Georgia students have shown progress on standardized tests during the 2023-2024 school year, although the overall achievement levels have not yet fully rebounded to pre-pandemic standards, particularly in some grades and subjects where clear recovery is lacking. The Georgia Department of Education recently released the results of the annual Milestones test, which is mandatory for students in grades 3 through 8, covering math and English language arts, with a few grades also taking science and social studies assessments.
Due to the implementation of a new math curriculum test, scores for math proficiency will not be available for some months. The state education officials remain optimistic about the eventual recovery of student achievement levels. Deputy State Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability, Allison Timberlake, highlighted gains in English language arts for all grades and courses except for a slight decrease in third grade performance.
Proficiency levels in English language arts, which were at 43.5% in 2019 before the pandemic, have increased slightly to an average of 39.5% in 2024. Fifth-grade students stood out with a proficiency level of 48%, surpassing the pre-pandemic 45% level, indicating strong progress. However, fourth grade students only saw a 1-point increase in proficiency, while third-grade levels dropped by 1 point, possibly due to disruptions caused by the pandemic during their early schooling years.
Enrollment in prekindergarten and kindergarten classes in Georgia was notably lower during the 2020-2021 school year, with some parents choosing to keep their children home instead of enrolling them during the pandemic. While prekindergarten enrollment had surpassed 2020 levels by March 2024, kindergarten enrollment never fully recovered, possibly influenced by declining birth rates.
High school test results showed improvement in achievement levels for American literature and composition tests, as well as U.S. history. However, scores for the high school biology test declined, while eighth-grade student performance in science and social studies varied. State education officials have minimized the significance of standardized testing under Superintendent Richard Woods. Legislators have mandated the use of these test results to assign a single 100-point achievement score to schools and districts for the first time since 2019. It remains uncertain if similar scoring will be applied to the 2022-2023 school year results.
