Georgia Milestones

Georgia Cyber Academy students in 3rd through 8th grade, as well as students enrolled in certain high school level courses, are required to participate in Georgia Milestones testing. This testing is in-person and conducted at various testing sites throughout the state. Students are assigned a test site based on proximity to their primary address on file.

Students in 3rd through 8th grade take End-of-Grade (EOG) assessments. Students taking certain high school level courses take End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. During the spring main administration of Georgia Milestones, EOG and EOC testing occurs within a seven day window.  

Opting out is not permitted. Students with an approved excused absence will be required to make up missed tests on an alternate day during the official testing window or retest during the summer if that is an option. Students who miss required testing may be withdrawn from the school, may not be promoted to the next grade level, and/or may not be awarded credit for a course.

NOTE: It is possible that a family may have one student assigned to a morning test session and another assigned to an afternoon session during Georgia Milestones testing, thus occupying most of that family’s day. If a family has students in both grades 3-8 and in high school, that family may be involved in Georgia Milestones testing for up to 7 days.

Resources

• GaDOE Georgia Milestones Information

Students in 3^rd grade through 8^th grade are required to take the appropriate Georgia Milestones End-Of-Grade (EOG) assessments each spring. All students in these grades test in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, while students in 5^th grade and 8^th grade are additionally assessed in Science and students in 8^th grade are also assessed in Social Studies.

ELA testing spans two days. All other content areas are tested on a single day. Thus, students in 5th grade will test for a total of 4 days and students in 8th grade will test for a total of 5 days. All other students will test for 3 days.

EOG assessments are taken in-person at a physical testing site and are administered by certified GCA staff members. Assessments are taken on computers. Students will be assigned a testing date, report time, and testing site by GCA administration. Typically, elementary students are assigned morning test times and middle school students are assigned afternoon test times.

EOG assessments are taken in-person at a physical testing site and are administered by certified GCA staff members. Assessments are taken on computers. Students will be assigned a testing date, report time, and testing site by GCA administration. Typically, elementary students are assigned morning test times and middle school students are assigned afternoon test times.

State law mandates that student achievement in Reading, as measured by the ELA EOG assessment, be considered in promotion and retention decisions for students in grades 3, 5, and 8, while student achievement in Mathematics, as measured by the Mathematics EOG assessment, be considered in grades 5 and 8. Students who fail to demonstrate grade-level achievement on these measures are to receive remediation and be offered an opportunity for a retest prior to consideration for promotion to grades 4, 6, and 9. Retesting takes place during the summer. Failure to demonstrate grade-level proficiency on the retest may result in retention.

The Georgia Milestones Assessment System does not offer summer retesting for Science or Social Studies EOG assessments. Nor does it offer students in 4th, 6th, or 7th grades the opportunity to retest in any subject. 3rd graders may only retest in ELA, not in Mathematics.

EOG Testing Dates for Academic Year 2020-21

• Spring Administration: April 19-23, 2021
• Summer Retest Administration: June 28 – July 2, 2021

Resources

• GaDOE End-of-Grade Study/Resource Guides

Students taking the following high school level courses (including middle schoolers) must take the coinciding Georgia Milestones End-Of-Course (EOC) assessment to receive credit:

• American Literature and Composition
• Algebra I
• Biology
• United States History

Typically, EOC assessments are taken at the end of a course, regardless of the grade level. 

EOC assessments are taken in-person at a physical testing site and are administered by certified GCA staff members. Assessments are taken on computers. Students will be assigned a testing date, report time, and testing site by GCA administration.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) United States History and American Literature & Composition who take the AP exam are exempt from taking the corresponding EOC assessment. No other EOC assessments may be exempted by taking AP courses.

Likewise, Dual Enrollment students who earn a post-secondary credit in US History and American Literature & Composition are exempt from taking the corresponding EOC assessment. No other EOC assessments may be exempted due to Dual Enrollment.

Middle schoolers enrolled in a high school level EOC course will take the corresponding EOC assessment and all applicable EOG assessments for their grade level. An exception is made for middle schoolers taking high school level Biology or Physical Science. 8th graders enrolled in Biology or Physical Science will take the corresponding EOC exam, but not the 8th grade Science EOG exam.

Students who fail an EOC assessment taken during the spring administration may retake the test during the following summer retest administration. 

Students who have transferred to GCA from a home study program or unaccredited private school may take EOC assessments to validate credit for courses previously taken. These students have just one opportunity to take and pass an EOC assessment for which they wish to receive credit. A student in this category who takes and fails an EOC assessment or does not test will not receive credit for that course and will need to retake the course with GCA.

