Joseph SchwartzburtSavannah Morning News
The Georgia Milestone Assessment System (GMAS) exams will start as early as April 24 for some schools within the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS). The district's 2024 school year assessment calendar, found at the district's recently revamped sccpss.com website, provides the testing dates for all schools based on grade levels.
Third graders through 12th graders will be taking the exams over two and half weeks, with May 8-10 serving as makeup days. Families are encouraged to review the assessment calendars and contact their students' schools should they have any questions about specific testing and makeup days.
For parents and families who might be newer to GMAS assessments or for those who may need a refresher, here's what to know.
What does GMAS measure? How?
As defined by the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE), GMAS is "a comprehensive summative assessment program and represents a single system of summative assessments that span all three levels of the state's educational system – elementary, middle, and high school."
The system analyzes students' level of preparedness for the next grade, course, or the world beyond high school such as "college or beginning a career."
Once students complete assessments, they are grouped into the following categories based on their test score ranges (which can be found on GADOE's website):
- Beginning Learners - do not yet demonstrate proficiency and need substantial academic support for success at the next level.
- Developing Learners - demonstrate partial proficiency but need additional academic support for success at the next level.
- Proficient Learners - demonstrate proficiency and are prepared for success at the next level.
- Distinguished Learners - demonstrate advanced proficiency and are well-prepared for success at the next level.
Score range standards for Math will actually be set in Summer of 2024, according to the GADOE's test score ranges document from October 2023. The results will be released in September 2024.
End-of-Grade
End-of-grade (EOG) assessments occur at elementary, middle, and K-8 schools throughout the district. As the name implies, these assessments happen at the end of the academic year as students approach the end of the school year.
EOG assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are administered to students in grades three through eight. Science EOG assessments start in fifth grade up until eighth grade.
End-of-Course
End-of-course (EOC) refers to what many may think are high school-level assessments; however EOC assessments are not limited to high schoolers. Middle school students who have been enrolled in courses in the following subject areas will also have to take the exam:
- American Literature and Composition
- Algebra
- Biology
- U.S. History
GMAS literacy scores are key focus
SCCPSS's 2023 GMAS performance has been discussed off and on the past nine months at school board meetings. Literacy has often been the main focus under Superintendent Denise Watts, Ed. D., who had designated it as her 'North Star' when she started last July.
SCCPSS's Chief Strategic and Performance Officer David Feliciano and Executive Director of Accountability, Assessment, & Reporting Services Laura May shared the Executive Summary: School Year 2022-23 GMAS Performance document at the school board's September 2023 Regular Meeting. The document is a detailed look at the district's performance on GMAS by grade level, subject areas and in relation to comparable districts.
Page 14 of the summary begins the charts that show the district's overall performance on EOG and EOC assessments. Figure 7 shows that 55% of third through fifth graders performed at or above the Developing Learner level for the EOG assessment for ELA, while 27% of the district's third through fifth graders performed at Proficient or Above. Both percentages were increases over the 2022 GMAS performance by one and two percentage points, respectively.
Throughout the year, Watts and other leaders have been quick to acknowledge that while improving students literacy gains is top of mind, significant gains, like the well-documented increases by Mississippi, may take a few years to manifest. District academic leaders have also been keen to note that GMAS is not the only indicator of reading proficiency as it is only a single measurement determined on a single day.
Other year-end assessments
Georgia Alternate Assessments (GAA) for select third, eighth, and 11th graders have been occurring since March 25 and run through April 30. GADOE website states that GAA "iscomprised of standardized performance tasks and isintendedto provide tiered participation within the assessment for students working at various levels of complexity."
The GAA is how Georgia complies with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). According to the GADOE website, both acts "require that states ensure all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, have access to challenging academic standards and participate in the state’s assessment program."
International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams take place April 25-May 17. Sol C. Johnson High School is the only IB Programme offered within SCCPSS. The district's IB webpage states that program "culminates in the junior and senior years of high school."
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams will occur in the district May 6-17. AP courses are offered by high schools throughout the nation to, according to the College Board's website, "enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school." AP courses end with a summative exam that is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Families can contact SCCPSS schools' AP coordinators for more information.
Most colleges offer course credit for scores of 3 or higher. Each college may have different AP exam score thresholds for credit accrual than other schools. Some college and universities will also review IB diplomas or exam scores for possible college credit.
Students who are in high school and have a sense of what college they might want to attend should be in communication with the college's admission office to determine if AP and IB scores can transfer as credit.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com
