SB25-222 repeals Colorado’s statutory requirement that school districts administer certain proficiency or developmental education placement/assessment tests to students in grades 9 through 12. The bill removes the underlying law authorizing those district-administered tests and updates related provisions so that, if districts or charter schools choose to administer such assessments, the results and any intervention plans may still be included in a student’s individual career and academic plan.
The bill also makes a corresponding budget adjustment by reducing the Department of Education’s cash-funds appropriation from the State Education Fund by $50,000 for the 2025-26 fiscal year. In effect, it eliminates a state reimbursement mechanism tied to the repealed testing requirement while preserving optional use of related assessment information in student planning documents for districts that continue to use these tests.
Impact
The bill repeals section 22-32-109.5 of the Colorado Revised Statutes and amends related provisions in sections 22-2-112 and 22-2-136 to remove references to mandatory district-administered proficiency tests while retaining optional references for districts and charter schools that still choose to use developmental education placement or assessment tests. It also reduces an education-related appropriation by $50,000, affecting state funding for career pathways/basic skills placement or assessment tests and eliminating reimbursement tied to the repealed mandate. School districts, district charter schools, and institute charter schools are the primary affected entities, along with the Department of Education and the State Education Fund.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and moved with little visible opposition. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously, passed the Senate on third reading 29-0, and passed House Appropriations unanimously. The House third reading vote was overwhelmingly favorable at 62-1, indicating strong overall support for repealing the testing requirement and making the associated budget reduction.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The only notable point of potential disagreement is the policy choice to repeal a statewide proficiency-testing requirement and reduce related funding, which could be viewed as reducing standardized assessment and reimbursement support. However, the near-unanimous committee votes and strong floor votes suggest that any concerns were limited or not strongly expressed in the available discussions.