State superintendent rolls back some test requirements

Under state law, student performance on tests, as measured by “growth” in scores, must play a substantial role in teacher evaluations. But not all subjects are tested using the state “Milestones” or “End of Course” tests. Local districts had to come up with their own homegrown measures for teachers in art, physical education, chemistry and other untested areas.

The state ordered the creation of “Student Learning Objectives,” or SLOs, as part of teacher evaluations for pay. Since there is no statewide standard for the tests, there have been complaints about consistency and quality, not to mention the toll of more tests on students’ and teachers’ time.

Under Woods’ new order, most districts must administer one SLO when they previously administered up to six. Also, no SLO will be necessary for teachers already teaching a subject for which there is a standardized test.

Only school districts that accepted federal “Race to the Top” grants must test more: The minimum number of tests is now two for them.

“We have to get back to the business of personalizing, not standardizing, education for our students, and the fewer standardized tests we have in place, the more our teachers can do what they do best – teach,” Woods said in a statement.

Craig Harper, a spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, said the news will be welcomed by the advocacy group’s membership, which has complained loudly about juggling SLOs. “Just managing that was very difficult,” Harper said.