GA DOE Milestones

       

Milestones Testing

The Georgia Milestones has replaced the CRCT in Georgia.  As active participants in our students' lives and learning community, a new test is important to understand, both for our school and your child.  At Arthur Williams Middle School, we strive to be as helpful in understanding this new standardized test as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Georgia Milestones? 

The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school.  Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

 

What features are included on the Georgia Milestones?

  • 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; and

  • transition to online administration over time, with online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-penc?il as back-up until the transition is complete.

What are the achievement levels on the new test?

Georgia Milestones reports student achievement in four levels – Distinguished Learner, Proficient Learner, Developing Learner, and Beginning Learner.

  • Beginning Learners: These students do not yet demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this 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: These students demonstrate partial proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this course of learning, as specified by 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: These students demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this 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: These students demonstrate advanced proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students are well prepared for the next grade level or course and are prepared for college and career readiness.

What can I do to help my child?

 

Students who are prepared, calm, and rested perform better on tests. Here are some of the many ways to help your student approach Georgia Milestones in a relaxed, positive way:

  • Encourage your student to employ good study and test-taking skills. These skills include following directions carefully, avoiding careless errors, and reviewing work.

  • Explain the purpose of the tests. The assessments give students an opportunity to show what they have learned in school. They also give teachers information that helps them plan instruction.

  • Point out that some items may be more difficult than others.

  • Be certain your student gets plenty of sleep and has a healthy breakfast and lunch. Taking tests is hard work for many students and can require a lot of energy.

  • Be certain your student is at school on time. Rushing and worrying about being late could affect performance on the tests.

  • Remember to ask your student about the testing at the end of each day.

In addition to helping students prepare for the test ahead of time, staying involved throughout the school year and conferencing with your child's teachers can help model for your child the importance of their education.

 

What should I know about GA Milestone scores?

 

The state-adopted content standards set specific academic benchmarks and expectations for all students in Georgia’s public schools. Georgia Milestones measures how well a student has acquired the knowledge and skills outlined in the standards for his or her grade level. Students are not compared to each other but are measured instead on how well they are meeting the standards. Student achievement in each content area is classified into four performance levels. Student test results are provided to parents and schools.

Georgia Milestones includes a limited sample of nationally norm-referenced items to provide a signal of how Georgia students are achieving relative to their peers nationally. Only approved norm-referenced items aligned to Georgia standards will contribute to a student’s criterion-referenced achievement level, scale score, and grade conversion score.

In grades three, five, and eight, Georgia Milestones results inform promotion/retention decisions in the areas of reading (grades 3, 5, and 8) and mathematics (grades 5 and 8). If needed, students are afforded a retest opportunity in the summer. For high school students, the EOC measures serve as their final exam with the resulting score counting as 20 percent of their final course grade.

Performance on the English Language Arts portion of Georgia Milestones is linked to the Lexile scale, a national reading measure that matches students to appropriately challenging reading materials. An abundance of books and articles are assigned Lexile measures by publishers. All major standardized tests can report student reading scores in Lexiles. For more information about the Lexile scale, as well as resources to help select literature for your student, visit www.gadoe.org/lexile.aspx on the Georgia Department of Education website.

 

 

The GA Department of Education, along with the National PTA, has created informative resources for parents and guardians.  Please see the links and files below for additional information.  Information may also be found directly through the GA DOE website here.

Parent Brochure for Georgia Milestones

Georgia Milestones Study/Resource Guide for Students and Parents Grade 6

Georgia Milestones Guía de estudio/Recursos para Estudiantes y Padres Grado 6

Georgia Milestones Study/Resource Guide for Students and Parents Grade 7

Georgia Milestones Guía de estudio/Recursos para Estudiantes y Padres Grado 7

Georgia Milestones Study/Resource Guide for Students and Parents Grade 8

 Georgia Milestones Guía de estudio/Recursos para Estudiantes y Padres Grado 8