EOC Testing Dates for Academic Year 2020-2021

• Winter Administration: December 7-11, 2020
• Spring Administration: April 22, 23, 26 & 27, 2021
• Summer Retest Administration: June 28 – July 2, 2021

Resources

• GaDOE End-of-Course Study/Resource Guides

Students in 3rd grade through 8th grade are required to take the appropriate Georgia Milestones End-Of-Grade (EOG) assessments each spring. All students in these grades test in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, while students in 5th grade and 8th grade are additionally assessed in Science and students in 8th grade are also assessed in Social Studies.

Students taking the following high school level courses (including middle schoolers) must take the coinciding Georgia Milestones End-Of-Course (EOC) assessment to receive credit: American Literature and Composition, Algebra I, Biology, United States History.

Additionally, middle school students enrolled in high school level Physical Science are to take the corresponding EOC assessment. However, high school students no longer take the Physical Science EOC exam.

The GA Department of Education maintains study resources for many tests on its website. Additionally, students and parents can talk to their GCA teachers and/or counselors to learn how best to study for specific exams.

As of now, the exams that make up the Georgia Milestones Assessment System are still scheduled to take place. They have not been canceled and are required by law.

Georgia Cyber Academy takes seriously the safety and well-being of its students, families, and staff.  As such, we will implement a number of rules and safeguards in order to safely conduct End-of-Grade and End-of-Course testing during the 2020-21 school year.  A list of these rules can be found on our Georgia Milestones Safety Rules and Procedures page or in the PDF document below.

GA Milestones Safety Rules and Procedures Page

GA Milestones Safety Rules and Procedures PDF

End-of-Grade (EOG)

• Monday, April 19: English Language Arts, Section 1 (Grades 3-8)
• Tuesday, April 20: English Language Arts, Section 2-3 (Grades 3-8)
• Wednesday, April 21: Mathematics (Grades 3-8)
• Thursday, April 22: Science (Grade 5 and 8 only)
• Friday, April 23: Social Studies (Grade 8 only)

End-of-Course (EOC)

• Thursday, April 22: American Literature & Composition, Section 1
• Friday, April 23: American Literature & Composition, Sections 2-3
• Monday, April 26: Biology
• Monday, April 26: Physical Science (for applicable middle school students only)
• Monday, April 26: US History
• Tuesday, April 27: Algebra I

Testing times vary by subject and exam.  There is not an exact amount of time for each test, but rather a minimum and maximum* amount of time for each test section.

A student may not be excused from a test session until all students in their exam room have completed the test. Additionally, it takes time to sign students in, get them seated, set up their computer, etc. Your site coordinator will give you more specific guidance on about how long your student’s testing will take each day.

*Accommodations outlined in IEP or 504 plans will be implemented during testing.  Please refer to your student's IEP or 504 plan for details about your student's accommodations.  Questions or concerns about your student's accommodations should be directed to your student's case manager.

For security and logistical reasons, GCA typically tests elementary school students in the morning and middle school students in the afternoon during GA Milestones End of Grade (EOG) testing. Therefore, there will be instances of siblings in different grades having to report to testing at different times. This is a non-negotiable rule.

Furthermore, there will be instances of a younger sibling having to take EOG exams one week and an older sibling having to take End of Course (EOC) exams the following week. EOG and EOC exams must be taken during their designated timeframe.

Due to COVID-19, family members may NOT remain inside test sites during testing. Aside from signing a student in or out, family members will need to stay out of their student’s test site.

GCA tries to book test sites that offer ample and free parking. On occasion, this may not be possible. Check with your site coordinator for your test site's parking policies. 

• Students 16 years of age or older with valid government-issued photo identification may sign themselves in and out.
• Students under 16 years of age and students without proper identification must be signed in and out by an adult listed on their Student Release Form.
• Adults signing students in and out must be able to present photo identification that matches the Student Release Form.
• All students, regardless of age, must submit a Health & Emergency Form and Student Release Form prior to signing in. Students 16 years of age or older with valid government-issued photo identification may fill out these forms themselves. For all other students, a parent or legal guardian should fill out these forms.

Students with a valid driver’s license may drive to and from testing.

