The testing ordeal that led the state Board of Education today to void the 2016 Georgia Milestones results for elementary and middle schools affected more than students.
It also upset many teachers whose students faced repeated technical glitches that stopped or stalled their Milestones testing. In a moving essay today, a Vidalia City teacher describes the experience of her third grade students.
"Computers crashed. Students lost their work and had to start over. Some kids had to sit around for hours, waiting for problems to be resolved. Kids cried. Some quit. My school system mailed back our paper/pencil assessments on Friday," said teacher Christine Cato. "On Sunday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a story stating the state had already decided not to count the Milestones End of Grade tests this year. Five days of testing, 12 hours for my 9-year-olds. Countless tears. For nothing."
Cato's piece is resonating with Georgia teachers, hundreds of whom read and shared her essay on AJC Get Schooled Facebook in a matter of hours. To read what all the fuss is about, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
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