Georgia Milestones
ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION:
2014-2015
“This opportunity allows us to recalibrate, as a
state, and refocus on teaching and learning as a
primary emphasis with assessment and
accountability serving a supporting role.”
Georgia Milestones
Replaces:
Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT)
– Grades 3-8
End Of Course Tests (EOCT)
– High School courses
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
GA Milestones will…
Address higher expectations and rigor
Indicate student preparedness for the next level
Indicate student achievement both within system and
with external measures
Combine reading, language arts, and writing
into a single measure to align to the standards
Blended Assessment: Criterion-Referenced
and Norm-Referenced
• criterion-referenced (CR) performance
information: students’ mastery of state
standards (CCGPS/GPS). Proficiency*
• norm-referenced (NRT) performance
information: national percentiles, depicting
how students’ achievement compares to peers
nationally
• some norm-referenced items may not align to
Georgia’s content standards. Only aligned NR
items will contribute to *proficiency
designations.
Georgia Milestones
Grades 3-8:
End of Grade (EOG) in language arts,
mathematics, science, and 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
Item Types
• Selected-Response [multiple-choice]
– all content areas
– evidence-based selected response in ELA
• Constructed-Response
– ELA and mathematics
• Extended-Response
– ELA and mathematics
Multiple Choice
Which fraction is largest?
A
B
C
D
The content and presentation of these items are
for illustrative purposes only.
George
12 inches
George
12 inches
12 inches
The content and presentation of these items are
for illustrative purposes only.
Constructed Response
Ana
9 inches
Carlos
Technology Enhanced
>
The content and presentation of these items are
for illustrative purposes only.
Resources Available NOW
• Content standards
– frameworks, formative lessons, PARCC evidence statements
• Sample items
– formative items/benchmarks via Georgia OAS→GOFAR;
– released items via PARCC, other states (KY, NY), NAEP
– parent’s guide to Georgia’s new assessment developed by the National
PTA
– CRCT Readiness Indicators
• Lexiles –Matches student’s reading level with the difficulty of the text
• Technology Specifications
Resources Available SOON
• Sample items specific to Georgia Milestones
• Ancillary support resources, such as
– Content Descriptions (test blueprints)
– Student Study Guides
– Accommodations Guidelines
– Assessment for Learning Modules [types of items to elicit evidence of
student learning]
– Informational videos [parents & public / educators]
Ga Milestones Online
• Online will be the primary mode of administration
with paper/pencil serving as back-up
• Transition will occur over time –
30% online 2014-2015
“each school administering some degree of Georgia
Milestones testing online across all grades”
• Addition of technology-enhanced items
beginning in 2016-2017
• Administration procedures will change over time
Technology Needs
Information from DOE indicates that
our computer labs are currently not
equipped to accommodate this type of
online testing.
Promotion - Retention
• Third graders must pass the reading portion
of the Ga Milestones to be eligible for
promotion.
• Fifth and eight graders must pass both the
reading and math portions of the Ga
Milestones to be eligible for promotion.
Promotion - Retention
• Baldwin County Policy: Fourth graders must
pass the reading portion of the Ga Milestones
to be eligible for promotion.
• GaDOE will be able to pinpoint the
reading area within the ELA
assessment.
Re-test
• Students who are not proficient in the Spring
main administration of the Georgia Milestones
will have the opportunity to receive
remediation and re-test at the end of the
school year.
• GA tentative testing window:
May 11- July 24, 2015
Baldwin County’s tentative window:
May 14 – 20. 2015
Achievement expectations for the
Georgia Milestones Assessment
System have not been determined.
Updates available in September.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
“SLOs”
What are SLOs?
Designed to measure student
progress between two points in time
Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment
Developed by the district
Approved by GaDOE
What is the purpose of SLOs?
Improve student achievement at the
classroom level
For non-tested subjects
Vital component of the Teacher Keys
Effectiveness System
Process of Creating SLOs
Identified priority standards
Created 50 SLO Assessments
Submitted to GaDOE
APPROVED BY GaDOE!
Next Steps
Upload to Performance Matters Platform
Print PreK-2
Administer Pre-Assessment in
September
Data will drive instruction
Post-Assessment at end of course
(nine weeks or semester or year long)