In many dual-enrollment
courses, students who earn post-secondary credit can now exempt EOC
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CONTACT:
Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651- 7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
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November
3, 2016
– The State Board of Education today approved the State School Superintendent’s
recommendation to eliminate
End of Course tests for students in many dual enrollment courses, provided
those students pass the course and receive college credit.
With
the exception of 9th Grade Literature and Composition, Algebra I, Coordinate
Algebra, and Biology, students are now exempt from taking the Georgia
Milestones End-of-Course assessment for a core subject course if they earn a
post-secondary credit in that course through dual enrollment pursuant to
O.C.G.A. 20-2-149.2 or 20-2-161.3.
Students
must take the EOC in Ninth Grade Literature and Composition, Algebra I or
Coordinate Algebra, and Biology due to federal laws that require assessments in
math, ELA/reading, and science at least once in high school. All other high
school EOCs can now be exempted for students in corresponding dual enrollment
courses.
“We
have consistently heard from parents, educators, and students about the issues
associated with requiring an End-of-Course assessment for a college course, and
we firmly agreed that a solution was needed,” State School Superintendent
Richard Woods said. “We are confident that students receiving post-secondary
credit from Georgia’s institutions of higher education have met and exceeded
the requirements set forth in a high school course. Providing the opportunity
to exempt the EOC in the majority of cases where students are receiving college
credit is another step toward responsible accountability and a further
reduction of the volume of assessment required of Georgia’s schools and
students.”
The
rule amendment approved today includes language pursuant to Senate Bill 364
eliminating testing in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 in science and social studies. It
also includes language pursuant to Senate Bill 364 that adds, subject to
appropriations, formative assessments in reading and mathematics to grades one
and two. This language refers to diagnostic assessments that help teachers
assess students’ progress, not high-stakes assessments at the end of the year.
“I
fully supported Senator Lindsey Tippins’ bill, SB 364, because it reduces the
number of state-mandated tests students have to take,” Superintendent Woods
said. “With the passage of the testing rule today, we have integrated the
SB 364 language, eliminating testing requirements in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 in
science and social studies, freeing schools to focus on literacy and numeracy
in the early grades, giving students a better foundation for success.”
Supporting
Documents
Board
Item
Testing
Rule Amendment – Redlined