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DENVER (KDVR) — On Tuesday, March 16th, the Colorado Senate approved two bipartisan bills aimed to “strengthen” Colorado schools.

One of the bills looks to suspend statewide standardized testing for students in 2021. The bill, which is known as HB21-1161, would direct the Colorado Department of Education to ask the federal government to waive required standardized tests for Colorado students and replace them with abbreviated testing. This would ensure that districts continue to receive important assessment information while still meeting federal testing requirements.

The second bill, SB21-058, will authorize public school districts as well as charter schools and other educational organizations to create alternative principal programs to address administrator shortages in Colorado’s education system.

“In many cases, a quality education emanates from the top down,” said Senator Tammy Story. “We must attract and maintain quality educators to teach our kids, but we must also work to ensure we have principals and school administrators that foster open, effective, and inclusive learning environments for our teachers and students.”

For many, the standardized testing bill in particular addresses what has been a serious debate as COVID-19 continues to alter the education landscape.

Two contradictory surveys show just how divided the issue has become.

A group of stakeholders who joined the Colorado Education Association for a press conference last month said its poll of 729 Colorado voters found only 7% think schools should prioritize standardized testing. On the flipside, a group of education non-profits led by “A+ Colorado” says their survey shows 66% of parents with kids in kindergarten through 12th grade support a statewide assessment to check what they call “student learning loss.”

“Students and teachers have already endured more than their share of difficulties in the last 12 months, and we don’t need to add unnecessary burdens to them as they continue to recover,” Senator Rachel Zenzinger said of the bill.

Both bills will now move to the House for consideration.

If you would like to track the progress of these bills, visit the Colorado General Assembly’s website.