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here for the U.S. Department of Education’s approval letter.
July 22, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Education
(US ED) has approved Georgia’s participation in its Innovative Assessment
Demonstration Authority (IADA), State School Superintendent Richard Woods
announced today.
Georgia was approved to implement two of the innovative assessment
models described in the state’s application – the Georgia MAP Partnership and
the Putnam County Consortium. While there is an opportunity for a third model
(Cobb Metrics) to provide additional information, it will not be implemented at
this time.
“This waiver to utilize pilot projects allows Georgia to pursue
greater flexibility in the classroom, reduce high-stakes testing, and focus on
a more student-centric approach to learning,” Governor Brian P. Kemp said.
“I applaud the efforts of federal, state, and local educational leaders who
worked together to develop this innovative idea for the benefit of Georgia
families, students, and teachers.”
"I am excited that Georgia is taking the lead on finding
alternative ways to test our students other than the end of the year Milestones
model," said Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan. “The granting of
this waiver will start us on a path to more student- and teacher-centered
testing.”
“I am proud that Georgia continues to be a national leader in
pursuing flexibility for our schools and students,” State School
Superintendent Richard Woods said. “A maximum of seven states will be
selected to participate in this demonstration authority, so Georgia is in a
distinguished group. For the benefit of our students, we must all continue to
rethink assessment in the state of Georgia. I will keep pursuing a change in
state law to get state testing requirements in line with the federal minimum,
along with a more realistic use of test scores for accountability purposes.”
Through the IADA, Georgia has been granted flexibility to pilot
the two approved innovative assessments – Georgia MAP and the Putnam
consortium’s Navvy – through the 2023-24 school year. At that time, the state
will determine whether either of the assessments should be administered
statewide. Georgia is required to determine which one assessment it will
administer to all students by the end of its participation in the IADA.
US ED is requiring the Georgia MAP Partnership and the Putnam
County Consortium to establish comparability with Georgia Milestones before the
administration of either pilot assessment. Both districts will present
comparability evidence to Georgia’s new Innovative Assessment Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC), as early as this fall. US ED is also requiring that
the Putnam County Consortium provide information on how it will produce
literacy data.
US ED requires that districts continue to administer Georgia
Milestones for any grade, content area, or course assessed by Georgia
Milestones for which an innovative assessment system does not have a
corresponding assessment. Districts will also need to continue to administer
Georgia Milestones to the extent necessary to continue performing the annual
comparability analyses required by US ED.
Georgia applied for the Innovative Assessment Demonstration
Authority in December 2018 in order to seek the maximum flexibility available
under federal law for its assessment program, as laid out in Georgia’s ESSA
plan.