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October 2, 2020
Oct. SBOE Report and Call to Action Regarding
Student Assessment

The State Board of Education (SBOE) met Thursday, Oct. 1, for its monthly meeting.
Board actions at the meeting include:

  • Rejection of State Superintendent Richard Woods’ proposal to lower EOC testing weights to .01 percent of a high school students’ final grade. The board approved lowering the weight to 10 percent of the final grade.

  • Approval of an amendment to the Georgia Milestones contract due to the denial of Georgia’s request to waive federal testing requirements by the United States Education Department (USED).

  • Approval of an amendment to update the state’s program for English learners.

The board's decision about the testing weight is preliminary. It is now posted for public review and comment. PAGE urges members to contact your board members and Gov. Brian Kemp's office to provide input on this issue. Contact information is linked below.

The meeting agenda is available HERE and a video of the meeting is available HERE.
SBOE Revises Superintendent's Proposal to Lower Weights of EOC Test on Final Grades of High School Students

After a lengthy discussion, the SBOE rejected Superintendent Woods’ proposal to lower the weights of End of Course (EOC) tests on the final grades of high school students to .01 percent. Woods offered the proposal in response to USED’s rejection of the state’s request to waive federal standardized testing for the 2020 – 2021 school year.

Woods argued that placing a heavy weight on EOC scores on the final grade of a student during a school year in which students are receiving instruction through multiple learning platforms (i.e., in person learning and virtual learning) would not provide useful data on student progress and would increase stress levels on students and teachers. Three superintendents, Dr. Michele Taylor of Calhoun City Schools, Dr. Grant Rivera of Marietta City Schools, and Dr. Morcease Beasley of Clayton County Schools, shared their experience during the pandemic and urged the board to support Woods’ position to lower the weight of testing on final grades.

SBOE members contended that, if there is not a significant weight placed on test scores, students will not try to do well on the test. They further argued that the state will not receive accurate data on student progress and disagreed with Woods’ position that the data would be insignificant due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The votes on Woods’ proposal to lower EOC weights to .01 percent are below. A yes vote is a vote in support of Woods' proposal. The vote was on posting the proposal for public comment, not for final approval of the assessment changes:

  • Mike Long – No
  • David “Butch” Mosely – Yes
  • Helen Odom Rice – No
  • Lisa Kinnemore – No
  • Kenneth Mason – No
  • Scott Sweeney – Yes
  • Mike Royal – No
  • Jason Downey – Did not vote – not present
  • Martha Zoller – Yes
  • Lee Anne Cowart – No
  • Scott Johnson – No
  • Trey Allen – No
  • Leonte Benton – Did note vote – not present
  • Phenna Rene Petty – Yes

SBOE member Trey Allen subsequently offered a proposal to lower the testing weight from 20 percent to 10 percent in the final grade of high school students. The vote to post lowering the weight to 10 percent for public comment was approved by a 9-3 vote.

Before the vote, GaDOE staff presented an update on assessments.
Add Your Voice to PAGE Advocacy

PAGE supports Superintendent Woods’ efforts to reduce high stakes testing weights as much as possible during an unprecedented school year. The proposal to lower EOC weights for high school students to 10 percent will now be posted for public comment. PAGE urges members to reach out to your SBOE member to share input on the issue. Contact information for each board member can be found HERE. A map is included at the link to help you determine which board member you should contact. GaDOE has also released a survey for the public to complete on the issue available HERE.

As always when contacting policymakers, please use personal (not school) email accounts and electronic devices, and contact board members outside of instructional time. The most effective messages are short, professional, and highlight the impact on Georgia students in a personal way.
 
SBOE members are appointed by the Georgia governor for seven-year terms, and many of the board members who voted against Superintendent Woods’ testing plan pre-date the Kemp administration. Contact Gov. Kemp’s office at (404) 656-1776 to request that he urge state board members to accept Supt. Woods’ initial proposal of testing weight of .01 percent. You might also express appreciation for his support of Georgia’s testing waiver and legislation reducing state-required standardized tests.
SBOE Approves Amendment to Georgia Milestones Contract

The board approved an amendment the contract with Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) for Georgia Milestones to increase the total maximum compensation amount from $7,508,980 to $17,326,702. The increase is due to USED denial of Georgia’s request to waive federal standardized testing requirements. Some board members expressed concern that the contract includes $1.5 million for BEACON, a formative assessment that aligns with Milestones offered to school districts free of charge, but no additional funding for the MAP and NAVVY innovative assessment pilot programs being administered in some districts.
Board Approves Changes to English Learner Program and New Career Pathway

The SBOE approved the following items:



Josh Stephens
Legislative Affairs Specialist