Milestones Overview – Part 1
Jenny Allen | Training and Development Coordinator
Spring Testing Training 2014-2015
Agenda
• Introduction to Milestones
• GCA Testing Expectations
• GCA Testing Training Schedule
• General Information
Test Design
• Test Scheduling
• Test Security
Following Test Protocols
Resources
Quiz Time
Contact Information
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GCA Students
GCA students are tested across
the state of Georgia!
OneNote Tip
• Create a Notebook in One Note - Testing
• Create tabs to help organize testing information.
• Site Team
• Trainings
• Family Communications
TAKE NOTE: indicates information you may want to add to your training folder.
Testing Expectations
All GCA instructional staff are REQUIRED to attend state testing administrations
and state testing training.
These testing dates are considered critical days for staff. Vacation and/or personal
time off will not be approved during these testing windows. You may be asked to
travel to administer a state test (GHSWT, GHSGT, Georgia Milestones EOCT, Georgia
Milestones) as part of your job as a Georgia Cyber Academy staff member. If you
are assigned to travel during Georgia Milestones Testing (Former CRCT/EOCT), you
could be away for up to two weeks. Please note that if you have a student enrolled
at GCA, for test security purposes you will NOT be assigned to your child’s test site (no
exceptions).
Please make sure that you make arrangements for personal responsibilities prior to
the testing window, as lack of childcare and distance will not be excused absences
from testing. If you have extenuating circumstances that will prevent you from
travel/testing please contact your direct report.
Test Dates for the 2014-2015 are listed on the GCA Staff 2014-2015 calendar below.
Ensure that you mark ALL of the RED testing dates on your calendar since you will not
know which tests you will be selected to administer.
ALL teachers will be used for the Georgia Milestones Spring administration,
the other tests will vary.
Milestones Training Flipped Format
Monday
Email: Training Recording
New Feature – Training Quiz
Tuesday
Open Office
Wednesday
Due Date: Training to be completed by 5:00 p.m.
Thursday
Email notifications: only those who do not master the training quiz
will be required to attend Friday’s session.
{following the staff meeting}
Friday
Training: Friday’s training is required only for those who do not
master the training quiz. Opportunity to re-take the quiz to
demonstrate mastery will be offered during this session.
Mastery = 85%
Milestones Training Schedule
Week of 2/20:
Week of 3/6:
Week of 3/27:
Week of 4/10:
Milestones Overview Part 1 – EOG
Milestones Overview Part 2 - EOC
Roles and Responsibilities
Let’s Tie Up Loose Ends
Accommodations Virtual PD March 24th 8:30-12:30
 Accommodations Changes/Small Group Arrangements
Nicole Bahret, Sarah Lucas
 504 Accommodations and Emergency 504 Training
Zakia Funchess
 Testing Irregularity Process
Scott Dorsey
 Script for Accommodations & Communicating to Families
Sonja Bullock
GCA Accommodations Virtual PD
The testing accommodations should be documented in the
IEP/IAP and should be consistent with those used during
regular classroom instruction and assessment.
Accommodations provided for statewide assessment must be
listed on IEP, IAP, or EL TPC and should be consistent with the
student’s instructional program.
To avoid an irregularity, students who should receive
accommodations will be contacted prior to testing.
What is the Georgia Milestones Assessment System?
The Georgia Milestone Assessment System known as
Georgia Milestones will replace the CRCT, EOCT and
Writing Assessment, beginning in the 2014-15 school
year.
The 3,5 and 8th grade Writing Assessment and the
CRCT-M will no longer be administered.
This test will offer consistent expectations and rigor to
position Georgia students to compete with peers
nationally and internationally.
What is the Georgia Milestones Assessment System?
Overview Grades 3 – 12
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is
designed to inform efforts to improve student achievement by
assessing student performance on the standards specific to each
course or subject/grade tested.
The ultimate goal of Georgia’s assessment and accountability
system is to ensure that all students are provided the opportunity to
engage with high-quality content standards, receive high-quality
instruction predicated upon those standards, and are positioned to
meet high academic expectations.
