Currently all Georgia students have to pass the graduation test before getting a diploma.

The test covers material from throughout high school in math, Language Arts, science and social studies. But state education officials want it phased out starting with next year’s freshman class.

Instead, officials say, students could be required to pass a test at the end of each course.

DOE spokesman Matt Cardoza says the tests are harder but are a better gauge for what students have learned:

"You can have those tests be more rigorous because they are given at the end of a course rather than 2 years later after you’ve learned something."

The DOE still has to get permission from the federal government to replace the graduation test. That’s because the test is used to measure “adequate yearly progress” for the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Tags: Department of Education, Georgia Department of Education, tests, Matt Cardoza, Georgia High School Graduation Test