Posted March 6, 2024
March 5, 2024
Dear Hamilton Family,
It is that time of year again to start preparing for the annual Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments (commonly known as CMAS). Hamilton faculty and staff will administer the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessments for all students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade from Tuesday, April 8 through Thursday, April 10. In addition to the ELA and Math CMAS assessments, 8th grade students will also participate in the CMAS Science Assessment on Monday, April 7th and Friday, April 11th.
In order to provide the best possible testing experience for our students, our assessment schedule will span the entire school day, with ample breaks, extended lunch and recess periods, and student-centered activities between assessments. Our plan is to assess English Language Arts in the morning, and Mathematics in the afternoon. A finalized testing schedule with more specific timing details will be posted on our website and sent to families before Spring Break.
When students participate in the annual CMAS assessments they provide valuable information to families and educators that show whether students have mastered grade-level content and are on track to graduate prepared for the 21st century. Results from these assessments inform where Denver Public Schools can improve curriculum, instruction and leadership in order to ensure that every child receives an equitable education and is on a path to success. For more information about how the district uses CMAS, please follow this link to the Denver Public Schools Colorado Measures of Academic Success page.
As per Colorado state law, families may choose to opt their students out of participating in this annual assessment by visiting the school in person and requesting a “Non-Participation Request for Assessments” form, or downloading a copy to complete from one of the links below and sending it to Hamilton:
English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Amharic
Arabic
Chinese
Nepali
Somali
French
To assist with Hamilton’s scheduling and planning purposes, it’s important to complete the process by no later than March 20th if you do not wish your student to participate.
Lastly, students opting out of CMAS assessment activities may attend school though they will not follow their usual academic schedule or have access to their teachers. Nearly all of our faculty and staff will be administering the CMAS assessments school wide and are unavailable for instruction. Students not testing will report to our Auditorium while the rest of the school is testing, and need to bring a book or other reading material. Access to cell phones and chromebook devices will not be allowed to ensure the integrity of our testing environment and ensure our internet and wifi systems are dedicated to testing. Students will be supervised by a staff member.
If you have specific questions or concerns regarding CMAS and Hamilton’s plan for administering this year’s assessment, please do not hesitate to contact us.
In partnership,
Fernanda Dillon, Principal
Fernanda_Dillon@dpsk12.net
Rachel Jacobs, 8th Grade Assistant Principal
rachel_jacobs@dpsk12.net
Sherri Winger
7th Grade Assistant Principal/CoALT SAL
sherri_winger@dpsk12.net
Christine Manzanares
6th Grade Assistant Principal/CMAS SAL
Christine_Manzanares@dpsk12.net