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Throughout April and early May, students across the state of Georgia will undertake the end-of-the-year assessment known as the Georgia Milestones. To ensure readiness for parents and students, we want to provide a few resources for families.
Check out this extremely informative webinar hosted by GeorgiaCAN and Clayton County Public Schools! It provides valuable information on how to prepare your child for the GMAS, how to navigate the GMAS testing platforms, and much more!
What are the Georgia Milestones?
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is a comprehensive summative assessment program and represents a single system of summative assessments that span all three levels of the state’s educational system – elementary, middle, and high school (grades 3 through high school).
- End-of-grade (EOG) assessments are given in English language arts and mathematics for grades 3-8.
- Students in grades 5 and 8 will take a science assessment, while social studies has an EOG in grade 8 only.
- High school students take end-of-course (EOC) assessments for specific courses they are enrolled in.
Why are the Georgia Milestones important?
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is designed to provide information about how well students are mastering the state-adopted content standards in the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The assessment provides information on how well students are achieving when it comes to Georgia educational standards. This assessment also gives each student a better understanding of their readiness when it comes to being prepared for the next grade level or course.
What is assessed?
Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Georgia Milestones is a single assessment system that consists of end-of-grade measures in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3-8, end-of-grade measures in science in grades 5 and 8, end-of-grade measures in social studies in grade 8, and end-of-course measures for specified high school courses.
| Georgia Milestones | ELA | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies |
| End-of-Grade (EOG) | Grades 3 – 8 | Grades 3 – 8 | Grades 5 & 8High School Physical Science (Grade 8 Only) | |
| End-of-Course (EOC) | American Literature and Composition | Algebra I/ Coordinate Algebra | Biology | U.S. History |
How can I prepare my student(s) for the assessment?
There are a few things you can do help to prepare for the assessment:
- Connect with your child’s educator, they can provide resources and support around the assessment. Some schools also hold parent engagement nights on the topic.
- Take a second to utilize the practice assessment. The Georgia Department of Education recently launched
- Experience Online Testing GA. Students can take a practice test to get a better understanding of what to expect.
- Create a study plan and make it fun! The education department has released a number of study guides to check out.
- Make sure your child receives adequate rest and meals during testing.
- Make sure you and your child are aware of the testing schedule/calendar.
- Learn more testing tips by viewing Georgia Milestones Testing Tips GuideWhen should I expect the results?
Most schools provide the results by the end of the school year. If you don’t receive them, I would reach out to your child’s educator or school.
Understanding the results –
There are four achievement levels that best describe your student’s achievement to education standards. Here are the four levels of achievement according to the Georgia Department of Education:
- Beginning Learners do not yet demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students need substantial academic support to be prepared for the next grade level or course and to be on track for college and career readiness.
- Developing Learners demonstrate partial proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students need additional academic support to ensure success in the next grade level or course and to be on track for college and career readiness.
- Proficient Learners demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students are prepared for the next grade level or course and are on track for college and career readiness.
- Distinguished Learners demonstrate advanced proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students are well prepared for the next grade level or course and are well prepared for college and career readiness.
It’s crucial to develop a plan based on the outcomes. This presents a great opportunity to connect with your child’s educator or school regarding how to engage over the summer. Whether it involves remediation or acceleration, a plan should be in place to support your child’s learning.
Resource Hub!
- Georgia Milestones Made Easy PPT designed by Clayton County Public Schools – View Powerpoint
- Georgia Milestones Practice Assessment System – We strongly encourage you to PRACTICE with your child(ren) at home to ensure they are familiar with and confident in using all available tools during the testing process!
- GaDOE Parent/Guardian Assessment Refusal – FAQ’s – View Document
- GaDOE Student Assessment Handbook – View Document
- Universal Tools Document Guide (including reference tools) – View Document
- GaTutor – FREEand accessible to Highschool ONLY
- IMPORTANT! As a reminder, please reach out to your district to confirm the testing dates for your child’s grade level. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, it is essential to contact your child’s case manager to ensure that all accommodations are clearly communicated. This will help ensure that everyone involved is aligned and that your child has the necessary support for success during testing.
For questions or additional support, please feel free to contact Ty’Sheka Lambert via email tysheka.lambert@gacan.org