School - Academics

Standardized Tests

During the course of the academic school year, a variety of tests take place that gauge the level of academic rigor and student achievement. These tests are administered throughout the course of the year.

GKAP - Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program
The primary purpose of GKAP is to provide cumulative evidence of a student’s readiness for the first grade. 32 Ga. Kindergarten standards are measured using performance-bases assessment activities. Students are assessed in the domain areas of literacy, mathematics, and social/emotional development in a variety of one-on-one, small group, and large group instructional settings throughout the school year.

CogAT - Cognitive Abilities Test
All 1st graders will take this test, usually administered in February. It measures the level of reasoning abilities of students, which show the overall efficiency of cognitive processes and strategies that help students learn new tasks and solve problems. The test results contribute to the identification of students who would participate in the Sarah Smith Challenge Program.

Third Grade Writing Test
During the month of March, the 3rd grade teachers identify the specific writing stage for each student. This stage (stages 1 - 6) is derived from a collection of works that the student has produced during the month.

Fifth Grade Writing Test
During the month of January, all 5th graders participate in a two-day writing assignment focused on brainstorming, drafting, revising/editing, and final draft production. After the two-day assignment, the tests are sent off to the State of Georgia Department of Education where a team of assessors identifies the writing stage of the students based on the six stages of writing.

ITBS - Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
During the month of March, 3rd and 5th grade students take this test. The ITBS is a norm-referenced test that measures achievement in the following areas: vocabulary, word analysis, reading comprehension, math, social studies, science, and sources of information.

CRCT - Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency
This test is designed to measure how well students acquire the skills and knowledge described in the Georgia Performance Standards and the Quality Core Curriculum (QCC). The assessments yield information on academic achievement at the student, class, school, system, and state levels. This information is used to diagnose individual student strengths and weaknesses as related to the instruction of the QCC, and to gauge the quality of education throughout Georgia. This test is administered to first through fifth grades during the month of April.