Georgia Milestones in Elementary School

Office of Assessment & Personalized Learning

2

Margaret Moss, Supervisor, Elementary Assessment Margaret.Moss@cobbk12.org

What is the Georgia Milestones Assessment System?

• A single program and not a series of tests

grades 3-12

• Provides a consistent measure including a national comparison

• Combines reading, language arts, and writing into a single measure to align to content standards

2/4/2015 3

What is the purpose of the new state-mandated assessment system?

• To measure how well students have learned

the content (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies)

• To provide data to determine the need for additional support or acceleration

• School and district accountability

4 2/4/2015

Why new assessments?

• Provide a better measure of students’ deeper understanding of the content

• Address concerns that the old assessment was a measure of students’ ability to memorize facts

• Increased rigor to better match national assessments

5 2/4/2015

How are these Assessments Different from CRCTs?

• Students need to know more than just the answer

• Students need to cite evidence to support their answers

• Open-ended items (constructed responses) require short answer and extended type responses

• Provide a better picture of students’ progress through the grade levels

6 2/4/2015

Language Arts Assessments will demonstrate:

• Ability to read and comprehend texts of varying complexities

• Ability to summarize key points to support an opinion or argument

• Ability to cite evidence to support an opinion or argument

• Ability to use context to determine the meaning of academic vocabulary

7 2/4/2015

Math Assessments will demonstrate:

• Ability to understand and use important math ideas, including number sense, algebraic thinking, geometry, and data analysis

• Ability to use math facts and reasoning skills to solve real-world problems

• Ability to make mathematical arguments and to explain mathematical reasoning

8 2/4/2015

How can we use the results?

• Compare student progress across schools, districts, and nationally from grades 3 through graduation

• Parents will be able to use this information to communicate with teachers and administrators about their child’s progress

• Identify gaps in students’ academic progress

9 2/4/2015

What Parents Can Expect • These scores cannot be compared to scores from

previous years.

• The assessments measure deeper knowledge including problem-solving, writing, and critical thinking.

• Scores will not be available until Fall 2015.

• Scores will not affect promotion/retention decisions during the 2014-2015 school year.

10 2/4/2015

What Can I Do As a Parent?

ELA • Read as much non-fiction as fiction • Learn about the world by reading • Read more challenging material • Talk about reading using “evidence” • Write about reading using “evidence” • Build vocabulary in real world situations • Ask your child questions about what he/she

has read

Math • Encourage mental math strategies • Use math in real world situations • Promote problem solving and

writing/explaining how the problem was solved

• Be aware of the priorities for your child at that grade level

• Allow for diverse thinking

2/4/2015 11

• Give your child a chance to practice (online resources, e.g. sample assessments found at http://learnoas.ctb.com/GA/ )

• Put your child at ease (assure him/her that it is only ONE measure, share your personal experience with testing, etc.)

Questions?

2/4/2015 12