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1. Myths & Truths About the Georgia
Milestones Assessment System
By Meg Norris, Ed.S

2. Truth #1: Students scores on the Georgia Milestones Assessment WILL be
dramatically lower than the CRCT.
The GA Milestones test will be nearly identical to the PARCC and the SBAC. The lead
company for the writing of the SBAC is McGraw-Hill/CTB. McGraw-Hill wrote the CRCT
and the GA Milestones tests. They are a leading psychometric research company and
proudly announced their psychometric testing skills in the following press release after
being selected to write Georgia’s tests:
http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/aboutUsNewsShowAction?newsId=63173&p=aboutUs
PARCC and SBAC Common Core tests in other states have seen a 70% failure rate that
went as high as 91% failure rate for special education students.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/data/TestResults/ELAandMathTestResults
Here in Georgia, the 2014 spring Common Core pilot tests faired just as poorly.
There is potential for nearly every school to receive failing scores.

3. Truth #2: Common Core Standards are a curriculum.
Definition of curriculum from edglossary.org: “The term curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a
school or in a specific course or program. In dictionaries, curriculum is often defined as the courses offered by a school, but it
is rarely used in such a general sense in schools. Depending on how broadly educators define or employ the
term, curriculum typically refers to the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn,
which includes the learning standards or learning objectives they are expected to meet; the units and lessons that teachers
teach; the assignments and projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used in a
course; and the tests, assessments, and other methods used to evaluate student learning. An individual teacher’s curriculum,
for example, would be the specific learning standards, lessons,
assignments, and materials used to organize and teach a particular course.”
Because the point of Common Core was to create a new and in depth education market with new math, new ELA, new
textbooks, new teacher training, and new tests, the standards had to instruct HOW things were to be taught. And they do.
They instruct a list of specific skills without necessary content.

4. Imagine the standard you are working on is to bake a chocolate cake. Let’s say I wrote
the standard, and I want you to bake a chocolate cake exactly like mine. When you are
done, I am going to come back and test your cake. It must be exactly like mine and even
taste like mine, so we have a standard and a test. A curriculum is what
has to happen in between that standard and that test to get the exact chocolate cake
outlined in the standard. If the cake is going to taste the exact same, how much leeway
do you have between the standard and the test? Not much, if any. That is how the
standards drive the curriculum. That is why teachers will continue to teach to the test.
(Borrowed from the great educational researcher and leader Peg Luksik:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzLrYIDQiqY). Five hundred early childhood
experts agree these standards are not appropriate for young
children: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Joi
nt%20Statement%20on%20Core%20Standards_(417).pdf.

5. More than five hundred early childhood experts reviewed the standards in
2010 and sounded the first alarm that the Common Core standards are not
appropriate for young
children: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files
/file/Joint%20Statement%20on%20Core%20Standards_(417).pdf.
In short they came to these conclusions:
1. Such standards will lead to long hours of instruction in literacy and math.
2. They will lead to inappropriate standardized testing.
3. Didactic instruction and testing will crowd out other important areas of
learning.
4. There is little evidence that such standards for young children lead to later
success.
“We therefore call on the National Governors Association and the Council of
Chief State School Officers to withdraw the proposed standards for children
in kindergarten through grade three.
We further call for the creation of a consortium of early childhood researchers,
developmental psychologists, pediatricians, cognitive scientists, master teachers,
and school leaders to develop comprehensive guidelines for effective early care
and teaching that recognize the right of every child to a healthy start in life and a
developmentally appropriate education.”

6. THE CEILING
Standards become the “ceiling” in learning when they are attached to high
stakes/standardized testing, like the GA Milestones. When a teacher’s job is attached
to the test scores of her student, the teacher’s goal is to ensure her students know
those standards backwards and forwards. If the standardized tests are removed,
those tests and standards become guidelines.
THE FLOOR
They become the “floor” for what should be learned ONLY IF THEY ARE NOT
ATTACHED TO HIGH STAKES TESTING. The teacher now has the freedom to
understand her students’ needs rather than constantly drill on a narrow set of
standards.
When DATA DRIVES INSTRUCTION, teachers are limited to teach the standards.
Teaching is about building relationships and getting to know each student as a whole,
and valued individual. It is not about a test, a number or a score.

