Assessments

NWEA MAP Testing

NWEA MAP tests are mandatory; these critical assessments help teachers design learning experiences and inform instructional groupings. Test data will be entered in the gradebook as a completion grade only. A grade of zero (0%) will be given as a participation grade in the gradebook to all enrolled students who have not completed MAP tests within two weeks of enrollment. Students will earn a 100% participation grade for completing the NWEA MAP tests.

Quizzes

Quizzes may be administered throughout the course to assist teachers in assessing student mastery as well as to guide instruction. 

Interim Assessments

Interim Assessments (IAs) will be administered during the final week of the Instructional Cycle during live class sessions. All students are required to take the Interim Assessments monitored on camera regardless of their proficiency level.

Interim Assessments will be recorded in the gradebook as both an assessment and a participation grade. They will be graded for accuracy and the student’s actual score will be entered in the Assessment category of the gradebook. Students will not be allowed to retake an Interim Assessment.

All students have a set amount of time to complete tests/assessments/diagnostics/exams unless extended time is allowed per a student’s IEP and/or 504 Plan. Students who receive accommodations for extended time are typically expected to submit their tests/assessments/diagnostics/exams on the same due date as other students as extended time usually refers to the number of minutes allowed to complete an assessment; however, students are provided all necessary provisions as noted in their IEP and/or 504 Plan even if extended time in rare instances necessitates an amended due date.

Final Exams

Final Exams are the summative assessment for each semester. Sometimes Final Exams are referred to as Interim Assessments (IAs), especially during first semester of a year-long course/subject. If a Final Exam is referred to as an Interim Assessment, then it will be the LAST Interim Assessment administered in the semester. All students are required to take their Final Exams monitored on camera regardless of their proficiency level.

Final Exams will be recorded in the gradebook as both an assessment and a participation grade. Final exams will count toward the student’s final course average. They will be graded for accuracy and the student’s actual score will be entered in the Final Exam category of the gradebook. Students will not be allowed to retake a Final Exam.

All students have a set amount of time to complete tests/assessments/diagnostics/exams unless extended time is allowed per a student’s IEP and/or 504 Plan. Students who receive accommodations for extended time are typically expected to submit their tests/assessments/diagnostics/exams on the same due date as other students as extended time usually refers to the number of minutes allowed to complete an assessment. However, students are provided all necessary provisions as noted in their IEP and/or 504 Plan even if extended time in rare instances refers to an amended due date.

Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS)

All Georgia Cyber Academy 3^rd grade through secondary grade (high school) level students are required to attend various state- mandated summative assessments each year. Opt-outs are not permitted. Students who have an approved, excused absence will be required to make-up missed tests on an alternate day during the approved testing window or re-test during the summer if that is an option. Students may be withdrawn for truancy for not attending state mandated tests. Students may be retained for failing to take state mandated tests. Students may fail to be awarded credit for a high school course for failing to take state mandated tests.

NOTE: If a family has students in multiple grade bands, then it is possible that the family may have students assigned to BOTH the morning and the afternoon testing windows during the Milestones Assessment period, thus occupying most of that family’s day. If a family has students in both 3-8 grades and in high school, then the Spring and/or Summer Milestones Assessment window may require participation over the course of two weeks depending on the high school EOC tests required.

Students in Grades 3-8 take an End-Of-Grade (EOG) Assessment in English/ Language Arts and Mathematics, while students in Grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in Science and Social Studies.

Students in grades 3 through 8 are required to receive a reading determination of Grade Level or Above on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment in reading and to attain an achievement level of “Developing Learner”, “Proficient Learner”, or “Distinguished Learner” on the mathematics and ELA sections of the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment to be promoted to the next grade level.

All K-8 students that failed math or reading/ELA are offered summer remediation to assist in closing academic gaps in knowledge/skills.

For grades 3, 5, and 8, if a student takes the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment and does not score proficient or distinguished in reading, mathematics, and/or ELA, we offer help for the student to reinforce academic skills needing additional attention and an opportunity to take the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment again. A student who does not score at grade level on this second administration of the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment or who does not take the second administration of the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment may be retained.

Note: The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) does not offer Science or Social Studies EOG summer retest opportunities. The GaDOE does not offer 4^th, 6^th, or 7^th grades the opportunity to retake EOGs during the summer. The GaDOE does not offer 3^rd graders the opportunity to retake the math EOG during the summer. GaDOE makes the decision which retests are offered. Georgia Cyber Academy has no say in the matter.

Secondary Grades and Middle Grades students take an End-Of-Course (EOC) Assessment for each of the ten high school courses listed in the EOC course table below at the completion of that subject, unless a dual enrollment college final or AP exam exemption is allowed per GaDOE guidelines.

• All students enrolled in Algebra I, Coordinate Algebra, American Literature and Composition, or Biology MUST take the associated EOC exam regardless of the course level (i.e. AP/IB) or the course grade awarded by a postsecondary institution (i.e. Dual Enrollment).
• A student shall be exempt from taking the US History EOC assessment if they pass an AP/IB/Dual Enrollment US History course for core credit.

