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Barrow County schools to temporarily waive promotion/retention link to Georgia Milestones
Summary
The superintendent recommended a temporary waiver of board policy IHE so promotion and retention decisions for 2024–25 will not be based solely on Georgia Milestones results; leaders will use multiple measures, with a waiver in effect through July 31, 2025.
The superintendent recommended the Barrow County School System temporarily waive board policy IHE so promotion and retention decisions for the 2024–25 school year will not be based solely on student performance on the Georgia Milestones assessment.
The waiver, presented during the March 25 work session by Teaching and Learning staff, would prevent promotion decisions from relying on a single Milestones score and would suspend summer retesting tied solely to promotion. Instead, leaders said they will use multiple measures — including MAP growth and yearlong performance — to guide decisions about promotion and retention for the current school year.
"Leaders will take MAP into consideration. They will actually take student performance across the entire year into consideration and some other factors, but not singly the Georgia Milestones test," a district presenter said during the meeting. The superintendent recommended a temporary waiver of policy IHE through July 31, 2025.
Board members asked for an estimate of how many students might be affected; staff said they would provide an estimate after the meeting.
The superintendent and district staff characterized the recommendation as consistent with past practice and said they are exploring a policy revision so the board would not need to return annually to request the waiver.
Board action: the item was moved to the consent agenda for the next regular business meeting.
Why it matters: tying promotion to a single high-stakes test has implications for students’ placement, summer testing burdens and parent communications; the temporary waiver preserves broader judgment by school leaders for the 2024–25 year.