7. Myth #3: Common Core is new to Georgia
Schools have used “curriculum maps” or “Scope & Sequence” tools for decades to ensure children were all
learning relatively the same thing at the same age. Normally, experts in the content fields wrote these
tools. Often the math sequence was written by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
or another organization of professionals. The same was true with other content areas. This did not happen
with Common Core. Of 24 writers who worked with the initial five lead writers, 17 were from testing
companies and although the remainder did have some teaching experience, none had K-12 experience in
the content area in which they worked. None had any background in child development
(https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/those-24-common-core-2009-work-group-members/).
“When Georgia Performance Standards were aligned to the Common Core curriculum, there was an 81%
alignment between the two, and 90% of Georgia math standards appeared in Common Core.” This is one
of the most disturbing statements consistently claimed by Georgia Common Core supporters. They
gleefully proclaim that the Common Core standards were “based” on or were already aligned to Georgia’s
Performance Standards.
In 2010 when the standards were adopted, Georgia ranked 38th in the country for “overall chance for
success.” Our standards were mentioned “once or twice” as influencing standards in other states in the
Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center study. The states most considered models for top
standards are California, Massachusetts, and Indiana
http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2010/QualityCounts2010_PressRelease.pdf.

8. Consider this: If you were charged with writing standards for the entire country, and you
wanted the best for our children, you would not start with Georgia Standards.
Compare the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores between Georgia
and Massachusetts. “The [NAEP] is the largest nationally representative and continuing
assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.”
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/
Georgia’s results: In 2009, the year CCSS was written no state scored higher in proficiency
for math and reading than Massachusetts.
Georgia NAEP
scores
for the past
decade in
4th and 8th
Reading
and Math
Orange and Yellow = at or below
National Average
Green = Above National Average
Massachusetts NAEP
scores
for the past
decade in
4th and 8th
Reading
and Math

9. Truth #4: Parents choosing to Opt-Out of the Georgia Milestones Test WILL support teachers.
The GA Milestones test is a measure of one thing and one thing only: what a child DOES NOT
know from a list of “grade-level” common core standards. They do not measure ranking or
accelerated learning levels. They do not measure or compare students to other students. A high
test score on the GA Milestones merely means the student knew that standard, not that they are
performing at a higher level. The data returned to teachers is minimal and is usually broken into
4 or 5 “domains” with numbers of right and wrong answers. Without seeing the actual test and
answers, this test tells the teacher nothing. And of course returning the scores in October makes
the data worthless for additional help for the current or NEXT school year. Test preparation for
the GA Milestones test will begin in January for the current grade each year we are burdened
with the test.
Teaching should never be about data. Teaching is about building relationships and expanding
minds and experiences. Parents should not want an education based on (invalid) numbers. The
GA Milestones test measures nothing yet is used as a punitive tool against teachers, students,
and schools.
What these tests DO consistently measure………POVERTY. With more than 50% of Georgia
students living in poverty, we need to open our eyes.
http://researchnews.wsu.edu/society/169.html
http://bio.fsu.edu/~tschink/school_performance/Democrat2.html
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/02/poverty-matters/
http://fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/the-bottom-line-on-no-excuses-and-poverty-in-school-
reform/2012/09/29/813683bc-08c1-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/poverty-test-scores_n_4298345.html

10. Data driven instruction based on a standardized test is much less valuable and less effective than instruction
based on what a teacher learns about his or her student throughout the year. Teachers can adjust their
teaching based on the immediate needs of the student. The GA Milestones offers only one snap shot of
where a group of students lie at a specific time during the year.
The Georgia teacher assessment system is called the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES)
https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Teacher-and-Leader-Effectiveness/Pages/Teacher-Keys-
Effectiveness-System.aspx. It is considered a value-added model (VAM) of measurement. In Georgia, this
score is based on 50% student growth (test scores), 40% teacher observation and teaching standards, and
10% student surveys (“Is your teacher nice?”).
In Georgia, a teacher’s pay and certificate are tied to test scores. Because the tests are so poorly written,
many teachers will be penalized regardless of whether students refuse the test because their students will
fail either way. Many estimates say that Georgia students will fail the GA Milestones 70% of the time. By
refusing the test for your child, you leave teacher evaluation to experienced administrators instead of
temporary graders and test publishers. It is more effective and much less expensive, too
(Each test and re-test is $27 of tax payer money). By refusing the GA Milestones test, you are sending a
clear message that you support your teachers and the administration. No score is better than a failing
score.
Research about the effectiveness of VAM measurements for teachers:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may10/vol67/num08/Using_Value-
Added_Measures_to_Evaluate_Teachers.aspx
https://www.amstat.org/policy/pdfs/ASA_VAM_Statement.pdf
https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICANG14.pdf
http://fairtest.org/limits-standardized-tests-diagnosing-and-assisting

11. Truth #5: My child’s teacher is evaluated based on the results of student performance on the
Georgia Milestones.
Not only is every teacher evaluated by test scores, every administrator is too. While teacher scores are 50% based on student growth,
administrator’s scores are 70% based on them. This is the reason for the testing “push” your child is getting at this time of the year.
The evaluation system is NOT complicated.
https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Teacher-and-Leader-Effectiveness/Documents/TKES%20Executive%20Summary%201-21-2013.pdf

