HB 1353: Student State Assessment in Social Studies - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 3 edits · May 29, 2026

MINOR

This bill amends state statutes to clarify the administration of social studies assessments in public elementary and middle schools, specifically mandating that all students take the test in seventh grade. It also adjusts the state education fund appropriation for the 2026-27 fiscal year by reducing the budget by $302,835 to align with the assessment requirements. The changes include minor formatting updates to the bill text and signature lines.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of social studies assessment requirements to explicitly include all students in seventh grade across the state, moving away from a representative sample-only approach for that grade level.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the requirement for social studies assessments to ensure all students in seventh grade take the test, rather than just a representative sample.

FISCAL

Reduced the appropriation for the statewide assessment program in the 2026-27 budget by $302,835.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and spacing in the bill title, sponsor list, and signature lines to reflect the final signed version.

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · May 27, 2026

MODERATE

This bill eliminates the requirement for the Colorado Department of Education to administer state social studies assessments to all elementary and middle school students. Instead, the department will only be required to administer the assessment to students in the seventh grade across the state. Additionally, the bill reduces the state budget appropriation for the statewide assessment program by approximately $302,835 for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Scope change

The bill significantly narrows the scope of the social studies assessment program by restricting mandatory administration from all elementary and middle school grades to only the seventh grade.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the mandate for the department to administer social studies assessments to students in all elementary and middle school grades.

Added a specific requirement that the social studies assessment must be administered only to students in the seventh grade in public schools throughout the state.

FISCAL

Decreased the cash funds appropriation from the state education fund for the statewide assessment program by $302,835 for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

TIMELINE

Updated the effective date and legislative status to reflect that the bill has been signed into law by the Governor.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Apr 16, 2026

MINOR

The bill was rerevised to include additional Senate sponsors, reflecting expanded legislative support. The header was updated to indicate this version includes all amendments adopted in the Second House. A technical deletion removed a page break and the Safety Clause section, which is a procedural declaration rather than a substantive policy change.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the modifications are limited to sponsorship lists and formatting.

TECHNICAL

Added four new Senate sponsors (Cutter, Exum, Kipp, Kolker, Lindstedt, Marchman, Wallace) to the bill's sponsorship list.

Removed the Safety Clause section, which is a standard procedural declaration regarding the necessity of the act for public safety or appropriations.

Updated the revision header to reflect that this version includes all amendments adopted in the Second House.

Reengrossed → Revised · 2 edits · Apr 15, 2026

MINOR

The bill's status was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the Senate. The revision date for the Senate version was set to April 15, 2026, while the House version remains dated April 8, 2026. No substantive policy changes, such as new funding amounts, eligibility criteria, or assessment requirements, were identified in the provided text.

TIMELINE

The revision date for the Senate version was updated to April 15, 2026, indicating the bill has progressed to the second reading in that chamber.

TECHNICAL

The header text was changed from 'REENGROSSED' to 'REVISED' to accurately reflect the legislative stage and the inclusion of Senate amendments.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 11, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional sponsors (Goldstein and Story) in the House and updated the summary header to reflect that it is the '3rd Reading Unamended' version. The text also added a specific date (April 11, 2026) and a note indicating that a future summary for the reengrossed version will be available online. No substantive policy changes, funding amounts, or eligibility criteria were altered in this markup.

TECHNICAL

Added two new sponsors (Goldstein and Story) to the list of House sponsors.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate this is the '3rd Reading Unamended' version.

Inserted a specific date (April 11, 2026) and a notice regarding the availability of a future summary for the reengrossed bill.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Apr 8, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to reflect its status as 'Engrossed' rather than 'Introduced' and to include all amendments adopted during the second reading. The substantive policy regarding the elimination of social studies assessments for elementary students remains unchanged, while page numbering and header formatting were updated to match the final version.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding student assessment requirements remains the same; the change is administrative, updating the document status to reflect final approval.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' to indicate the bill has passed all readings and includes all amendments.

New text was added to explicitly state that this version includes all amendments adopted on second reading in the House.

Page numbering and bill number formatting were adjusted to align with the engrossed version standards.

Student State Assessment in Social Studies

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