Under Proposal, Georgia High School Tests Might Not Count Toward Grades

Students in Georgia public high schools would face no consequences for failing statewide standardized tests for at least one year under a proposal from state Superintendent Richard Woods in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Woods announced the plan Thursday, saying that he wants the state Board of Education to nearly zero out the amount that four end-of-course exams in algebra, American literature and composition, biology and U.S. history will count in a student’s grade in that course.

Now, the tests count for 20% of a student’s course grade. Under Woods’ plan, they would count for 0.01%. He only wants to keep that tiny fraction because lawmakers this year refused to allow the state Board of Education to entirely remove the tests from counting.