GMAS - Georgia Milestones Assessment System End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments Questions and Answers 1 โ Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to the Georgia State Board of Education rule, what is the minimum percentage that an End-of-Course (EOC) assessment must contribute to a student's final grade in the corresponding course?
- 20%
- 15%
- 10% (Correct answer)
- 0.01%
Correct answer: 10%
Effective as of a rule change in July 2023, the State Board of Education allows local school systems to set the weight of the EOC assessment to a minimum of 10% of the student's final course grade.
Question 2: A high school student is enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) United States History and Dual Enrollment (DE) American Literature and Composition. For which of these courses is the student exempt from taking the corresponding GMAS EOC assessment?
- American Literature and Composition only
- Both courses
- Neither course
- United States History only (Correct answer)
Correct answer: United States History only
State Board of Education rules specifically exempt students enrolled in AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment U.S. History courses from taking the EOC. However, this exemption does not apply to ELA, mathematics, or science courses.
Question 3: A school district is planning its academic calendar. During which part of the school year are the main administrations for GMAS EOC assessments typically scheduled?
- At the beginning of each semester
- Upon completion of the designated course (Correct answer)
- Only in the last two weeks of the school year
- During a single, statewide mandated week in October
Correct answer: Upon completion of the designated course
EOC assessments are administered at the conclusion of the course, regardless of the student's grade level. This means testing can occur at the end of the fall semester (Winter administration) or spring semester (Spring administration).
Question 4: Which of the following courses requires students to take a GMAS End-of-Course (EOC) assessment?
- World History
- Biology (Correct answer)
- Physical Science (for high school students)
- Ninth Grade Literature and Composition
Correct answer: Biology
The designated EOC courses are American Literature and Composition, Algebra: Concepts and Connections, Biology, and United States History. While Physical Science has an EOC for middle schoolers taking it for high school credit, it is no longer a required EOC for students enrolled in high school.
Question 5: A parent is concerned about their high school student's EOC results and wishes to refuse participation in future assessments. According to Georgia law and Department of Education policy, what is the official stance on 'opting out' of EOC tests?
- Parents can opt out with a written request for any reason.
- Opting out is permitted, but the student receives an automatic failing grade for the course.
- There is no legal provision to 'opt out' of mandated state assessments. (Correct answer)
- Opting out is only allowed for medical reasons confirmed by a doctor.
Correct answer: There is no legal provision to 'opt out' of mandated state assessments.
Georgia state law (O.C.G.A. ยง20-2-281) requires student participation in mandated state assessments, and there are no provisions that allow parents or students to 'opt out.' If a student refuses to test, their score report will reflect that refusal, and it can negatively impact their final course grade.
Question 6: In addition to criterion-referenced items measuring mastery of Georgia's content standards, what other type of information is included on GMAS EOC student score reports to provide a broader context of their performance?
- A predicted score for the next course in the subject sequence
- A comparison to students in neighboring school districts
- A national percentile range from norm-referenced items (Correct answer)
- A ranking of the student's performance within their school
Correct answer: A national percentile range from norm-referenced items
Georgia Milestones assessments include a set of norm-referenced items to provide a national percentile range, which compares a student's performance to a national sample of their peers. This complements the primary, criterion-referenced scores.
According to the Georgia State Board of Education rule, what is the minimum percentage that an End-of-Course (EOC) assessment must contribute to a student's final grade in the corresponding course?