District Assessment Coordinators 

The Colorado Department of Education would like to provide clarification regarding the participation of homeschooled students in PSAT & SAT state-sponsored assessments. Full-time homeschooled students are not eligible to participate in Colorado PSAT or SAT School Day administrations. Instead, these students should be directed to register for a national SAT test date through their personal College Board account and are responsible for any associated fees. Additional College Board guidance is available in the Homeschooled and Away Students resource.

This guidance is based on C.R.S. § 22-7-1006.3 (9)(b), which outlines assessment access for students in nonpublic home-based educational programs. The statute requires that, upon parent or guardian request, a local education provider must allow a homeschooled student to participate in state assessments identified in subsection (1), provided the family covers all associated administration and reporting costs.
However, subsection (1) applies only to CMAS and CoAlt assessments. The PSAT (grades 9 and 10) and SAT (grade 11) are defined separately under subsection (2) of the statute and are not included in the list of required state assessments for which access must be granted to homeschooled students.
As a result, while districts must accommodate homeschool students for CMAS or CoAlt assessments upon request (with costs covered by the family), they are not required—and are not permitted under this statute—to offer access to the PSAT or SAT School Day administrations.

• An exception applies to students who are classified by the district as part-time public and part-time homeschool students.
  • If a homeschool student is classified by the district as being a part-time public/part-time home-schooled student (for example, if the homeschool student is taking one or more classes at their local high school or through the district such as physics, band, or choir), then the homeschool student would be eligible, but not required to take the school day PSAT or SAT due to their status as a part-time public school student.
  • The results for these students are not used in calculation of school, district, or state results (provided the district properly identifies them as part-time public/part-time home-schooled students).
  • The student must be coded with Code 8 – Part-Time Public/Part-Time Homeschooled Student in the College Board Student Data Management System (SDMS) during the administration window regardless of whether they participate in testing. 

Homeschooled Students Policy Document

Based on district protocols, updates to a student’s preferred first and/or last name may be necessary to ensure consistency across all student-facing materials.
A student’s preferred name can be updated in SDMS by the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) or, for first names only, by the School Assessment Coordinator (SAC). The preferred name should be added to the “Other Name” field in the student’s record. The student’s legal first name should remain. Updates made in SDMS will automatically populate in Test Day Toolkit (TDTK).
Districts are encouraged to enter preferred names as early as possible.

• The preferred name will appear on the student’s test ticket (for both the Student Readiness Check and state assessment), within the Bluebook application welcome screen, and on the paper score report.
• No changes need to be made to student records after testing during the SBD process. 

Preferred Name Policy Document
 

Students may not access any personal belongings or materials that could provide an unfair advantage or allow test content to be recorded, photographed, or removed from the testing environment.

Unless a student has a College Board–approved accommodation, the following items are prohibited during testing and breaks:

• Phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, or other electronic devices (other than the testing device)
• Detachable privacy screens
• External keyboards used with laptops or Chromebooks (except when used with a Windows tablet)
• Notes, books, or reference materials (Translated test directions and word-to-word dictionaries are permitted for students receiving English Learner (EL) supports)
• Scratch paper not provided by the proctor
• Headphones, earbuds, or earplugs
• Exceptions apply for approved assistive technology accommodations; headphones are required for students using text-to-speech or screen readers
• Cameras, recording devices, or separate timing devices

Guidance for Confiscated or Prohibited Items
If a student is found in possession of a prohibited device during testing or breaks, the response depends on whether there is a concern that the device was used to access or share test content.

No Security Concern Identified
If the proctor and school coordinator determine that the student did not use the device to gain an unfair testing advantage:

• The student must immediately stop testing and be dismissed from the testing room.
• An irregularity report requesting a retest may be submitted.
• If approved, the student may retest on a later date once the irregularity is processed and a new assessment is provisioned in Bluebook.

Security Concern Identified
If there is reason to believe the prohibited device was used to access, capture, or share secure test content:

• The student must be immediately dismissed from the testing room.
• A no-retest irregularity report must be submitted.

Prohibited Items Policy Document

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides the following clarification regarding the use of remote test administration for state-sponsored PSAT and SAT assessments:

This guidance is based on C.R.S. § 22-7-1006.3(1)(e), which requires the Department to develop, review, and update state assessment administration and security policies for home-based or virtual administration of computer-based state assessments for students enrolled full time in online schools or programs. This provision applies to all or any portion of a state assessment administered pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of the statute.
However, subsection (1) applies only to CMAS and CoAlt assessments. The PSAT (grades 9 and 10) and SAT (grade 11) are defined separately under subsection (2) of the statute and are not included among the state assessments for which remote administration must be made available.

• Accordingly, remote administration is not available for any assessments within the SAT Suite, including PSAT 9, PSAT 10, and SAT.   
• The state offers a March Weekend SAT administration for online school students and students with curricular or religious conflicts.
• Online schools are still expected to administer grade 9 and grade 10 assessments and provide makeup testing opportunities for grade 11 students absent from the March Weekend SAT during the regular school-day state administration window.

Remote Administration Policy Document

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is providing clarification regarding SB20-175: Student Score on Transcript and the reporting of student performance on readiness assessments.

This act prohibits a student's level of performance on the readiness assessment administered pursuant to 22-7-1006.3 (SAT) or on a national assessment (any assessment administered throughout the United States to measure postsecondary or workforce readiness) from being indicated on the student's high school transcript.

• What Does This Mean for Schools and Districts?
  • Student performance levels or achievement indicators from the SAT or other qualifying national assessments must not be included on a student's high school transcript.
  • Schools and districts should review their transcript systems, templates, and reporting practices to ensure compliance with this requirement.
• Important Distinction - This provision addresses the inclusion of a student's level of performance on the high school transcript. It does not prohibit schools or districts from maintaining or accessing assessment results through authorized assessment reporting systems or providing student score reports through appropriate channels.

SAT Scores on Transcripts Policy Document

These resources provide a high-level comparison of policies and procedures across Colorado’s general summative assessment programs: ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS, CMAS/CoAlt, DLM, and PSAT/SAT. They highlight areas of alignment as well as where assessment-specific differences exist.

For more details CDE Assessments At A Glance

For additional guidance and resources refer to the individual CDE Assessment pages.