State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb is a co-sponsor of a bill backed by Gov. Brian Kemp that would eliminate some mandated state standardized school tests.
Kirkpatrick is one of six Republicans, including two of the governor’s floor leaders, who submitted SB 367 (you can read it here).
Kemp announced the legislation at a news conference Tuesday with legislative leaders and Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods.
The bill would cut five current tests: High school end-of-year tests in American literature, geometry, physical science and economics and fifth grade social studies.
The number of required standardized tests in Georgia would go down from 24 to 19 (the federal government mandates a minimum of 17 tests) and the state could decide whether to factor in end-of-course test results as part of a students’ grade.
Those tests are included in the state’s Milestones tests, which include a wide range of test scores and other academic performance metrics for students in grades three through 12.
End-of-course test results currently amount to 20 percent of a high school student’s Milestones score.
More background here about SB 267 from the Georgia Recorder.
The bill has received the support of Woods as well as the Georgia Association of Educators and several public school districts in Georgia.
A Cobb County School District spokeswoman told East Cobb News that “we broadly support the reduction in testing and Gov. Kemp’s bill. We look forward to the next steps in a redesign of how Georgia assesses students and empowers teachers to better understand what students know.”
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
