The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school. Students are required to attend this in-person testing at an assigned local test site. The Georgia Milestones test is given by state certified Georgia Cyber Academy teachers.
Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Students in grades 3 through 8 take an end-of-grade assessment in English Language Arts and mathematics while students in grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in science and social studies.
Features the Georgia Milestone Assessment System include:
- open-ended (constructed-response) items in English Language Arts and mathematics (all grades and courses);
- a writing component (in response to passages read by students) at every grade level and course within the English Language Arts assessment;
- norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses, to complement the criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison; and
- transition to online administration over time, with online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-pencil as back-up until the transition is complete.
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is designed to provide information about how well students are mastering the state-adopted content standards in the core content areas of English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Importantly, Georgia Milestones is designed to provide students with critical information about their own achievement and their readiness for their next level of learning – be it the next grade, the next course, or endeavor (college or career).
Informing parents, educators, and the public about how well students are learning important content is an essential aspect of any educational assessment and accountability system. Parents, the public, and policy makers, including local school districts and boards of education, can use the results as a barometer of the quality of educational opportunity provided throughout the state of Georgia.
As such, Georgia Milestones serves as a key component of the state’s accountability system – the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI).
What content areas and grade levels are tested?
Students in grades 3 through 8 take an end-of-grade assessment in English Language Arts and mathematics while students in grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in science and social studies.
Each school district selects a local testing window, based on their local school calendar, from within the state-designated testing window. Middle school students who are enrolled in one or more of these courses are required to take the associated end-of-course (EOC) measure.
If enrolled in a mathematics and/or science EOC course, these middle school students will not take the corresponding content area end-of-grade (EOG) measure.
Please login to Testing Nirvana and verify your testing assignment for Spring Milestones End of Grade (EOG) Tests the week of April 22-26, 2019.
If you would like to request a site change, please reach out to your Family Success Liaison (FSL). Please note, site changes are not GUARANTEED. We will do our best to accommodate all requests. Please keep in mind GCA is required to follow capacity guidelines at each site in order to ensure a successful and safe testing experience for all families. You will receive an email from Testing Nirvana if your site change has been approved. Please be sure to check your GACYBER emails regularly for all testing related communications.
Should you have any questions regarding your assignment, please reach out to your FSL for more information.
March 2019 Parent Meeting: Getting ready for Milestones Testing
March 2019 ES Parent University: How to help your student prepare for Georgia Milestones Testing (grades 3-5)
March 2019 MS Parent University: How to help your student prepare for Georgia Milestones Testing (grades 6-8)
Georgia Department of Education EOG Resources
State Testing in a Virtual World
Student Release Form fillable [PDF]
Student Health & Emergency Information Form fillable [PDF]
How will I know my student's score?
Georgia Milestones test scores will be available in the Infinite Campus parent portal. Please view the following document for instructions on accessing your student's EOG or EOC scores: Retrieving State Test Scores from the Infinite Campus Parent Portal [PDF].
If your student is withdrawing from GCA, a records request may be completed by the legal guardian, and test records will be sent to the receiving school. If you would like to request records, please have the new school fax a records request or the legal guardian must complete the K–12 Student Records Release Form.
If your student has withdrawn and is not enrolled with GCA for the current school year, you will need to submit a records request to receive a paper copy of your student's scores. Please fill out the Georgia Milestones Score Report Request [PDF] if your student has withdrawn.
What time should my student report to the testing site?
Students will receive final report times from the testing site coordinator along with confirmed testing site assignments.
Why don't you have the site that I went to last year?
Due to logistics, student numbers, availability, etc., we may not have the same site from year to year.
Who will administer the Milestones?
Students will be assigned to a testing site away from their home and Milestones will be administered by state-certified teachers. Your student's attendance is required. Please make arrangements now to be available for the entire week of testing in order to bring your student to the testing site and pick up your student each day of their scheduled test.
What are the testing and assessment requirements at GCA?
Georgia Cyber Academy students in grades 3-high school will participate in the state standardized tests as required by the state of Georgia. Testing will be conducted at a variety of sites around the state and proctored by state-certified teachers. Efforts will be made to locate a testing site within an hour of your home—but in certain cases, it may be necessary to travel longer than an hour. These tests are given over a one- to five-day period depending on the test and the student's grade level.
What if my student has an IEP or a 504 Plan?
Testing Accommodations outlined in your student's GCA IEP or GCA 504 Plan will be implemented during testing. Prior to testing, a GCA Representative will contact you to confirm your test location, dates, and report time, along with any testing accommodations that GCA is planning to provide.
It is important that you notify GCA of any questions or concerns you have regarding your student's accommodations. At this point in the school year, all accommodations should already be in place via the student's IEP/504 Plan; no testing changes should be made to the student plan between now and EOG/EOC.
If you have any questions about which accommodations your student is scheduled to receive, please refer to your copy of the IEP/504 Plan or contact your student's Case Manager.
What if I can't log in to Testing Nirvana or I did not receive the site validation email?
Contact your Family Success Liaison.
