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Education

Seventy-five Gwinnett County students opt out of Georgia Milestones

Photo Credit: DEBORAH CANNON / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Credit: Deborah Cannon

Credit: Deborah Cannon

Photo Credit: DEBORAH CANNON / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
By
April 24, 2017

Seventy-five Gwinnett County students have opted out of taking the Georgia Milestones exams, school district officials said Thursday.

The number is low in comparison to the 76,000 students taking the exams, but it shows the resistance some parents have of what they say is too much testing by schools and not enough focus on learning.

The Georgia Milestones are state exams aimed at measuring student proficiency in several subjects. Public school students from the third grade and up are currently taking the Georgia Milestones exams.

Gwinnett officials said in a presentation Thursday to school board members that state education officials are helping them with some challenges they're having with the online assessments. Gwinnett was one of nearly two dozen school districts statewide that had trouble late last week with the online assessments.

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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