12. Student Growth Model
The GA Milestone test and Student Learning Objectives are not designed to measure growth. They measure specific skills
within one grade level. Because the tests are different every year and the growth rating is relative to the achievement of
other students, there is NO PROOF of actual academic growth. It is a relative measure that compares completely different
skills with completely different tests. It is not a measure of actual student achievement.
This new “growth” model is a zero sum game. If all the students in the state of Georgia advanced their reading level by 3
years in just one year’s time, it would not register as growth because all students improved. In addition, since the tests
measure rigid grade level skills, they cannot measure academic gains outside of the narrowly defined government
Common Core standards. With this system, for every “winner” there has to be a “loser.” For every student that shows
“growth” using this model, another student needs to show “decline” relative to the other students. If every student in the
state failed the test, the “growth” model would not register the poor performance because the “growth” measure is
based on the performance of the students compared to other students.
The measure is not objective and cannot be correlated with actual academic growth. It creates a “survival of the fittest”
numbers game where it is impossible for every student in the state of Georgia to show growth, even if students do make
significant academic gains. Only 50% of the students will be able to show “growth.” This makes it impossible for half of our
students and half of our teachers to show “growth.”
Under the new evaluation system, half of the teachers in the State of Georgia will not show growth. The TEM, the student
growth portion of the TKES, has four categories: Exemplary, Proficient, Needs Improvement, and Ineffective. Teachers
with two low evaluation ratings in four years will lose their teaching certificate. Teachers with low evaluations will not
receive step pay increases. The stakes could not be higher with teacher certification and compensation on the line, but
the odds are still are 50-50.
STUDENTS WHO OPT OUT HELP STOP THIS UNFAIR MEASUREMENT OF GREAT TEACHERS.

13. Truth #6: Students who need special accommodations on the Georgia Milestones WILL NOT
receive them.
Common Core teaching and testing, under the order of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, removes the many benefits of an
Individual Education Plan (IEP) for special needs students. This is true although these plans are federal documents and are carefully
outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Children learn best when they are taught and tested at their level of proficiency. (See educational psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s
research.) With Common Core and the GA Milestones test, children with disabilities are taught AND tested at grade level no matter
where they are functioning. Duncan went a step further and removed all modified tests and some accommodations from use. Many
students with IEPs do have some accommodations, but they simply are not enough to allow them to fairly access the GA Milestones
(or any Common Core) test. The GA Milestones and every other test are violating IDEA, seemingly with the government's permission.
No child with an IEP should have to take a test they cannot easily access. Passing rates for special education students on Common
Core tests so far hover right around 9%.
http://teachersletterstobillgates.com/2013/06/16/who-thought-of-forcing-children-on-ieps-to-take-grade-level-high-stakes-
standardized-tests-anyway/
http://neatoday.org/2014/03/05/high-stakes-testing-for-disabled-students-a-system-gone-horribly-wrong/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/20/you-do-not-speak-for-our-
children/?postshare=9501426925707156
https://stopcommoncorenys.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/special-needs-children-suffer-from-common-core-the-most/
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/the-common-core-is-tough-on-kids-with-special-needs/283973/

14. Truth #7: Staying both informed and involved can help your child in his or her academic
growth and success.
Who can argue with this? It is 100% true. The problem is that as Common Core education reform digs deeper into our schools and
communities, parents continue to lose their voice in education. When they lose their voice, parents participate less. Common Core
removes parent voices and further alienates them from the school.
Homework this year, particularly in math, has served to create or even to widen a divide between the parent and student for many
families. The homework students are bringing home is often not a only a challenge for the student, but it is also completely
unfamiliar to the parent. In some cases, teachers have told students not to get help from parents because parents will teach them
the “wrong way” to do homework. This divide is just ONE example of how parents are losing their voices in their child’s education.
Last year 67,000 parents in NY opted their children out of Common Core tests
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2015/03/24/parents-commoncore-optout-tests-standardized/70396068/. They want to
take back control of their schools. Georgia is well on its way to becoming the poster child for Common Core reform with no one
standing up for teachers, schools, or students. The legislature is running out of control and parents are silent. Parents need to refuse
the test and write their legislators to demand that GA back out of Race to the Top to get back local control of our schools.
http://www.keepeducationlocal.com/claims-vs.-facts.html
http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out
http://unitedoptout.com
This 20 minute video, filmed in Georgia, shows why parents are standing up, why teachers are fed up, why students are giving up and
why client lists for child psychologists are blowing up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIGkJOpNtOE
A message from “Change the Stakes”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ayYajsQjg8
“Building the Machine” – Parent Interviews – HSLDA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVHrCAKGBPo#t=29