Purpose of the Graduation Tests

Georgia’s graduation tests provide valuable information for students, educators, and parents about student strengths and areas for improvement. The tests identify students who may need additional instruction in the concepts and skills required for a diploma. Since 2004, the English Language Arts and Mathematics high school graduation tests have been used to measure Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind legislation.

All students seeking a Georgia high school diploma must pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) in four content areas as well as the Georgia High School Writing Assessment. These assessments ensure that students qualifying for a diploma have mastered essential core academic content and skills. Students with disabilities and English Language Learners may receive appropriate accommodations based on their needs and the specifications of their Individualized Education Program, their Individual Accommodation Plan, or their ELL Testing Participation Committee Plan. Students with disabilities unable to participate in the state testing program, even with accommodations, are assessed with the Georgia Alternate Assessment.

Assessment Opportunities

Students take the graduation tests for the first time in the eleventh grade. The Writing Assessment takes place in the fall, and the GHSGT in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies occur in the spring of the eleventh grade. Students who do not pass on the first attempt of the tests have multiple opportunities to receive additional instruction, retest, and qualify for graduation before the spring of the twelfth grade.

Students who do not pass all the required tests but have met all other graduation requirements may be eligible for a Certificate of Performance or a Special Education Diploma. Students who have left school with a Certificate of Performance or a Special Education Certificate may return to attempt the graduation test(s) again, as often as necessary to qualify for a high school diploma.

According to Rule 160-1-3-.09, Waivers and Variances of High School Graduation Assessments Guidelines, students may receive a Georgia regular education diploma through the assessment waiver or variance process if they meet specific criteria. Descriptions of waivers and variances appear below. For detailed information, on the process, follow this link.

Scale Scores Needed for Passing the GHSGT

The Pass and Pass Plus scores for all four content areas appear in the chart below:

Aligning the GHSGT content areas with the Georgia Performance Standards

The Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) reflects the Georgia Performance Standards according to the implementation schedule created by the Standards and Instruction Division. In 2006 and 2007transitional, dually aligned blueprints in English Language Arts and science that align to both the GPS and the QCC were used to develop the GHSGT. These dually aligned tests ensured that students had opportunity to learn whether they were instructed through the QCC or the GPS curriculum. The Georgia Department of Education worked with Georgia educators to identify those core concepts/skills that are common to both curricula and to develop a plan that will ensure students are tested on concepts they will have had an opportunity to learn – whether instruction was provided through the QCC or the GPS. This transitional blueprint has been in effect for two years (2005 – 2006 and 2006 – 2007). A solely GPS aligned GHSGT in English Language Arts and science will be implemented in the spring of 2008, at which time all first time test takers (i.e., eleventh graders) will have had only GPS instruction during their high school careers. New performance level descriptors (PLD), new performance standards, new cut scores, and new scale scores will be set for these tests in 2008.

In 2008 and 2009, transitional, dually aligned tests in social studies will be administered. In spring 2010, social studies will be exclusively GPS, and new standards and cut scores will be set. Math will be aligned with the GPS in 2011. Until then the math GHSGT will remain aligned with the QCC.

The Georgia High School Graduation Tests and No Child Left Behind

In the spring of each year since 2004, the English Language Arts and mathematics tests have been enhanced to meet the standards of NCLB and a federal peer review of Georgia’s accountability system. Additional items were added to better measure the full depth of the curriculum. The enhanced tests are used to establish Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) at the school, system, and state level. The inclusion of the enhanced items does not affect the score expectations for diploma eligibility for students. In other words, the standards used to determine the PASS and PASS PLUS levels have not changed, nor has the degree of difficulty in meeting these two standards changed as a result of the enhanced test version. A scale score of 500 is still required to pass each of the GHSGT content area tests.

The performance levels for student and accountability purposes are provided in the table below.

Proficiency scores for the enhanced ELA and Mathematics tests were set by committees of Georgia educators in April 2004 and approved by the State Board of Education on May 13, 2004. These scores were used to set Annual Measurable Objective targets for determining AYP beginning in 2004.

NOTE: The ELA proficient and advanced scores will change when the new standards are set for ELA and Science

GHSGT and AYP

Schools, systems, and the state are accountable for the percent of students meeting Proficient target annually. The target will increase each year according to the Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) targets.