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Georgia Weighing Test Options

December 5th, 2013

Georgia is scheduled to adopt new tests for students in grades 3-12 next year to assess the Common Core education standards. However, officials are on a tight timeline.

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Earlier this year, Georgia withdrew from a national testing consortium, citing cost. Michael Petrilli is with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank. At an education forum in Atlanta last month, Petrilli said Georgia’s decision to opt out was a mistake.

“Georgia’s in a bind,” Petrilli said. “I don’t see how it’s going to be able to develop a test that’s a high-quality test that only costs $10 and can be developed in 12 months.”

The consortium, called The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, estimated Georgia was spending $10/student on testing. State officials say it was about $14/student to test five subjects. PARCC would’ve cost $29/student to test two subjects.

Now, the state is considering alternatives to PARCC and the other testing consortium, Smarter Balanced. Georgia Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza has said Georgia would like to join a sub-consortium.

“We have talked with many of the states that are not part of the two consortia,” Cardoza said. “I think everybody’s interested in some multi-state approach.”

Cardoza declined to name the states. States that have withdrawn from PARCC include Indiana, Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Indiana seems poised to dump the Common Core. Alabama plans to adopt the ACT Aspire exam. Florida is considering that too. The ACT Aspire could be an option for Georgia, which has put out a request for bids from vendors. ACT vice president of customer engagement Paul Weeks wouldn’t say whether the company will submit one.

“We carefully consider all opportunities, and certainly state opportunities, and if we can believe we can meet the state needs or provide a great solution, meet the state requirements then we would certainly submit a bid,” Weeks said.

The ACT Aspire is aligned to the Common Core and Weeks says it’s the cornerstone of the ACT college entrance exam.

Common Core tests were created to better compare student achievement from state to state. That will be harder for Georgia if it develops its own test.