
administers the social studies assessment in each public school at least19
once every three years. A school district, for one or more of the schools20
of the school district that are not included in the representative sample, or21
a charter school that is not included in the representative sample, may22
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request that the department administer the assessment in the district1
school or charter school. The department shall administer the social2
studies assessment in the requested school in the school year following3
the school year in which it receives the request SEVENTH GRADE IN PUBLIC4
SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.5
SECTION 2. Appropriation - adjustments to 2026 long bill.6
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, to implement this7
act, the cash funds appropriation from the state education fund created in8
section 17 (4)(a) of article IX of the state constitution made in the annual9
general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the10
department of education for the statewide assessment program is11
decreased by $302,835.12
(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not require a reduction of13
an appropriation in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-2714
state fiscal year if:15
(a) The amount of the cash funds appropriation from the state16
education fund made in the annual general appropriation act for the17
2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for the statewide18
assessment program is less than the amount of the adjustment required in19
subsection (1) of this section; or20
(b) The annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state21
fiscal year does not include a cash funds appropriation from the state22
education fund to the department of education for the statewide23
assessment program.24
SECTION 3. Effective date. This act takes effect upon passage;25
except that section 2 of this act takes effect only if the annual general26
appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law, in which27
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case section 2 takes effect upon the effective date of this act or of the1
annual general appropriation act for state fiscal year 2026-27, whichever2
is later.3
SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,4
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate5
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for6
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state7
institutions.8
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