Over the next few months, the Georgia Department of Education will release results from statewide exams students took earlier this school year. These reports come out on different dates each year but are released in a general time frame.

The department releases statewide data first. About 10 business days later the state releases details for each school district. After that comes local school-by-school data. In many cases, parents will get test scores for their child before the release of any state reports.

Here are when the results are expected for some important exams and benchmarks:

Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT): The exam students must pass to graduate from high school. The test covers reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Expect statewide results between end of April through early May.

Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT): This test determines if students meet state learning standards. Students in grades 1-8 take these tests. Students in grades 3, 5 and 8 must pass some sections of the test to move on to the next grade. Expect statewide results early June. See 2007 scores.

End of Course Tests (EOCT): Tests students take at the end of eight classes: algebra I, geometry, U.S. history, economics, biology, physical science, American literature and ninth-grade literature. The results count toward 15 percent of a student?s final grade in the course. Expect statewide results late June.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): How schools are held accountable through the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Schools must reach certain benchmarks on specifics test every year. Schools that miss the mark for consecutive years face increasingly severe sanctions, ranging from allowing students to transfer to better-performing schools to a possible takeover by the state. Expect this early- to mid-July. See 2007 results.

• More in AJC School Guide