Georgia Milestones – Unique Features
Features include:
• constructed-response items in ELA and mathematics, in addition
to selected-response items
• a writing component (in response to text) at every grade level
and course within the ELA assessment;
• 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, with online
administration considered the primary mode of administration
and paper-pencil back-up until transition is completed.
What is the test all about?
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
Students To Be Tested
Any student, regardless of grade-level, enrolled in an EOC course or
EOG grades 3rd-8th must take the appropriate EOC/EOG.
All students who are enrolled in an EOC assessment course,
regardless of grade level, must be administered the EOC in order to
receive credit for that course.
Students with disabilities and English Learners (EL) for whom English is
the second language must participate in the assessment.
Students with disabilities who have an Individualized Education
Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan/Individual Accommodation Plan
(IAP) may receive accommodations.
Test Design
Georgia Milestones represents a transition to a single
system of summative assessments that span all three
levels of the state’s educational system – elementary,
middle, and high school.
The primary mode of administration for the Georgia
Milestones program is online with a period of transition,
from paper/pencil testing, to being fully online five years
(2018-2019) after inception.
Test Design
The Georgia Milestones will transition to an online administration over
a five year period.
•In Year One, 30% of students are expected to take the tests online.
•By Year Three, 80% of students are expected to take the tests
online.
•By Year Five, 100% of students are expected to take the tests
online.
•Paper/pencil versions will be available for the small number of
students who cannot interact with computers due to their disability.
Braille forms will be available.
Main Administration
EOG End of Grade April 22nd – 26th
EOC End of Course April 27th – 30th
Test Scheduling- EOG
EOG - End of Grade
It is required that only one content area Georgia
Milestones EOG (consisting of sections 1 and 2) be
administered to a student in a single day.
(unless the need for make-ups exist for a student).
In English Language Arts, Section 3 (writing) must be
administered on a day other than Sections 1 and 2.
Administration Times - EOG
A section may not be stopped until the minimum allotment of
time has expired.
If students are still productively engaged with the test content,
the maximum amount of time, per section, may be given in
10 minute increments.
Note: These maximum time limits do not apply to those students who have
the accommodation of extended time.
Testing Scheduling
Total administration time for each EOG measure is approximately
140 minutes (70 minutes per section) with additional time needed
for pre-administration and post-administration activities such as
materials distribution and collection.
Again, note that English Language Arts will be comprised of a third
70 minute section, making the total administration time for ELA
approximately 210 minutes.
Aside from the administration of the test, additional time is required
for disseminating materials and other test administration protocols,
such as reading the directions to students.
Testing Scheduling
Please note that students may not complete a portion of
a section on one day and then complete the remainder
of the section later in the day or the next day.
For example, if a student becomes ill during Section I
and does not complete that section, the student may
not complete the remainder of the Section I upon return
to school.
Scratch Paper
EOG End of Grade
Calculator Policy - EOG
EOG End of Grade
Testing Materials
For paper-and-pencil assessments, students are to be instructed to
write their names on the cover of their test booklets and each sheet
of scratch/graph paper to help account for materials at the end of
each test session.
For online assessments, students are to be instructed to sign their
Individual Test Tickets.
The use, or intended use, of an electronic device to photograph,
post, retain, or share information/images from any portion of a
secure test and/or answer document will result in invalidation.
Test Security
The security of the EOG assessments must be maintained
before, during, and after each test administration.
All school system personnel are prohibited from
reviewing the contents of the EOG assessments.
All EOG assessments must be administered by a
Georgia-certified educator.
Test materials must be stored in a locked, secure location
when not in use.
Test Security
Maintaining test security and test integrity is critical.
Students and teachers need to understand test protocols and
the ramifications of not following testing procedures.
Student test booklets and online test tickets must be kept
stored in a secure place at all times.
Test materials must not be removed from their secure storage
location for reasons other than the preparation of materials
for testing, actual test administration, and the completion of
tasks as prescribed by test manuals.
Testing materials should only be issued to persons who have
been carefully advised of their responsibilities for test security.
