Clayton County Public Schools
Research, Evaluation
Assessment, and
Accountability
Georgia Milestone Assessment System (GMAS)
What are the Georgia Milestone
Assessments (GMAS)?
• Georgia Milestones is a comprehensive summative
assessment program that measures how well students have
learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the stateadopted content standards in language arts, mathematics,
science, and social studies.
• It offers rigor in all content areas and raises the level of
expectations for students and teachers.
• GMAS will provide a better indication of college and career
readiness and preparedness for the next grade level.
What grade bands and courses do
(GMAS) encompass?
• Students in grades 3 through 8 will take an end-of-grade
assessment in each content area, while high school students
will take an end-of-course assessment in the following:
•
9th Grade Literature and Composition
•
American Literature and Composition
•
Coordinate Algebra
•
Analytic Geometry
•
Physical Science
•
Biology
•
US History
•
Economics
What are the features of GMAS?
• open-ended (constructed-response) items in language arts
and mathematics (all grades and courses);
• a writing component (in response to passages read by
students) at every grade level and course within the
language arts assessment;
• norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses, to
complement the criterion-referenced information and to
provide a national comparison;
• online administration over time, with online administration
considered the primary mode of administration and paperpenc​il as back-up until the five year transition is complete.
What are the benefits of GMAS?
• Computer-based assessments are more efficient, innovative, and engaging.
• During the next few years, assessments will provide results more quickly
and in an increasingly readable and easy-to-understand format.
• Parents can use this information to better communicate with teachers and
school administrators about their child’s progress, and teachers can use it
to better tailor instruction to the child’s needs.
• New assessments will allow Georgia to compare student performance
across schools and districts statewide, as well as provide information about
how Georgia students compare with their peers nationally.
• The new assessments will be designed to provide accurate measures of
achievement and growth for all students, including those with disabilities
and English learners. Test administration accommodations will be available
for eligible students, when needed.
What to expect in Language Arts?
• Use analytic reading to construct meaning, make inferences,
draw conclusions, compare and contrast ideas, themes, etc.
• Synthesize ideas and concepts across multiple texts
Take your
• Develop informative/ explanatory
responses or narratives,
child–to
the evidence from text(s) and
produce opinions/arguments
citing
library
using standard language conventions,
etc.
• Read sufficiently complex and lengthy text independently
• Read widely and deeply from among a broad range of highquality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts
• Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics
in order to build knowledge or to compare the authors’
approaches
What to expect in Mathematics?
• Demonstrate conceptual understanding, procedural skills and
fluency, problem solving, modeling, and mathematical
reasoning
your (Parts A, B and C)
• Complete multi-stepHave
problems
child count of their work for math
• Show and provide explanations
money and
problems
make change
• Model real-world problems
• Solve problems: content and mathematical practice
• Have fluency with mathematics
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
What to expect in Science?
• Demonstrate understanding of the core concepts, ideas, and
practices of science to explain scientific phenomena – with
content and Characteristics of Science/Nature of Science
Take nature
standards serving as co-requisites
walks with
• Establish relationships between science, our environment, and
your child
our everyday world
• Demonstrate scientific literacy
• Embrace scientific inquiry both in and out of the classroom
• Apply critical-thinking skills
What to expect in Social Studies?
• Demonstrate an understanding of the past and its influence on
the present and future –
• Demonstrate the interconnectedness of history, culture,
Discuss
geography, economics, and government/civics
current events
• Use critical thinking, problem
solving, and participatory skills
with your
to become engaged citizenschild
• Identify elements of culture as well as similarities and
differences among cultural groups across time and place
through experience, observation, and reflection
• Demonstrate an understanding of the foundations of political
thought, and the historical development of various structures
of power, authority, and governance.
How will my child need to show their
work?
Explain their
thinking
How will my child need to show their
work?
Constructed
Response
How will the explanation be scored?
What are the GMAS testing dates?
Elementary and Middle schools will test April 14-April 27
High schools will test April 27-May 8
What if my child is not enrolled in any of the
GMAS tested grade levels or courses?
• Students not enrolled in any of the GMAS grade level or courses (e.g.
kindergarten, first, second, art, music, physical education, world history,
chemistry) will be administered a Student Learning Objective (SLO).
• SLOs are district-wide measurable, long-term academic SMART goals set to
determine student growth.
• Specific
• Measureable
• Appropriate
• Realistic
• Time-Bound
• The primary purpose of SLO’s is to improve student achievement in the
classroom.
• SLO assessments are aligned to the curriculum and focus on student growth.
When are SLOs administered?
• SLOs are administered twice a year.
• SLOs are administered during the first semester of the school
year (September). This is referred to as the pre-assessment.
• SLOs are administered during the second semester of the
school year (May). This is referred to as the post-assessment
• Comparisons are made between the pre-assessment and
post-assessment scores to determine if students showed
growth during the school year.
Research, Assessment, Accountability,
and Evaluation
Our aim is to provide on-time, accurate, research-based
accountability data and assist stakeholders in analyzing,
interpreting, and communicating the results that will foster
academic success for all students.
Contact Information
Delphia Young, Ed.D.
Executive Director of Research, Evaluation, Assessment, and Accountability
Natasha Jefferson, Ed.D.
Coordinator of Student Assessment
Zawdie Jackson, Ed.D.
Data Management Specialist
Moises Payamps
SLO Specialist