Colorado shows math gains, mixed reading

Colorado’s preliminary spring testing results point to a split recovery: math moved up in nearly every grade, while reading did not show the same broad-based gains. The Colorado Department of Education released state-level 2026 CMAS, PSAT and SAT results on May 29, and KUNC reported Tuesday that the math gains were visible across most tested grades. (kunc.org) The results come from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS, the state’s annual standards-based tests for grades 3 through 8 in math and English language arts, with science and social studies tested in selected grades. (ed.cde.state.co.us) The early picture broadly tracks a national pattern KUNC described as improving math performance alongside stagnant reading. ### Where did the biggest shift show up? Colorado’s clearest movement was in mathematics. KUNC said the share of students who met or exceeded state standards on math tests rose from last year to this year in nearly every grade. (ed.cde.state.co.us) The Colorado Department of Education, in its May 29 release, said it had published summary state-level results from spring 2026 assessments and that families could now access their students’ results. The department’s assessment pages show CMAS as one of the state’s core measures of grade-level mastery. (ed.cde.state.co.us) ### Why is reading getting a different description? KUNC described Colorado’s literacy results as “more of a mixed bag,” a sharper and less uniform picture than the math data. That wording matters because it suggests the state did not see the same across-the-board upward movement in English language arts. (kunc.org) Colorado’s English language arts CMAS is given to students in grades 3 through 8, according to the state assessment overview. Because the test covers a wide span of reading-related skills, uneven results can reflect different patterns across grades and student groups rather than a single statewide trend line. (ed.cde.state.co.us) That is an inference based on the structure of the assessment, not a separate state finding. ### What should districts look at before drawing conclusions? School and district leaders will need more than a headline gain or decline to understand the reading picture. (kunc.org) KUNC’s framing points to a statewide literacy pattern that is not moving in one direction everywhere, which means local reviews will matter more than usual. Colorado’s public assessment pages include results tools and school-level data resources that let users move beyond the statewide topline. That is where districts can check whether weaker literacy performance is concentrated in particular grades, schools or student populations. (ed.cde.state.co.us) ### Why might math be recovering faster than reading? KUNC said Colorado’s results roughly match nationwide data from last year showing math ticking up while reading remained stagnant. The outlet did not present a single explanation for that split, and the story said explaining the trends is not easy. (kunc.org) Colorado has also been watching math recovery closely since earlier reporting tied statewide gains to broader post-pandemic improvement, even as scores remained below pre-pandemic levels in some measures. (ed.cde.state.co.us) KUNC reported in February that Colorado’s 2024 NAEP math scores had started to rebound. ### What happens next for families and schools? Families can already view individual student results from the spring 2026 assessments, the Colorado Department of Education said in its May 29 release. The department’s data-and-results pages also provide access to broader CMAS reporting and historical files. (kunc.org) SchoolView and other Colorado education data pages are expected to remain the main public sources for deeper school and district comparisons as educators sort through the preliminary results. Those pages include 2026 CMAS assessment data and related accountability files. (kunc.org) (cde.state.co.us) (ed.cde.state.co.us)