General Testing FAQs

We are often asked by parents and guardians if it’s possible to “opt out” of Georgia Milestones testing, as well as other standardized assessments. 

To clarify, there is no legal “opt out” of mandated testing, including Georgia Milestones. The State of Georgia’s legislation does not permit opt outs from state-mandated assessments (Georgia Law O.C.G.A. §20‐2‐281).  Georgia Cyber Academy students who do not attend testing will be counted as absent from school for each day testing is missed, including subsequent makeup days.  

Refusal to participate in required testing will impact overall school achievement and CCRPI scores (State Board of Education Rule 160‐4‐2‐.11).  More importantly, the absence of state-mandated testing would result in data that does not reflect the true achievement of the student and would not show a complete and accurate picture of the academic performance and quality of instructional programs.

Both state and federal laws currently require the annual assessment of all students enrolled in public schools in identified grades and courses and neither law nor policy currently allow for a parent to opt a student out of this requirement for any reason.  Parents who wish to advocate for a change in testing requirements are encouraged to contact their federal legislators and to work within the legislative process.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Unfortunately, the short answer is that it depends. Different exams and different subjects take different amounts of time. Also, 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 can give you more specific guidance on about how long your student’s testing will take each day.

With a few exceptions, most sites do not have the space available for families of students to stay on site during testing. Unless a site has a designated waiting area available for families to use, we ask that families do not stay on site during testing in order to maintain testing security and a calm and quiet testing environment. If you have questions or concerns regarding this, please talk to your site coordinator.

Please remember that state-mandated tests are required. 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.

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.

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 (some exceptions are made for students with documented medical conditions)
• weapons of any kind
•  illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco products, vaping devices

Students can and should bring the following:

• required forms for signing-in (Health & Emergency form, Student Release form)
• government-issued ID (if at least 16 years old and signing themselves in and out)
• #2 pencils and erasers
• GCA-issued Chromebook, power cord, and mouse (for GA Milestones and ACCESS testing)
• a book to read in case the student finishes their test early

Absolutely. Let your site coordinator know in advance that you’d like to help. Very often GCA staff at a test site can use assistance with signing students in and out, crowd control, directing students to exam rooms, monitoring bathrooms and hallways, and more. Please be aware that duties that involve a volunteer being alone with students would require a background check to be completed ahead of time. Contact your site coordinator for more information.

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.

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 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.

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.