Georgia to join effort seeking common tests

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia agreed Thursday to join with other states to develop common tests in English/language arts and mathematics, a move that follows the release last week of common national standards in those same core subject areas.

The standards were comprised in a joint effort by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and supported by a who's who of education experts and organizations. They represent agreement on what k-12 students across the nation should know and master.

Their use is voluntary, but Georgia school board members are expected next month to adopt them.

Currently, each state has its own set of academic standards that can vary widely in how success for students is measured. A common set of standards -- and by extension, a common set of tests -- allows states to make apple-to-apple comparisons among schools as well as ease the transition for families if they move from one state to another. Common tests could also save money as states pool resources.

The idea of common tests is supported by the Obama administration. As part of the ongoing Race to the Top school reform program, it invited states to work together in applying for federal money to design and develop common tests. With Thursday's vote by the state school board, Georgia will do just that as it joins both the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers consortium of states and the SMARTER-Balanced consortium.

Thursday's meeting was one of the last for state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox before she leaves office June 30 and heads to Washington to run a new national education nonprofit called the U.S. Education Delivery Institute. Members couldn't let it pass. They gave her a big, wooden canoe paddle and wished her well "rowing upstream on a national level," joked member Jose Perez.