Test Information and Resources
Georgia Milestones Assessments
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. Students in grades 3 through 8 will take an end-of-grade assessment in each content area, while high school students will take an end-of-course assessment for each of the four courses designated by the State Board of Education.
Features the Georgia Milestone Assessment System include:
- 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-pencil as back-up until the transition is complete.
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Resources Georgia Department of Education (for detailed test results) Parent Resources for Georgia Milestones EOG/EOC |
Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA 2.0)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 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. The U.S. Department of Education defines alternate achievement standards as establishing performance expectations that differ in complexity from grade-level achievement standards. These standards must be aligned with the state’s content standards, promote access to the general content standards, and articulate the highest achievement levels possible for the individual student. This means teachers may customize learning expectations for students who participate in alternate assessments.
For students with disabilities, each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines how the student shall participate in Georgia’s student assessment program. If a student’s IEP team determines that a student cannot meaningfully access the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, even with maximum appropriate accommodations, then the student must participate in the GAA 2.0.
The GAA 2.0 is designed to ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities are provided access to the state academic content standards and given the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the knowledge, concepts, and skills inherent in the standards.
This assessment will provide meaningful information about classroom instruction and help identify students’ areas of strength and improvement through standardized tests. Unlike the original GAA, GAA 2.0 is not a portfolio-based assessment. Thus, it will measure students’ achievement and not progress. The GAA 2.0 will be administered to all eligible students in the following areas:
- Grades K, 3-8, and 11 will be assessed in English language arts and mathematics.
- Grades 5, 8, and 11 will also be assessed in science and social studies.
The GAA 2.0 will include standardized items with multiple access points. The intent is to reduce the teacher’s burden related to selecting or developing tasks; bring greater standardization to the administration; improve scoring reliability; and introduce an online task submission system.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
The SAT is an optional standardized exam used by many colleges and universities in the United States to assess a student's readiness for college-level work. It evaluates skills in Reading, Writing and Language, and Math, with a total score ranging from 400 to 1600. The test is now offered in a digital format, making it shorter and adaptive, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on a student's performance. While not the only factor in college admissions, SAT scores can play a significant role in scholarship eligibility and academic placement. Students typically take the SAT during their junior or senior year of high school as part of the college application process.
PSAT 8/9 and Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/NMSQT
The PSAT 8/9 is a standardized test designed offered to 9th grade students to help them start preparing for college and career readiness early. It assesses the same core skills as the SAT—Reading, Writing and Language, and Math—but at a level appropriate for younger students. The test provides insight into students’ strengths and areas for improvement, helping them and their educators plan high school coursework and set academic goals. Scores range from 240 to 1440, and while the PSAT 8/9 is not used for college admissions or scholarships, it serves as an early step in the College Board’s SAT Suite of Assessments, which includes the PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT.
The PSAT 8/9 – SAT Suite | College Board
The PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a standardized test offered to 10th and 11th grade students. It serves two main purposes: helping students prepare for the SAT and acting as the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship Program for 11th graders, which recognizes top academic performers across the country. The test measures skills in Reading, Writing and Language, and Math, with a total score range of 320 to 1520. While the PSAT/NMSQT does not directly impact college admissions, it provides valuable feedback on academic strengths and readiness for college-level work, and high scores can lead to scholarship opportunities and academic recognition.
American College Testing (ACT)
The ACT is an optional standardized test used for college admissions in the United States, designed to measure a high school student's academic readiness for college. It consists of four main sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, with an optional Writing (Essay) section. Each section is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and the composite score is the average of the four required sections. The ACT emphasizes curriculum-based learning and includes more science reasoning than the SAT. Students typically take the ACT in their junior or senior year, and many colleges accept ACT scores equally with SAT scores.
ACCESS for ELLs
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ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners) is administered, annually, to all English learners in Georgia. ACCESS for ELLs is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English learners’ social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains. ACCESS for ELLs meets the federal requirements that mandates require states to evaluate EL students in grades K through 12 on their progress in learning to speak English. |
Resources ACCESS for ELLs General Information ACCESS Proficiency Level Descriptors for Grades 1-12 ACCESS Proficiency Level Descriptors for Kindergarten
ACCESS Parent Guide for Score Reports English | Spanish | French | Chinese | Arabic | Haitian | Hmong | Portugese | Russian | Somali | Tagalog | Urdu | Vietnamese Alternate ACCESS Parent Guide for Score Reports English | Spanish | French | Chinese | Arabic | Haitian | Hmong | Portugese | Russian | Somali | Tagalog | Urdu | Vietnamese Microsoft Translator Download Directions |