Georgia EOC milestone testing typically covers class material taught throughout the entire year and is given in May to assess students’ understanding of content. The EOCs were not taken last year due to COVID-19. In recent weeks, lawmakers have come to a decision requiring all states to give standardized testing and have created new tests for courses previously not tested over. Courses that will require testing include Algebra 1, American Literature, Biology, and US History. 

With the federal government now demanding testing, the debate comes down to how much the test will weigh into students’ final grades. The superintendent of Georgia schools has proposed the test weight to be .01% because he thinks the testing is unfair during these unprecedented times, while the State school board wants it to count for 10% of the final grade. In the past it has counted for 20%. 

Students in Cherokee County might find the milestones easy since Cherokee is allowing face-to-face instruction, but the majority of counties in Georgia are virtual, which causes a large disadvantage and could cause the test to be harder for the students. 

Although the test will most likely count for less of the final grade than usual, students’ Milestones scores will still appear on transcripts, which allows colleges to see this, and possibly plays a role in acceptance decisions. 

 The Georgia Department of Education has released a survey to Georgia citizens, allowing public comment on the final decision. Students and parents can and are encouraged to weigh their opinion into the survey. The survey can be found at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3TWWTMZ