Students’ Georgia Milestones Scores Continue to Increase

Georgia students showed continued improvement on the 2023-24 Georgia Milestones assessments – scores increased or held steady on 10 of 13 assessments in ELA, science, and social studies.

Because math assessments were updated to align with the new K-12 Mathematics Standards first implemented during the 2023-24 school year, math Georgia Milestones scores will be available for release later this fall.

“I am proud of Georgia’s students and educators for their continued hard work, which has led to consistent improvements in student performance over the last several years,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “As a state, we have invested in academic recovery and the supports districts need to get all students on track for successful futures. There is certainly still work to be done, but I am confident we are on the right path.”

The percentage of students achieving the Proficient Learner level or above increased or held steady on 10 of 13 End of Grade (EOG) and End of Course (EOC) assessments.

Investing in K-12 Literacy and Academic Recovery

The 2023-24 Georgia Milestones scores continued to show some positive indicators in the area of early literacy, with the percentage of students scoring Proficient & Above increasing more for fifth-grade ELA than any other assessment.

There were minor decreases in Reading Status in some grade levels, including high school (American Literature & Composition). This underscores the need for a focus on literacy across the curriculum, with strong fundamentals in the early grades but supports for middle and high school as well.

To continue strengthening supports for literacy instruction, GaDOE is placing full-time literacy coaches in elementary schools throughout the state, focusing on the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools. These school-level coaches will ensure an intensive focus on literacy in schools identified for additional support.

GaDOE has also expanded the grade levels covered by the BEACON formative assessment, which is aligned to Georgia Milestones and provided at no cost to Georgia school districts, and made robust tutoring options available to Georgia students through the GaTutor program in high school and the AmeriCorps tutoring program.

Teachers are currently training on new ELA standards aligned to the science of reading and structured literacy, which will be implemented in classrooms during the 2025-26 school year.

About Georgia Milestones

Students take Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) tests in grades 3-8, and Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC) tests in identified high school courses. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System meets the federal requirement that states test students in math and ELA in grades 3-8 and once in high school, and in science once per grade band (3-5, 6-9, 10-12).

Georgia Milestones assesses student learning along four levels of achievement: Beginning Learners, Developing Learners, Proficient Learners, and Distinguished Learners.

When Georgia Milestones was developed, the state used the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) – a national assessment also known as the “Nation’s Report Card” – as a point of reference during standard setting. It is important to note that, while NAEP Proficient is often assumed to mean “on grade level,” with a goal of 100% of students achieving the Proficient achievement level, this is not the case.

According to the National Assessment Governing Board, NAEP Proficient specifically refers to competency over challenging subject matter. For example, in the most recent NAEP sample for fourth-grade reading, the highest-performing state (Massachusetts) saw 43% of students at or above NAEP Proficient