Georgia High School Tests Won’t Count Toward Student Grades

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November 19th, 2020

“The fact is we are in a pandemic, and districts are struggling to provide regular instruction,” state Superintendent Richard Woods told board members Thursday. “Our tests and accountability tools are designed to measure a traditional instructional environment. Needless to say, this is not a traditional instruction environment.”

ALISON GUILLORY / WABE

State standardized tests won’t count toward public high school students’ grades in Georgia this year after members of the state Board of Education reversed themselves and agreed Thursday with state Superintendent Richard Woods.

The board voted 10-3 Thursday to make end-of-course exams in algebra, American literature and composition, biology and U.S. history count for 0.01% of a student’s overall course grades. That’s down from the normal 20% and the 10% that board members had proposed last month. Districts still can choose to count tests at a higher value.

Woods argued that because some districts started late and some students have received only online instruction, it would be unfair to students to possibly decrease their grades with a state test. Because Georgia awards HOPE Scholarships to college based on high school grades, some students who see grades go down could lose scholarship money.

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