School: Gwinnett students given Milestones formula sheet before test

Students at Sweetwater Middle School use computer labs for daily instruction. They’ll also use computers this year to take the annual Georgia Milestones tests, which are to be administered all online for the first time this year. COURTESY OF GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Students at Sweetwater Middle School use computer labs for daily instruction. They’ll also use computers this year to take the annual Georgia Milestones tests, which are to be administered all online for the first time this year. COURTESY OF GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

A Gwinnett County middle school teacher gave her students a math formula sheet from the Georgia Milestones end-of-year exam ahead of the test, the school’s principal said in a letter.

The sheet was given to one “team,” or section, of eighth-grade students by their teacher, according to a letter sent to Grace Snell Middle School parents and guardians by Principal Allen Craine. The teacher allowed her students to use the formula sheet as a “study guide” in violation of Georgia Department of Education rules, the letter said.

READ | Brewery, food hall proposed for mixed-use development near Mall of Georgia

Students took notes on the formula sheets and were later allowed to use those written-on sheets during the exam, Channel 2 Action News reported. It is unclear how many students in the team used sheets with notes on them.

"Those that did may have to retake the exam after summer school in late June,” district spokeswoman Sloan Roach said.

“The department of education is looking at each individual student and their test,” Roach said.

Another teacher learned of the formula sheet issue and the state education department was notified, Channel 2 reported. State and district investigations have been opened into the incident, and the teacher involved will not face any disciplinary action until those investigations are complete.

“We take any allegation regarding questionable testing practices very seriously, as assessment is a key piece of the teaching and learning process,” Craine said in the letter. “Our students are important and we have a responsibility to ensure that they have learned the curriculum and are ready for the future.”

Like Gwinnett County News on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Stay up to the minute with breaking news on Channel 2 Action News This Morning