EOC, EOG, Test Administration, Updates
On January 13th, counties and schools across Georgia will be taking part in a trial-run of the GA Milestones online test client. The goal of the undertaking is two fold: exposing schools and administrations to the test client, and simultaneously testing the ability of CTB McGraw Hill’s system to handle large amounts of traffic.
In order to ensure that Muscogee County schools benefit from the exercise, some work needs to be done prior to Tuesday, January 13th. Test administrators and/or technology leads at each school need to oversee the installation of the test client in all computer labs. Our goal for this trial-run is to utilize every computer that will be used for the main GA Milestones administration in the spring. For instructions on how to go about installing the test client, click this link, and follow the easy instructions.
EOC, EOG, Test Administration, Updates
New test, new rules… time to wade into the Georgia Milestones calculator policy to see what’s okay, and what’s a no-go.
To begin, if you’re concerned about the rules for your elementary students, you can go ahead and pack up and leave this lesson early: calculators are not allowed for students taking the EOG in grades 3-5.
For those of you still in attendance, let’s look at what types of calculators are being discussed. There are three different styles of calculator we need to be familiar with: basic, graphing, and scientific.
- A basic calculator is one that has the standard addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division buttons. It may also possess the ability to do square roots and percentages.
- A graphing calculator, for our purposes, is one with functionality consistent with the TI-84 or similar models.
- A scientific calculator falls somewhere in between the functionality of basic and graphing calculators. It can possess the ability to compute trig functions, and other more advanced operations, without the ability to plot graphs.
In addition to the outlines above, there are certain qualities and capabilities that will render a calculator completely disqualified from use on any Georgia Milestones Assessment:
- Presence of a QWERTY keyboard on a basic or scientific calculator.
- Ability to store text in a basic or scientific calculator.
- Any calculator with stored programs in the memory other than those that are factory installed.
- Any calculator with the ability to wirelessly communicate to any other device, including beaming information to other like-models.
- Any calculator that makes noise of any kind, or prints to a paper tape.
- Any calculator with built in Computer Algebra System (CAS).
- No cell phone, personal laptop, minicomputer, pocket organizer, iPod, or personal tablet may serve as a calculator.
Which calculators are allowed on each assessment?
As stated above, no calculators for students in grades 3-5, just good ole fingers and toes. For students in 6th Grade and up, the rules get more involved.
| Content Area |
Grade Level/Course |
Type of Calculator Allowed |
| Mathematics |
Grades 3-5 EOG |
Not Allowed |
| Grade 6 EOG |
Basic |
| Grades 7-8 EOG |
Scientific or Basic |
| Coordinate Algebra EOC |
Graphing or Scientific |
| Analytic Geometry EOC |
Graphing or Scientific |
| Science |
Physical Science EOC |
Scientific or Basic |
| Social Studies |
Economics EOC |
Scientific or Basic |
On tests that allow calculators, there will be sections where their use is prohibited.
For those students taking the Georgia Milestones Assessment on paper, the testing manual will have clear read-aloud instructions before each section that states whether or not a calculator is allowed. It will be the proctor’s job to ensure all students are aware of the rules and in compliance before beginning. Failure to correctly communicate this guidance can result in having tests invalidated, so be vigilant.
Students testing online will have a different option. Any section of any Georgia Milestones Assessment that allows for calculator use, and is taken online, will provide an onscreen calculator. For the 2014-2015 school year, the GA Dept. of Education is allowing for students taking the test online to choose whether to use the onscreen calculator, or use a handheld device. This rule exists for this school year only, and we do not expect it to be in place again next year.
Graphing calculators: more buttons, more problems.
Students taking the EOC math assessments are allowed to use handheld graphing calculators. Handheld graphing calculators cause trouble, with a capital T, which rhymes with P, and that stands for Programability. Graphing calculators have built in memory, giving the device the ability to store information, text, equations, and programs that can give students unfair assistance on the test. It is the job of the proctors and examiners to help combat any opportunities for cheating.
The easiest way to address the issue on the whole is to clear the memory of every graphing calculator before and after each test. This prevents cheating and keeps students from recording test content to share with friends, which can in turn cost the county significant sums of money.
I hope the above information clearly outlines any information you need surrounding the acceptable use of calculators on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. As always, rules and policies surrounding the test are subject to change by the Department of Education, so stay tuned for updates.
