Graduation Guidelines: New SAT Math Score 2024 to 2026

At their September 2024 meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education voted to temporarily adjust the math cut scores on the Menu of Options for students graduating in 2024-25 and 2025-26. The Board has since extended this temporary adjustment through 2026-27.

In the spring of 2024, College Board, the company that administers the SAT, introduced a redesigned digital format for the test. This shift in format resulted in score performance changes for students statewide and nationally, particularly for the first cohorts taking the updated assessment. In the summer of 2024, the assessment and pathways teams at CDE communicated with the State Board about the impact of this new SAT format for students in Colorado and around the nation.  

As a result, the Board established a temporary Math cut score of 480 on the digital SAT to support students in demonstrating competency through the Graduation Guidelines. This adjustment is intended to ensure equitable access to graduation demonstration options while additional validation and alignment work is conducted. This adjustment means that students who graduate in the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 school years and take the new digital SAT will meet graduation competencies by meeting these Graduation Guidelines cut scores for SAT (see below):

 

During this interim period, CDE staff will work with the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Commission for Higher Education to ensure SAT scores from the digital assessment are appropriately aligned with postsecondary placement levels and developmental education policies at four-year colleges.  The temporary Math cut score of 480 will continue to be reviewed by the Board as additional data becomes available.

The SAT is one of multiple pathways available for students to demonstrate postsecondary and workforce readiness. Local school boards may select from the 11 measures included in the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options to support locally determined graduation requirements. Technical information regarding Graduation Guidelines data reporting is posted on the Student End of Year and Student Interchange websites.

For more information, please refer to the State Board's website and the press release, or contact Michelle Romero in the Office of Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness.