Georgia students taking certain advanced classes in high school will take fewer state tests under a new state policy.
The state Board of Education voted Thursday to stop requiring students who take certain Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses to take state end-of-course exams in the same subject, part of a continuing national and state backlash against testing.
The rules will apply to students taking American literature, U.S. history and economics. The state estimates that it will eliminate 58,000 tests in those subjects. One student might be exempted from one, two or all three tests depending on what advanced courses he or she takes.
All high school students must still take state exams in ninth-grade literature, algebra, biology, physical science and geology. The first three of those are required by federal law. The latter two are required by state law. But there’s no analogous AP or IB course in those subjects to substitute for the state tests, which count for 20% of a student’s grade in a class.
The change itself isn’t very big, but could be a dry run before asking lawmakers to change state law to eliminate tests not required under federal law. State Superintendent Richard Woods has made that a goal.