Gov. John Hickenlooper brought in a couple of heavy hitters this week to push back against legislative efforts that would dramatically reduce standardized testing in schools.

Hickenlooper was joined by former Govs. Bill Owens, a Republican, and Roy Romer, a Democrat, during a Capitol press conference, Wednesday, where the three men championed state testing as a vital component of a student’s development.

“This is a civil rights issue,” said Romer, three-term governor who is largely known for his education efforts while in office. Romer later served as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Every family needs to know that their student, every year, is being held to a standard we want them to be in order to live the life they want to live,” Romer said. “And you’ve got to have fair, accurate and appropriate testing to get that done.”

Efforts to curb K-12 testing requirements have gained steam at the Capitol this year as lawmakers from all political stripes are backing measures to reduce the number of state-mandated tests. The efforts stem from an outcry from many parents who feel their children are over-tested, as well as from teachers who feel overwhelmed by the assessment process.

But the governors warned that state education standards that began under Romer and continued by Owens risks losing viability if the testing process is dramatically altered.

“Today, that system is under attack,” Owens said. “Our friends from both the left and the right, for differing reasons, don’t want to test, don’t want to measure, don’t want to have accountability.

“This is stunning to me. I can’t believe that a state that invests hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars doesn’t have a vested interest in seeing how well our students are driven each year.”

Eleven bills have been introduced at the Capitol this year that would curb state assessment requirements, with some going further than others.

Some of those testing reduction efforts are expected to die or have already done so. But two bills, House Bill 1323 and Senate Bill 257, could result in legislation that reaches Hickenlooper’s desk.

Both bills would eliminate state-mandated testing for juniors and seniors, except for the ACT in the 11th grade.

House Bill 1323 would implement many of the proposals that were recommended by the Standards and Assessments Task Force that the Legislature created last year. Hickenlooper is largely supportive of the task force’s efforts. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 257 would move the state closer to federal minimums on testing requirements.

Senate Bill 257 goes a step further than its House counterpart by doing away with ninth grade testing. The original draft of House Bill 1323 originally cut ninth grade state assessments, but the bill was amended to require those tests during a recent committee hearing.

Senate Bill 257 also does away with social studies testing. House Bill 1323 was recently amended to make such testing optional.

Hickenlooper conceded that students are over-tested and that he supports some efforts to reduce testing.

“That being said, you still need standards, high standards, and you need appropriate tests,” the governor said.

Hickenlooper expressed concern over Senate Bill 223, a measure that would reinforce parents’ rights to opt their children out of standardized tests without penalty to students, teachers or school districts.

“The way a testing system works is that everyone use it,” Hickenlooper said. “And when a large segment of our population in one district or another suddenly decides they’re not going to take the test, you’re really invalidating the value of that test. And you make it impossible for parents to know whether they are getting the fair share of taxes dollars they are spending.”

Hickenlooper was noncommittal when asked about legislation that would do away with ninth grade standardized testing. But the former governors had no reservations in voicing their opposition.

“This is so nonsensical and illogical to raise the possibility that you’re not going to test in ninth grade,” Romer said. “(It’s important to) gauge the level of education you have so we can get you in the kind of education (program) you best benefit from.

“Why would anybody not want a parent to have that information, not let the student have that information?”

But there is significant political will inside the Legislature to revamp testing policies in the state — and some of those efforts are getting overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers.

Both House Bill 1323 and Senate Bill 257 passed their committee assignments with ease. And Senate Bill 223 recently passed the Senate on a 28-7 vote.

Parents are already afforded the right to remove their children from standardized tests. Senate Bill 223 would let them do so without pressure applied to students or parents by teachers or school administrators.

“Why people have such opposition to a right and authority that parents already have? I don’t understand that,” said Sen. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, a sponsor of Senate Bill 223, in an interview prior to the governors’ press conference.

Holbert, who sits on the Senate Education Committee, supports bringing testing standards closer to federal minimums, something that Senate Bill 257 aims to achieve.

“If Senate Bill 257 gets to the governor’s desk, I am confident that he will hear from parents around the state, ‘That’s what we expect you to sign,’” Holbert said. “I can’t really put pressure on the governor, but they can.”

— Twitter: @VicVela1