Sugar Hill Elementary
Parent Information Night
Georgia Milestones
Why do we have a new state test?
Comprehensive
 single program, not series of tests; formative assessment tools to
compliment summative
Coherent
 consistent expectations and rigor to position Georgia students to compete
with peers nationally and internationally
 consistent signal about student preparedness for the next level, be it the
next grade, course, or college/career
 consistent signal about student achievement both within system (across
grades and courses) and with external measures (NAEP; PSAT; SAT; ACT)
Consolidated
 combine reading, language arts, and writing into a single measure to align
to the standards
Georgia Milestones
Who is taking it?
• Grades 3 – 8
– End of Grade (EOG) in language arts, mathematics,
science, social studies
• High School
– End of Course (EOC) in 9th Grade Literature &
Composition, American Literature & Composition,
Coordinate Algebra, Analytic Geometry, Physical
Science, Biology, US History, and Economics
Georgia Milestones
How is it different than the
CRCT?
– inclusion of constructed-response items in ELA and
mathematics, in addition to selected-response items
– inclusion of a writing component (in response to text) at
every grade level and course within the ELA assessment;
– inclusion of norm-referenced items in every grade and
content area to complement the criterion-referenced
information and to provide a national comparison; and
– transition to online administration over time
Addition of technology-enhanced items
beginning in 2016-2017. Ex. Drag and
drop; drawing lines to match items, etc.
Georgia Milestones
Blended: Criterion-Referenced and Norm-Referenced
Georgia Milestones will provide:
– criterion-referenced performance information in the form
of four performance levels, depicting students’ mastery of
state standards
– norm-referenced performance information in the form of
national percentiles, depicting how students’ achievement
compares to peers nationally
How many days will we be
testing?
English Language Arts
English Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Section 1 and 2
Section 3
Sections 1 and 2
Sections 1 and 2
Sections 1 and 2
What days will we be
testing?
English Language Arts
English Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Monday, Apr. 20
Tuesday, Apr. 21
Thursday, Apr. 23
Monday, Apr. 27
Wednesday, Apr. 29
What will the questions
look like?
Item Types
• Selected-Response [aka, multiple-choice]
– all content areas
– evidence-based selected response in ELA
• Constructed-Response
– ELA and mathematics
• Extended-Response
– ELA and mathematics
Constructed response is a general term
for assessment items that require the
student to generate a response as
opposed to selecting a response.
Extended-response items require more
elaborate answers and explanations of
reasoning. They allow for multiple correct
answers and/or varying methods of
arriving at the correct answer. Writing
prompts and performance tasks are
examples of extended-response items.
Let’s look at
some sample
questions!
Selected Response Items
These have NOT changed!
Which fraction is largest?
A
B
C
D
The content and presentation of these items are
for illustrative purposes only.
Which tells the reader that Julia is older than
Ferdinand?
A) She wants to be alone.
B) She is annoyed by Ferdinand.
C) She still remembers Veracruz.
D) She is called a "big sister."
Constructed Response
Sample Question
Describe the theme of Selection
2. Use at least 2 details from the
text to support your answer.
Writing Space
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Grade 5 Sample Questions
How does the turning point of
the story impact Julia?
Math Constructed
Response Item
Eight friends share 4 pizzas
equally. What fraction of the pizza
does each friend get? Prove your
answer with a model.
What can you do to
help your child?
Have document-based
conversations!
Document-Based Questions
• Called DBQs
• Find documents- articles,
pictures, poem, letter,
diagram
• Ask questions about it
• Have your child point out
specific things in the
document to support their
Let’s Practice!
Read carefully!
Document A: Nutrition Facts for
Document B: Nutrition Facts for
Coca-Cola
Powerade
Serving size: 12 ounces
Serving size:
12 ounces
Calories:
140
Calories:
80
Sugars:
39 grams
Sugars:
20 grams
Fat:
0 grams
Fat:
0 grams
Caffeine:
35 milligrams
Caffeine:
0 milligrams
Which drink is healthier?
19
Powerade is the
healthier drink.
Don’t stop there! Ask for
evidence from the document to
support their answer.
How do you know? What
information from the documents
supports your answer?
20
20
Powerade is the healthier
drink. It has only 20
grams of sugar, but Coke
has 39 grams.
Now, keep going. Ask, “What
does the amount of sugar have
to do with being healthy?”
Helpful Resources
 GA DOE- GMAS Assessment Guides (http://www.gadoe.org/CurriculumInstruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-End-of-GradeAssessment-Guides.aspx)
 PARCC (parcconline.org)
 Smarter Balanced (http://www.smarterbalanced.org)
 EngageNY (https://www.engageny.org)
 Kentucky DOE
(http://education.ky.gov/AA/items/Pages/default.aspx)
Look for links on your child’s eclass
page!
22
22
Georgia Milestones
In closing, some reminders:
– Georgia educators were involved in test design and
development
– Scores will not be back until after school starts in the fall
– Georgia Milestones replaces the CRCT, EOCT, and Writing
Assessments in grades 3, 5, and 8
• writing, in response to text, will be assessed as part of the ELA
assessment in each grade and course
• the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) will be
administered and remains a diploma requirement for the 20142015 school year