Georgia students who took their standardized state tests online last year did no worse or better than peers who took it on paper, unlike the experience of test takers in some other states.

Students who took computerized tests given by a consortium of states tended to do worse than peers who took it on paper, Education Week reported. The consortium, known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, comprises nine states and other jurisdictions that collaborated on shared standards and tests for math and English.

Georgia withdrew from the partnership in 2013, then created its own tests, known as the Milestones, first given last year. Melissa Fincher, who oversees testing for the Georgia Department of Education, said through a spokesman that analyses of those 2015 results indicated that Georgia students were neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by the “mode” in which they took the Milestones, whether online or on paper.

The analyses were reviewed by Georgia’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which comprises six national measurement experts, Fincher said. “Ultimately Georgia’s TAC concluded that the analyses did not yield evidence of a mode effect.”

There has been no review yet of the 2016 Milestones taken this spring.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The board of education for the City Schools of Decatur  is considering closing a K-2 primary school. The board plans to seek community input on redistricting plans and will vote on Dec. 9.  (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com