Georgia School Board Rejects Plan To Value Exams Close To Zero

Georgia’s state Board of Education balked Thursday at a plan to make standardized tests statistically meaningless for public high school students’ grades this year, in an hourslong clash that shows many board members disagree with state Superintendent Richard Woods’ efforts to dismantle Georgia’s system of grading students, schools and teachers.

Woods, an elected Republican, wanted to cut from 20% to 0.01% the amount that end-of-course exams in algebra, American literature and composition, biology and U.S. history count in a high school student’s overall course grade.

Board members rejected that plan in an 8-4 vote.