Assessment

Forsyth County Schools utilizes an assessment program comprised of state, district, and classroom assessments. Assessment results are utilized to identify students' level of content mastery, to guide teachers with instructional planning, and to support the district in identifying strengths and weaknesses in order to improve instructional effectiveness.

FCS follows guidelines for test security, test preparation, test administration, and test data as provided by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Professional Standards Commission (PSC), and the Forsyth County Board of Education. FCS provides multiple measures of test security, which includes providing extensive training for school-level testing coordinators, limiting access to test materials, and system-level administrative oversight on test days.

The Purpose of the Georgia Student Assessment Program

The Purpose of the Georgia Student Assessment Program

The Georgia Student Assessment Program provides high-quality information about your child's learning by measuring their progress against state standards. These results offer clear guidance on your child's strengths and identify areas where extra help may be needed to plan for future success. Teachers and schools use this valuable data to reflect on their instruction, ensuring that every lesson meets the depth and rigor expected for student growth. At the school and district level, these results help guide important decisions about programs and resources to better support all learners. By reviewing this information, our educational leaders can make necessary adjustments to ensure continuous improvement and the best opportunities for every student.

Results from assessments provide feedback to student/parents about...

What the student learned in the current grade level.
What strengths the student has going into the next grade level.
What areas of support the student might need going into the next grade level.
What the student needs to focus on to be more successful at the next grade level.

Results for assessments provide feedback to teachers and schools about...

What individual teachers and grade levels of teachers are doing in the classroom that's working.
What areas teachers many need additional training and support.
Programs/initiatives that are successful such as an after school tutoring program.
Programs/initiatives that are successful as an after school tutoring program.
Programs/initiatives that may need to be implemented the following year such as daytime tutoring.

Results from assessments provide feedback to districts and states about...

Instructional resources: Are they working?
Instructional support staff: Are they making an impact?
What else needs to be provided to schools/districts for students to be successful?

State Assessments

Access

What is the purpose of this assessment?

ACCESS is administered annually to all English learners in Georgia. ACCESS is a standards-based, criterion-referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English learners’ social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains. ACCESS meets the federal requirements that mandate states evaluate English learners in grades K through 12 on their progress in learning to speak English. ACCESS is used to determine the English language proficiency levels and progress of English Learners in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

GAA

What is the purpose of this assessment?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) require that states ensure all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, have access to challenging academic standards and participate in the state’s assessment program. The U.S. Department of Education defines alternate achievement standards as establishing performance expectations that differ in complexity from grade-level achievement standards. These standards must be aligned with the state’s content standards, promote access to the general content standards, and articulate the highest achievement levels possible for the individual student. This means teachers may customize learning expectations for students who participate in alternate assessments.

For students with disabilities, each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines how the student shall participate in Georgia’s student assessment program. If a student’s IEP team determines that a student cannot meaningfully access the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, even with maximum appro

The Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) 2.0 is an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards required for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who receive instruction based on extended content standards, which are aligned to the state content standards at a reduced depth, breadth, and complexity.

The GAA 2.0 is comprised of standardized performance tasks at various levels of complexity. The GAA 2.0 is designed to measure the degree to which students with significant cognitive disabilities have mastered alternate achievement standards in the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Georgia DOE - GAA

GKIDS

What is the purpose of this assessment?

GKIDS is an assessment administered to kindergarten students throughout the year to help teachers track the progress students are making in achieving skills and knowledge that have proven to be important for success in 1st grade and beyond.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Georgia DOE - GKIDS

Georgia Milestones Assessment

What is the purpose of this assessment?

The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students in grades 3 through 8 will take an end-of-grade assessment in each content area, while high school students will take an end-of-course assessment for each of the four courses designated by the State Board of Education.

Students in a course with an End-of-Course assessment must have the EOC count as 10% of the final course grade. The absence of a test score would result in a course grade that does not reflect the student’s true achievement. The EOC courses are Algebra: Concepts and Connections, Biology, Literature and Composition II, and US History.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

National Assessments

ACT

What is the purpose of this assessment?

The ACT is a college admissions test. It consists of four main sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Each section is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and the composite score is the average of the four required sections. Students typically take the ACT in their junior or senior year.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Visit ACT

AP Exams

What is the purpose of this assessment?

AP Exams are standardized exams designed to measure how well students have mastered the content and skills of their AP course(s). Many colleges will grant course credit or advanced placement in a course based on the scores that students earn on their AP exams.

Your student’s school can provide more information about available courses and exam registration procedures.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

NAEP

What is the purpose of this assessment?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress assesses what America's students know and can do in the subject areas of: the Arts, Civics, Economics, Geography, Math, Reading, Science, Technology & Engineering, US History, and Writing. Your student will only take this assessment if their school was randomly chosen to participate by the Georgia Department of Education and your student is randomly selected as a participant in one of the selected grade levels.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Visit NAEP

PSAT

What is the purpose of this assessment?

High school students (9-11) take the PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) as practice for the SAT college admission assessment and to gain access to SAT study tools. The state of Georgia pays for all tenth-grade students to take the assessment. The PSAT/NMSQT is part of the College Board’s SAT Suite of assessments. The SAT is used for college admissions and scholarship decisions.

Eleventh graders who take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test) have the opportunity to compete for the honor of being named a National Merit Scholar and earning scholarships.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Visit College Board

How to Access Scores:

Visit College Board's Website To Get Started

SAT

What is the purpose of this assessment?

The SAT is a college admission test. It tests knowledge of reading, writing, and math. The SAT is part of the College Board’s SAT Suite of assessments. The SAT is used for college admissions and scholarship decisions.

Where can I find more information about this assessment?

Visit College Board

How to Access Scores:

Visit College Board's Website To Get Started

Test Dates

Assessment Results

2025-26 Georgia Milestones EOG and EOC results are available in Parent Portal for students in grades 3-8 and high school EOC courses. Scores for students who completed a retest for their EOG will be available at a later date once scores for retests are received.

Individual Score Reports (ISRs) contain detailed information about your child's performance, and are available in SLDS Portal via Campus/Parent Portal. You can find assessment results for your child by using the following steps.

If you do not have a Parent Portal account, please click here to create one.

Log into Parent Portal or Campus Parent mobile app ( Apple or Android)
If using the website, click More
If using the app, click the Menu icon (three horizontal lines) and then click More
Then, choose Assessments

If you have questions, please contact your school administrator.