Georgia Milestones testing results move closer to pre-pandemic scores

Georgia Milestones results are in and the Georgia Department of Education is warning against comparing the data from spring 2021.

This year's participation level returned to near pre-pandemic levels. Over 95% of Georgia students participated this year compared to just 59% to 79% across the state in the 2021 school year.

There is no way to determine if lower test scores in the 2021 data are a result of pandemic learning interruption, lower turnout, or overall lower student performance, said Allison Timberlake, deputy superintendent for Assessment and Accountability with the GADOE, but she said across the state 2022 testing had some strong outcomes.

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Georgia Department of Education Milestones exam results from the 2021-2022 show the majority of students are reading at grade level or above.

Credit: Georgia Department of Education

“I'm pleased to report that Georgia students did show strong improvement on the 22 Georgia Milestones assessments,” Timberlake said. "The results increased or held steady in 17 of our 21 assessments. You will see that the results have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, but they do show that academic recovery is underway in Georgia's public schools.”

Statewide exams were halted for the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that testing has resumed, Timberlake said scores from this year’s exams will help schools adjust to meet student needs.

“One of the things we've really been emphasizing is we want to use the 2021-2022 scores to set a new baseline moving forward,” she said. “And we're going to be using these scores to determine where to push in additional supports and continue addressing lost learning opportunities for students.”

The GADOE expects to continue to see student test scores improve as schools remain open and students return to standard learning environments.