Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I’ll remember; involve me and I’ll understand,” a Confucius quote, was used to greet and welcome moms, dads and guests, who attended the “Lunch and Learn: Georgia Milestones Assessment” event held at the Base Town and Country Ballroom, March 12.

Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s school liaison, Latreesa Perryman, joined visiting Dougherty County School System personnel to educate Marines and civilian-Marine parents on updates to the state’s mandatory competency testing requirements, which are being implemented for DCSS students, grades 3-12.

Renee Bridges, system test coordinator, DCSS, explained many of the changes DCSS students and their parents could expect as the testing program has shifted from the standardized Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests format to the new Georgia Milestones Assessment System.

“I’m going to cover both, our elementary, middle school as well as our high school because I’m not sure of the grade range of (the people) we have in the room today,” Bridges said. “Grades 3- 8 will be assessed on the End of Grade Assessment that correlates to the old CRCT. Then, we have the End of Course (test) for high school (students), which correlates to the old EOCT that they have been taking for many, many years.”

Bridges outlined the testing curriculum/courses for the new assessment process for elementary and middle school students.

“In grades 3-8, they’re going to be assessed in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies,” Bridges pointed out. “The reading component has been combined throughout the subject areas as well as writing, and the areas of language arts and mathematics. We do not give a separate writing test any longer. And, reading will not be one of the domains assessed separately. It’s not going to be in isolation; it’s going to be imbedded throughout the groups.”

Specific processes for high school students’ assessment testing were defined in the presentation for attendees as well.

“In the high school EOC we will be assessing the exact same subjects we assessed when we had the EOCT,” Bridges continued. “That is, 9^th grade literature and composition, American literature and composition, physical science and biology, coordinate algebra, analytical geometry, U.S. history and economics.

“Some of the unique features that you’re going to see are, instead of it just being multiple choices now,” Bridges asserted, “(students) will have both multiple choice items; some constructed responses that require short answers, some (that) will require a lengthier explanation and (they) will have an actual writing component to the assessment. We will be assessing both paper and pencil this year as well as electronically.”

Amy Blech, who has two children enrolled in a neighboring school system, attended the event to get firsthand information on the new assessment requirement, to determine the impact and explore ways she may help her 3^rd and 4^th graders with their testing.

“I wanted to come and see what the test was all about,” Blech admitted. “I’m here to understand where to look to help them prepare for the test, what the test involves and the scoring. I’m a former teacher and it’s been 10 years since I’ve been in the classroom; so, it was very interesting to sit and listen (to the new information).”