Dear Parent/Guardian,
It’s official, for Spring, 2016, tenth graders will take the PSAT, eleventh graders will take the ACT.
Interim Commissioner Elliott Asp announced that this proposal has been accepted and the state will be officially moving
forward with this transition plan. In his remarks, Dr. Asp stated “I am happy to announce that we will administer the ACT
exam to this year's high school juniors. I wish we could have provided that news immediately, but there are some processes
that we have to go through as a state agency before such a contract can be awarded. We are sufficiently along in that
process that I can safely say that we will use the ACT this year. I want to thank both ACT and College Board for working with
us on this transition. I think both of these organizations are working in the best interests of students, and I am very grateful to
them.”
The transition plan does not change the selection committee’s unanimous decision to award College Board a contract to
administer the PSAT and SAT to Colorado’s tenth and eleventh grade students. The shift in the state’s college entrance
exam was a result of the state legislation passed last May (H.B. 15-1323) which, among other things, required the
department to go through a competitive procurement process for both a college entrance exam and a new tenth grade
exam.
The selection committee found the PSAT and SAT to be better aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards, a requirement
of the 2015 legislation. The committee also found the College Board provides the most test preparation support and
resources to students. College Board provides free test preparation to students through their mobile app, through the Khan
Academy, and at Girls and Boys Clubs across the state. College Board has also partnered with Roadtrip Nation, which offers
strategies to help students make informed career decisions.
As Colorado makes this transition to a new college entrance exam and tenth grade exam, it’s important for parents and
students to know that the SAT is an approved, recognized assessment option in the Colorado Commission on Higher
Education’s Admissions Standards Policy and a well-established, recognized credential presented by students from around
the world to colleges and universities throughout the country. Also, all public colleges and universities in Colorado will
continue to accept both the ACT and SAT for admission and scholarship-consideration purposes.
Under current legislative requirements, the content exams that will be given in tenth and eleventh grade are shown in the
following table. Students who are eligible to take the alternate exam will take the CoAlt: DLM ELA/Math assessments in
place of the tenth or eleventh grade exam and CoAlt: Sci/SS in place of the CMAS science and social studies exams.
Spring 2016
Colorado Tenth PSAT
April 19
Grade Exam
Spring 2017
PSAT
PSAT
Test date TBD
Test date TBD
Colorado
Eleventh Grade
College
Entrance Exam
Colorado
Eleventh Grade
Science Exam
Colorado
Eleventh Grade
Social Studies
Exam
ACT
SAT
SAT
April 19 initial test date
May 3 make-up test date
Test date TBD
Test date TBD
CMAS
CMAS
CMAS
April 11 – 29
Test window TBD
Test window TBD
CMAS
CMAS
TBD
CMAS
TBD
Not administered in
Spring 2016 as part of
current HS sampling
plan.
Spring 2018
Schools will be working with students to familiarize them with the PSAT10 and other SAT prep resources. Additional
information will be sent from the high schools to students and parents in the next few weeks.
You may contact me if you have questions.
Lori Benton, Ph.D.
Director of Assessment