GHSGT's FAQ's
Why does the state require graduation tests? Students seeking a Georgia high school diploma must pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) in four content areas as well as the Georgia High School Writing Assessment. These assessments ensure that students qualifying for a diploma have mastered essential core academic content and skills. Georgia ’s graduation tests provide valuable information for students, educators, and parents about student strengths and weaknesses and identify students who may need additional instruction. Since 2004, the English Language Arts and Math high school graduation tests have been used to measure Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind legislation. Who must take these tests? All students must take the graduation tests and the writing assessment. Students with disabilities and English Language Learners may receive appropriate accommodations based on their needs and the specifications of their Individualized Education Program, their Individual Accommodation Plan, or their ELL Testing Participation Committee plan. Students with disabilities unable to participate in the state testing program, even with accommodations, are assessed with the Georgia Alternate Assessment. Which tests do students have to pass? The five graduation tests were phased in gradually. Students who entered grade nine between July 1991 and July 1993 (i.e., most students who expected to graduate in spring 1995 and 1996) had to pass the English/language arts, mathematics, and writing tests to be eligible to receive a diploma.
When do students take the GHSGT and the Writing Assessment? Students take the graduation tests for the first time in the eleventh grade. The Writing Assessment takes place in the fall, and the GHSGT in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies occur in the spring of the eleventh grade. Students who do not pass on the first attempt of the tests have multiple opportunities to receive additional instruction, retest, and qualify for graduation before the spring of the twelfth grade.
How many opportunities do students have to take the tests? As the following chart indicates, five administration opportunities are provided for students during their eleventh and twelfth grade years.
Students who do not pass all the required tests but have met all other graduation requirements may be eligible for a High School Certificate or a Special Education Diploma. Students who have left school with a Certificate of Performance or a Special Education Certificate may return to attempt the graduation test(s) again, as often as they need to in order to qualify for a high school diploma.
What score do students need to pass the GHSGT? The Pass and Pass Plus scores for all four content areas appear in the chart below: Pass Pass Plus
GHSGT Content Descriptions and Study Guides The GHSGT Content Descriptions, available below, describe how the standards in the state’s curriculum are assessed on the GHSGT. Each content specific document provides information about the content assessed and is based on the work of Georgia teachers. The documents are organized by content domain (groupings of similar content standards) with associated curriculum standards listed as well as associated concepts, skills, and abilities (e.g., the things students are expected to know and be able to do relative to each domain). Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) will serve as the basis for instruction in English/language arts and science. The GHSGT Content Descriptions have been revised to reflect the transition to the GPS in those grades and content areas and are provided below. The documents relevant to the Quality Core Curriculum for those content area and grades transitioning to the GPS will remain posted to assist students who must retest.
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/testing/ghsgt.asp
GHSWT Content Description Students must write a persuasive essay on an assigned topic. Trained professionals independently judge each essay on four qualities or "domains" of effective writing: content/organization, style, conventions of written language, and sentence formation. In the overall score for an essay, content/organization counts for twice as much as the other three domains. Domain 1: Content/Organization. The writer establishes the controlling idea through examples, illustrations, facts, or details. There is evidence of a sense of order that is clear and relevant.
Domain 2: Style. The writer controls language to establish his or her individuality.
Domain 3: Conventions of Written Language. The writer uses the conventions of written Standard American English.
Domain 4: Sentence Formation. The writer forms sentences correctly.
More Information http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/testing/writing.asp
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