Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) AssessmentGrades 3, 4, and 5
Whitney Shook, Assistant Principal/Testing Coordinator
Lori Dunagan, Curriculum Support Teacher
Georgia MilestonesWhat is it?
• The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school.
• Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
• Students in grades 3 through 8 will take an end-of-grade assessment in each content area.
Georgia Milestones Videohttp://www.gadoe.org/curriculum-instruction-and-assessment/assessment/pages/georgia-milestones-assessment-system.aspx.
Unique FeaturesFeatures include:
– Open-ended (constructed-response items in ELA and mathematics only)– Selected-response items in all subject areas (Multiple choice)– A writing component (in response to text) at every grade level and
course within the ELA assessment;– Norm-referenced items in every grade and content area to complement
the criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison; and
– Transition to online administration over time, with online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-pencil back-up until transition is completed.
• Year 1: minimum of 30% online • Year 3: minimum of 80% online • Year 5: minimum of 100% online
Transition to Online
Georgia MilestonesCriterion Referenced
and Norm Referenced Items:
• Students will receive 2 scores: *criterion referenced score (55 total points) *norm-referenced score (20 total points)
• Some norm-referenced items (10) will count as criterion-referenced items as well
Georgia Milestones
Consolidation of English Language Arts
• English Language Arts and reading will be combined and a writing component added for every grade level and course within the ELA assessment
• One overall ELA score and proficiency designation
Breakdown of Test Items• Constructed response is a general term for assessment
items that require the student to generate a response as opposed to selecting a response.
• Extended-response items require more elaborate answers and explanations of reasoning. – They allow for multiple correct answers and/or varying
methods of arriving at the correct answer. – Writing prompts and performance tasks are examples of
extended-response items.
Georgia MilestonesELA
Criterion-ReferencedTotal Number of Items: 44 / Total Number of Points: 55
Breakdown by Item Type:– 40 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT)– 2 Constructed Response (2 points each)
– 1 Constructed or Extended Response (worth 4 points): literary prose– 1 Extended Response (worth 7 points): informative/explanatory or
argument/opinion
Norm-Referenced– Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test– Total field test items: 6 Total number of items taken by
each student: 60
What’s Required by the Student?• Close analytic reading to construct meaning, make
inferences, draw conclusions, compare and contrast ideas, themes,…
• Synthesize ideas and concepts across multiple texts• Develop informative/explanatory responses or
narratives, produce opinions/arguments -citing evidence from text(s) and using standard language conventions
ELA Sample Test Items• http://
www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Documents/GM%20Grade%203%20EOG%20Assessment%20Guide.pdf
How are we preparing our teachers and students for these assessments?
• Provide teachers with sample assessment items• Model lessons that integrate reading and writing and cover
multiple standards• Provide examples of complex texts (variety of literary,
informational, and digital texts) and assist teachers with selection of these texts
• Model close reading strategies, text analysis strategies, and text-dependent questioning
MathCriterion-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 53 / Total Number of Points: 58
Breakdown by Item Type:– 50 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT)
– 2 Constructed Response (worth 2 points each)
– 1 Extended Constructed Response (worth 4 points)
Norm-Referenced– Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test– Total field test items: 10
What’s Required by the Student?• Demonstration of conceptual
understanding, procedural skills and fluency
• Problem solving, modeling, and mathematical reasoning
Sample Math Itemshttp://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Documents/GM%20Grade%203%20EOG%20Assessment%20Guide.pdf
Instructional Implications• Students will need to be actively engaged
in doing the math, not just copying procedures.
• Students need to think and reason.• Lessons will incorporate writing as well
as student dialogue.
Science and Social Studies• Understanding of the core concepts, ideas, and practices
of science to explain scientific phenomena – with content and Characteristics of Science/Nature of Science standards serving as co-requisites
• Understanding of the past and its influence on the present and future – including the interconnectedness of history, culture, geography, economics, and government/civics
• All test items will be selected response for these two subjects
How do we prepare students for the online writing assessment?• Provide opportunities to “write” on computers in and
out of class• Computer lab time • Writing station during literacy centers at the
computer (laptops, iPads, etc.)• Online mock writing/diagnostic assessments
When do students take the assessments?
Testing Window for grades 3-5:April 16th-April 30th
Resources for Ga Milestones• Georgia Department of Education’s website at http://testing.gadoe.org. • To see what online testing is like, you and your student may visit the
Experience Online Testing Georgia website at http://experience-ga.ctb.com• The items on the demonstration tests are general and represent multiple grade
levels. They do not assess student achievement.• http://
www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-End-of-Grade-Assessment-Guides.aspx (Assessment guides for each grade level)
• Dance Mat Typing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr (keyboarding skills)• Typing instructor:
http://www.typinginstructor.biz/arcade/wildwest/wildwest.swf (keyboarding skills)
• Typing Web: www.typingweb.com
Questions?