Colorado Cuts Testing Time for Grades 3-8
Families with students in grades 3 through 8 will see fewer testing hours and sessions starting in spring 2027.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Homework
Live Poll
Do you think Colorado's standardized student testing is worth the time it takes?
Colorado will cut standardized math and science testing time for students in grades 3 through 8 beginning in spring 2027. Testing time for grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 drops by 45 minutes, and grades 5 and 8 lose one hour and 30 minutes, with fewer testing sessions overall. The state is reducing hours rather than removing any test questions.
Why it matters
The change responds to concerns from parents, educators and state lawmakers that the tests are too burdensome for students. It follows a study showing most students did not use all of the testing time allotted to them, which the state used as a basis for the decision.
Testing time for grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 will shrink by 45 minutes in 2027, and grades 5 and 8 will lose one hour and 30 minutes. In spring 2026, students averaged three hours on literacy tests against an allotment of four and a half hours.
The players
Colorado Department of Education
The state agency that administers the Colorado Measure of Academic Success tests and sets testing schedules for public school students.
State Board of Education
The elected body that received the study on student testing time and oversees state education policy.
The details
The state is reducing testing time by allotting fewer hours to each test rather than removing questions from the CMAS exams. Schools that hold one testing session per day will have fewer testing days in spring 2027. Because the 2027 allotments remain above the average time students used on literacy tests, the reduction is framed as a step toward easing the testing load.
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.
The Home Front
The change follows a 2025 state law that required a study of how to shorten the CMAS tests, after an earlier bill to cut testing time failed that session. It shifts Colorado's response from studying the testing load to reducing it in the 2027 school year.
If you have a child in grades 3 through 8, check with the school about the spring 2027 testing schedule and how many sessions will fall on each day. Plan homework and evening routines around the reduced testing days rather than the prior schedule.
The takeaway
Fewer testing hours in spring 2027 means less time away from regular classwork for younger students. Ask your child's school for the testing calendar as soon as it is published so you can plan homework around it.
Further reading
For more on how testing schedules affect daily study routines, see Homework in our education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chalkbeat.
Live Poll
Do you think Colorado's standardized student testing is worth the time it takes?