Students can and should bring the following:

• required Health & Emergency and Student Release forms (if not submitted electronically ahead of time)
• government-issued ID (if at least 16 years old and signing themselves in and out)
• #2 pencils and erasers
• a cloth or surgical face mask
• GCA-issued Chromebook, power cord, and mouse
• a water bottle, preferably with a straw
• a book to read in case the student finishes their test early

Students may not possess the following items while in a testing room (this list is not inclusive of all banned items):

• cell phones or other non-approved electronic devices
• smart watches that can access text messaging or the internet
• toys or games
• non-essential toiletries
• dictionaries or other reference materials
• food or drinks (except water bottles and some exceptions are made for students with documented medical conditions)
• weapons of any kind
• illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco products, vaping devices

GCA understands that assigning students to the closest, most convenient testing location is helpful in making testing less stressful for students and families alike.  For that reason, GCA attempts to assign testing sites to students based on the primary address listed for that student in Infinite Campus. It is important for families to make sure the address they have listed in Infinite Campus is correct and up to date.  If you need to update your address, please follow instructions outlined on our Contact Information Changes page.

Infinite Campus

Contact Information Changes

Occasionally, a testing site might reach its maximum capacity. In this event, it’s possible some students would be assigned to the next closest testing site.

The GCA assessment team works hard to locate and book appropriate testing sites well in advance of test dates. These sites often include conference centers, hotel meeting spaces, colleges and technical schools, and churches.

There are several criteria when GCA decides on a test site including, but not limited to:

• Location
• Number of students living nearby
• Availability
• Number of rooms and capacity
• Rental cost
• Internet capabilities
• General appropriateness for students

GCA tries to use the same testing sites from year to year. However, we’re sometimes unable to use certain sites two years in a row. Often, this is the result of the site not having availability or the site closing permanently or for renovations.

Also, on occasion students may be assigned to a new site due to capacity issues.

If there is a serious issue with the site to which your student has been assigned, feel free to address this with your site coordinator.

If you receive your student’s test site assignment and recognize a serious issue, please let your site coordinator know immediately. For instance, if you live in Atlanta, but your student was assigned to a site in Savannah, please let your site coordinator know so that your student can be reassigned.

Also, it is GCA’s policy to assign siblings to the same site whenever possible. If you are the parent of siblings who are GCA students and they are assigned to different sites, please let their site coordinators know right away so that this can be resolved.

If your student arrives late, please locate the site coordinator to let them know you have arrived. If unable to locate them, use any contact info they’ve provided you to call, text, or email them. Do not leave the site until contacting the site coordinator. Your site coordinator will work to schedule your student for a make-up test session, if possible.

Note: Per the GA Department of Education, if a testing session has already begun in a room, a student may not enter.

Please remember that state-mandated tests are required. Opting out of state-mandated testing is not allowable.

Students should not go on vacation or be otherwise unavailable during applicable testing windows. Students should only miss mandated testing for excused reasons, such as illness.

If your student does miss a test session, it is important to contact your site coordinator as soon as possible. If you know beforehand that your student will not be present at an assigned test session, let your site coordinator know. Your site coordinator will work to schedule your student for a make-up test session, if possible.  Students that fail to attend as required will be considered to have an unexcused absence for each day, including make-up days if they miss their assigned testing time.

Absolutely. State-testing is one of the many areas where we encourage parents to volunteer.  Opportunities include:

• Proctor: Assisting/Supporting GCA testing staff with escorting/monitoring students during testing breaks (Background Check required).
• Sign-in/Sign-out: Assisting/Supporting GCA testing staff with Learning Coach and student sign-in and sign-out.

If you would like to volunteer to assist at state testing, please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and we will be in touch with further details.

Volunteer Interest Form

Learn more about our Parent Volunteer program.

Students who have transferred to GCA from a home study program or unaccredited private school may need to take EOC assessments to validate credit for courses previously taken.

If you believe your student has been assigned to take an EOC assessment in error, please contact your student’s counselor.

Students enrolled in the following courses must take the corresponding EOC exam regardless of AP or Dual Enrollment status:

• Algebra I
• Biology

Students who take and pass the following AP or Dual Enrollment courses are exempt from the corresponding EOC exam during the 2020-2021 school year:

• American Literature and Composition
• United States History

If you have questions about Georgia Milestones testing, please contact your student’s teacher, counselor, FSL, or case manager.

Questions about your specific testing site should be directed to your testing site coordinator.

Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) is required to administer certain tests to students, which are mandated by the Georgia Department of Education and the United States Department of Education.  

GCA students are not allowed to “opt-out” of mandated testing, including Georgia Milestones Assessments, according to Georgia Law O.C.G.A. §20‐2‐281.  Additionally, students that fail to participate in Milestones examinations may be retained in their current grade level as they will not have demonstrated grade level proficiency in accordance with both GCA and Georgia requirements.