Summary#
Senate Memorial 26-001 is a Colorado Senate memorial asking Congress to change federal standardized-testing requirements; it does not amend Colorado law or create a new program. Its stated goal is to replace high-stakes testing with more flexible, locally designed assessment and accountability systems.
- It urges Congress to end federal requirements that tie statewide test results to accountability decisions, sanctions, teacher evaluations, or school penalties.
- It asks Congress to reduce federal reporting and compliance requirements and give states more flexibility to develop assessments and local accountability systems.
- It calls for public dollars to be reinvested in listed areas such as smaller classes, teacher pay, special education, mental-health supports, and arts and enrichment. It does not direct spending.
- It asks Congress to repeal remaining test-based accountability provisions and continue using the National Assessment of Educational Progress as an educational comparison benchmark.
- It says copies should be sent to federal leaders, state governors, Colorado district superintendents, and others named in the memorial.
What it means for you#
- Students, families, schools, and teachers: The memorial itself does not change testing, school accountability, teacher evaluations, or school funding. Any changes would depend on later action by Congress or other authorities.
- Parents: The memorial expresses support for parents opting children out of high-stakes tests without penalty. It does not create or change an opt-out right.
- Colorado school districts and local boards: The memorial asks Congress to restore state and local authority over assessment and reporting. It does not require districts to adopt a new assessment system.
- Taxpayers: It creates no tax, fee, or payment.
Money#
No cost estimate for the memorial itself is provided, and it does not authorize spending.
- The memorial’s recitals estimate that Colorado spends about $100 million a year on high-stakes testing. That is a claim in the memorial, not a cost estimate for this proposal.
- The memorial asks Congress to support reinvesting public dollars in other education services, but does not identify funds to move or require that money be spent.
What is unclear#
- What specific tests or accountability requirements the memorial means by “high-stakes” is not defined.
- It does not set out how alternative assessments or local accountability systems would work, or how their results would be compared.
- It does not explain how federal requirements would change or what Congress would do to carry out the requests.
- The memorial says parents have an established right to opt out without penalty, but the supplied material does not establish the current legal rules or protections. No publicly available information.
- The supplied status says the memorial was laid over to May 14, 2026; no later action is included.
Case for#
- The memorial appears intended to reduce the time and administrative work devoted to standardized testing and test-based accountability.
- A possible argument for more local flexibility is that Colorado districts and communities could choose assessment approaches suited to their priorities.
- The memorial identifies other education services it wants public dollars to support, including special education, early intervention, and mental-health resources.
- It proposes continuing to use a national benchmark, rather than ending educational comparisons altogether.
Case against#
- The memorial does not explain how its proposed alternatives would provide consistent measures of student learning across districts.
- Ending test-linked accountability could reduce a common way to compare schools and identify differences in outcomes; the memorial does not describe what would replace that function.
- Its request to reinvest public dollars does not identify which spending would be reduced, how much money would be available, or how it would be divided among the listed priorities.