Some parents of high school students are unhappy to learn their children’s final grades fell due to the Georgia Milestones tests.

The end-of-course tests count for 20 percent of a high school student’s grade in a course. Parents — especially in districts where students experienced glitches with the online tests — are asking whether there’s a way to contest a score. Neither teachers nor parents see how a student answered the questions on the Milestones. They only get the score.

The Milestones test can cause a grade to fall from an A to a B or a B to a C — which can be a critical drop in the pursuit of a HOPE Scholarship or admission to a top college.

“With a single test that accounts for 20 percent of a grade it is inconceivable to me that there would not be a process for disputing it. If there is no process available, then it simply should not count for that great a percentage of a student’s grade,” said one parent.

To see what the state Department of Education says about challenging a Milestones score, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

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