Typically, the EOC tests are administered at the completion of the course, regardless of the grade level. These assessments serve as the final exam for the course and count as twenty percent (20%) of the student’s final course grade. Students that fail an EOC taken during the Spring administration may retake the EOC that they failed a 2^nd time during the following summer testing administration.

IF state EOC tests are suspended or waived for any reason, then a replacement final exam will be given in their place and the final exam will count 20% of the EOC course grade in place of the state EOC test grade.

EOC courses:

IMPORTANT NOTES: Students who are testing to validate credits from a home school or unaccredited private school only have one opportunity to test before an NG is awarded for the course, at which point the student will have to retake the course.

Students testing for course completion have two opportunities to test before a zero is factored into their grade for their EOC score.

Advanced Placement (AP) Course Exams

AP Exams are offered for all AP courses.

For the possibility of earning college credit for an AP course, a student must take the AP exam for that course and pass at the level required by their receiving college, university, and/or technical school.

AP students, also, take an AP Final Exam. AP students can take the Georgia Milestones EOC Assessment in lieu of the AP final exam for the following courses unless the EOC has already been taken for a lower-level high school course:

• AP Microeconomics
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP United States History
• AP American Literature and Composition

If a student chooses not to take the AP Exam, then they will not receive college credit for the course. Typically, colleges and universities require a score of 3 or higher on the corresponding AP exam to receive college credit for the course; although, some require a 4 or 5 to receive college credit. Please check with your intended college or university to determine their credit rules regarding AP courses.

It is assumed that students in AP courses are not taking the Georgia Milestones EOC assessment in the exempted courses allowed by the state and are taking the AP exam for that course unless they notify a GCA teacher, counselor, or administrator otherwise.

A Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade may only count in one course. For example, a student who takes the US History Georgia Milestone EOC assessment may not count that Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade in both a US History course and an AP US History course. Also, if a student is taking the course a second time, the first Georgia Milestone EOC assessment score cannot be counted as the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade.

Testing Site Assignments

Georgia Milestones End-Of-Grade (EOG) and End-Of-Course (EOC) testing will be conducted in-person at multiple testing sites throughout the state. The tests will be proctored by Georgia Cyber Academy faculty and staff over a one to five-day period, depending on the test and the student’s grade level.

Students will be notified in advance of their testing site assignments and testing dates and times. Students are assigned a test site based on proximity to their primary address on file. Every effort is made to secure a test site within forty-five (45) miles of a student’s home, but it is not always possible due to the availability of feasible sites and/or the number of students within a given area.

Important Notes: There are fewer testing sites for December EOC administrations and summer Milestones Re- Tests than there are for the spring administrations. Therefore, please be aware that for December EOC administrations and summer Milestones Re-Tests students may be required to attend at a different location than they did during the Spring Milestones administrations. Also, site locations and their availability change from year to year, so students may or may not have the opportunity to test at the same site from previous years or testing administrations.

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES ARE NOT CONSIDERED A VALID EXCUSE TO MISS MILESTONES TESTING. If a student encounters transportation issues on any given day of Milestones EOC/EOG testing, then make-ups will be arranged provided that the state testing window has not closed, or the student can be moved to an alternate testing site that is located on a public transportation line.

Other In-Person Assessments

In addition to the Georgia Milestones EOG and EOC tests, the following assessments may also be administered in- person at the sole discretion of school administration and/or may be mandatory depending on program/service/assessment requirements:

• Georgia Alternative Assessment
• ACCESS for ELLs 2.0
• WIDA Screener
• Gifted Testing
• Special Education evaluations
• PSAT
• SAT
• ACT
• Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
• Accuplacer
• ASVAB
• DIBELS (Grades K-5) – rarely applicable
• NWEA Reading Fluency – rarely applicable
• I-Ready Diagnostic – rarely applicable
• NWEA Growth Assessments - rarely applicable
• Interim Assessments – rarely applicable
• Final Exams - rarely applicable
• End of Pathway Assessments

Specific testing dates and locations will be published no later than two weeks prior to the testing window.  All guidance for students who are taking End of Pathway assessments can be found on the GADOE website, but specific arrangements for any GCA students who are taking an End of Pathway assessment will be provided to that student no less than two weeks before the assessment, if GCA is administering the test. If the student is taking an EOPA that is not offered by GCA, their counselor can assist them in registering and preparing for the assessment, as well as showing them the testing arrangements upon registration for the test. Any student who registers for an End of Pathway Assessment on their own, should notify their counselor that they are registered for the test and any outcomes of the test. This data is used for GA DOE CTAE reports, CCRPI scores and possibly for student award ceremonies, such as Honor's Day.  Attendance at testing is mandatory. Students may face academic and disciplinary consequences for non- participation in testing, including withdrawal from Georgia Cyber Academy.