SB26-068 • 2026

Modify Administration of Education Assessments

The bill requires the department of education to: Ensure that standardized summative assessments are administered to students to the minimum extent possible; and Apply for a federal waiver for federal

Education Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Sen. C. Kolker, Sen. B. Pelton, Rep. L. Garcia Sander, Rep. E. Hamrick
Last action: 2026-03-16
Official status: Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how the reduction of testing will be measured or implemented.

Modify Education Assessments

The bill requires Colorado's Department of Education to minimize standardized summative assessments for students and apply for federal waivers if necessary.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Education to administer standardized summative assessments to students to the minimum extent possible while still assessing their learning properly.
Allows the Department of Education to ask the federal government for a waiver from certain testing requirements, if needed.

Who It Names or Affects

Students who take standardized tests.
Teachers and schools that administer these tests.
The Department of Education responsible for overseeing assessments.

Terms To Know

Summative Assessment: An assessment that measures learning accumulated by a student through a course of study over a semester or more as demonstrated by the student's knowledge and skills.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much testing will be reduced.
It is unclear if and when federal waivers will be granted.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment creates a working group to investigate ways to reduce the time spent on statewide assessments for students in grades 3 through 8 while still meeting state and federal requirements.

Adds a new section to Colorado Revised Statutes that establishes a State Assessments Modifications Working Group.
This working group will look into options to minimize the time required for administering statewide tests in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies for grades 3 through 8.
The group must submit a report by December 1, 2026, with recommendations on how to reduce testing time without violating state or federal laws.

The exact details of the working group's recommendations and their implementation are not specified in this amendment.

Bill History

2026-03-16 Senate
Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations
2026-01-28 Senate
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Education

Official Summary Text

The bill requires the department of education to:
Ensure that standardized summative assessments are administered to students to the minimum extent possible; and
Apply for a federal waiver for federal assessment requirements, if necessary.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0741.01 Jacob Baus x2173 SENATE BILL 26-068
Senate Committees House Committees
Education
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING MEASURES TO MODI FY THE ADMINISTRATION OF101
EDUCATION ASSESSMENTS.102
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.)
The bill requires the department of education to:
! Ensure that standardized summative assessments are
administered to students to the minimum extent possible;
and
! Apply for a federal waiver for federal assessment
requirements, if necessary.
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Kolker and Pelton B.,
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Hamrick and Garcia Sander,
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.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-7-1020 as2
follows:3
22-7-1020. Cap administration of standardized summative4
assessments - federal waiver - definition.5
(1) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE6
REQUIRES, "SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT " MEANS AN ASSESSMENT THAT7
MEASURES LEARNING ACCUMULATED BY A STUDENT THROUGH A COURSE8
OF STUDY OVER A SEMESTER OR MORE AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE9
STUDENT'S KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.10
(2) T O THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW , THE11
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL ENSURE THAT STANDARDIZED12
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS ARE ADMINISTERED TO THE MINIMUM EXTENT13
PRACTICABLE WHILE STILL APPROPRIATELY AND EFFECTIVELY ASSESSING14
THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS.15
(3) P URSUANT TO 20 U.S.C. SEC . 7861, THE DEPARTMENT OF16
EDUCATION SHALL , IF NECESSARY TO ADMINISTER SUMMATIVE17
ASSESSMENTS TO THE MINIMUM EXTENT PRACTICABLE AS DESCRIBED IN18
SUBSECTION (2) OF THIS SECTION, APPLY TO THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF19
EDUCATION FOR A WAIVER OF STATE ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS20
PURSUANT TO 20 U.S.C. SEC . 6311 WITHIN NINETY DAYS AFTER THE21
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION . THE APPLICATION MAY BE FOR A22
STRATEGIC WAIVER THAT PROPOSES A SHORTENED ASSESSMENT , A23
SAMPLING MODEL OF ASSESSMENT , A MATRIX SAMPLING MODEL OF24
ASSESSMENT, OR ANY OTHER STRATEGY IDENTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT25
OF EDUCATION.26
SB26-068-2-
SECTION 2. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,1
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate2
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for3
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state4
institutions.5
SB26-068-3-