The Colorado Growth Model (CGM) was developed jointly by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the Technical Advisory Panel for Longitudinal Growth (TAP), and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA). Its development was required by state statute (SB09-163) and assigned to the Technical Advisory Panel. The model was developed to serve as a primary component of the state educational accountability system. It was first utilized within the state performance frameworks in 2009 and continues to be used to this day. Currently, the methodology in the CGM is being used in some fashion by at least half the states in the country. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide a brief technical orientation to the CGM. This includes background information related to model development, an overview of its analytic methodology, and the current CDE applications of the model.