Georgia school districts will have a lot of flexibility on grade assignments, school end dates and pass/fail options this year as a result of the impacts from COVID-19. But one certainty remains -there will be no state testing, including the Georgia Milestones.
Georgia state school Superintendent Richard Woods had already postponed all high-stakes testing indefinitely, but on Tuesday his office announced that Georgia has received formal approval from the U.S. Department of Education to waive testing the accountability requirements for this school year.
“It became clear as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed that there was no realistic path to offering state assessments this year – and, frankly, that testing is not what students, parents, and educators should be focused on at this time,” Superintendent Woods said. “I appreciate the U.S. Department of Education hearing the concerns of states, school districts, parents, and students and providing this flexibility. Georgia’s public-school community will continue to focus on keeping students safe and providing opportunities for learning and growth as we weather this storm together.”
The State Department of Education (DOE) is directing districts to develop local guidelines for grading while ensuring students are not penalized for circumstances over which they had no control. The state’s guidance to local school districts states that students should not be held back in their expected progression – graduation, advancement to the next grade, etc. – as a result of the COVID-19 school closures. An announcement from the DOE states that “the state has granted the necessary flexibility to make this possible.”
According to information from Woods’ office, state-level waivers approved on March 26 include a waiver of promotion/retention requirements, a 20 percent course-grade requirement for end of course tests, and other requirements related to graduation and course completion. This, Woods said, ensures that students are still able to advance to the next grade in spite of the COVID-19 closures.
While the Superintendent stressed that the calculation of final student grades is a local district decision, state guidance to local districts includes options they can consider, and the Georgia DOE is directing districts to be sensitive about the realities students and staff are dealing with during this time.
For subjects and courses taught in grades K-8, school districts may choose to issue course designations of “pass” or “fail” in lieu of final grades or numeric scores. Apparently, Georgia state school officials looked into the possibility of offering a “pass/fail” option for grades 9-12, but felt this was not a viable option due to the potential impact on higher education acceptance requirements (in and out of state), scholarships and financial aid opportunities, and other GPA-related requirements from colleges and universities.
While districts must issue numerical grades for high school courses, they may still adopt any of the other policies outlined in GaDOE’s guidance, including adopting a “no zero” policy for all assignments since school closures began; allowing students to redo, resubmit, and/or retake assignments; and evaluating key content and competencies taught prior to school closures to establish a “cutoff point” for grades/assignments.
The state Department of Education also issued guidance for graduating seniors to ensure no senior will be held back from graduating on time due to the COVID-19 school closures.
As for graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020, Woods said school districts should follow CDC and DPH guidance for any public meetings. He added that “districts may choose to graduate and issue diplomas to seniors as planned but hold formal ceremonies later in the summer if necessary.”
The Georgia Department of Education does not set school calendars or dictate the last day of the school year and does not set graduation ceremony requirements.
