Delays in grading Milestones tests hold up student report cards
Most metro school districts are either out for the summer or holding final classes today. While students are going home with their artwork, essays and math folders, some are leaving without one critical element — their final grades.
High schools are still waiting for the state Department of Education to return Milestones End of Course test scores. Those state exam scores under law must count for at least 20 percent of a student’s grade in the course.
As one teacher said, “We have students graduating tonight for whom we still don’t have American Lit scores. We also have a few students who could theoretically lose HOPE during the summer because of the Milestones test score dropping their class grade down.”
Knox Phillips, director of DeKalb’s Office of Research, Assessments and Grants, said DOE promised him all scores will be back by Tuesday. “The state has apologized profusely,” said Phillips, who expects counselors to assume the task of entering grades since Friday is the last day for teachers. “We expected to have scores turned around within a week with online testing. For me, the biggest problem is the undue anxiety for students — the longer we have to wait to get scores back, the longer the child has to wait to get a finalized transcript.”
To read more about this issue and why some parents believe the EOC scores should be thrown out this year, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
About the Author
Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.
