Georgia Department Of Education Waives Testing, Accountability Requirements

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The Georgia Department of Education received approval to waive testing and accountability requirements for the rest of the school year.

The federal government approved a request to waive testing and accountability requirements for the rest of the school year, including Georgia Milestones, GAA 2.0, and GKIDS requirements, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Education.  

Georgia Milestones is a testing program for students between third grade and seniors that typically assesses what students were taught throughout the school year. GAA, or Georgia Alternative Assessment, is the testing curriculum for students with cognitive disabilities. GKIDS is the kindergarten testing program.

"It became clear as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed that there was no realistic path to offering state assessments this year – and, frankly, that testing is not what students, parents, and educators should be focused on at this time,” DOE Superintendent Woods said.

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Local districts will make the final decisions on how to calculate students' grades, DOE said, while the department ensures students are not penalized as a result of the COVID-19 school closures. 

For those in kindergarten through 8th grade, schools also have the option to use "pass or fail" instead of the numerical scoring system.

Woods suspended the state assessment window March 16 and on March 26 the State Board of Education approved the waivers in response to the pandemic.