Test Security
• Please follow all instructions in the test manuals exactly.
• Do not add anything to, or delete anything from, the
directions in the test manual. This violates standardized
test conditions and may invalidate scores.
• All testing materials must be collected and returned
immediately after the testing session.
• Please be reminded that test tickets and used scratch
paper are considered secure materials and must be
handled as such.
Test Security
• Examiners are responsible for turning in all materials
and site coordinators are responsible for verifying that
they do.
• For example, if an examiner is administering the EOC
multiple times during a day, the collection/checking-in
of secure materials, should occur multiple times during
that day. In other words and by way of this example,
examiners should not be in possession of their morning
session materials until the end of the school day.
• Please see Pages 26-40 of the Student Assessment
Handbook for additional information.
Cell Phones & Electronic
Devices
Students are not permitted to use, or bring into the testing
environment, any electronic device that could allow them to
access, retain, or transmit information (e.g., cell phone, smartphone,
PDA, electronic recording, camera, or playback device, etc.).
Announcements will be made prior to testing that such devices are
not allowed in the testing environment and that possession or
improper use of such devices during testing may result in disciplinary
action in accordance with the system's student code of conduct
and/or test invalidation.
A script has been added to the Examiner’s Manual regarding this
topic. This script, as with all script, MUST be read to students.
Cell Phones & Electronic
Devices
In the event an examiner confirms during testing that a student is using a
device to access, retain, or share information, the examiner must with
minimal disruption:
• collect the device
• stop testing that student
• remove the student from the testing session, and
• notify the School Test Coordinator immediately.
In the event such actions are suspected, but not yet confirmed, the
examiner must with minimal disruption:
• collect the device,
• allow the student to complete testing,
• notify the School Test Coordinator immediately, and
• as soon as it is appropriate attempt to confirm whether or not the device
has been used in violation of the guidelines above.
Simple possession of a device (including the ringing of a phone during test
administration) may be addressed in keeping with the system’s code of
conduct and does not require an irregularity report to the GaDOE.
Avoiding Irregularities
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Adhere to test security policies, protocols and procedures.
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Reinforce the use of active monitoring in testing environments.
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Immediately report any possible testing irregularities.
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Properly identify all students who should receive accommodations prior
to testing.
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Students IEP/IAP/TPC plans should be regularly reviewed to determine if
accommodations are still appropriate or needed.
•
If a student is suspected of cheating but there is no proof of his or her
action, allow the student to complete the section and/or entire test.
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In the event of an evacuation or other unexpected event, have a plan in
place to quickly secure testing environments and/or materials.
Online Tools Available for All Students
These tools are available to all students who test online
and are therefore NOT considered accommodations.
• Blocking Tool
• Highlighter
• Eraser
• Magnifying Glass
• Mark for Review
• Online Calculator – if allowable
• Option Eliminator
• Scratch Pad
Online Testing
What does this mean for GCA?
• Communication to Families
• Training students to take online tests
• Accommodations Changes
• New Procedures for Spring Testing
• Logistical Changes
• Flexibility
• Planning and Preparation
• Teamwork and Accountability
Resources
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Examiner’s Manual & Online Examiner’s Manual
Assessment Guides
Student Assessment Handbook:
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-andAssessment/Assessment/Documents/Student%20Assessment%20Handboo
k%202014-2015%20FINAL%2092214.pdf
EOC Assessment Guides
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-andAssessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-End-of-CourseAssessment-Guides.aspx
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-andAssessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-EOC-Resources.aspx
Questions?
Open Office
Tuesday, March 3rd 1:00 – 1:30
Quiz Time!
Please complete the Milestones Overview Part I
Quiz:
Questions?
Jenny Allen – Training and Development Coordinator
Ext#104
jeallen@k12.com
Akosua Joiner- Assessment Coordinator
ext#103
ajoiner@k12.com
Keena Braxton-Testing Logistics Coordinator
ext.# 164
kbraxton@k12.com
Keisha Simmons- HS Testing and Training POC
ksimmons@k12.com