April 27, 2023
Greeting TMSA Families,
The 2023 Georgia Milestones Assessments (GMAS) began this past Monday, April 24, 2023. As of today, The Main Street Academy’s middle school scholars have successfully completed the English Language Arts (ELA) subtest of GMAS. However, some issues pertaining to cell phones have occurred during testing and must be addressed.
To reiterate previous TMSA GMAS announcements, cell phones are prohibited devices and are not allowed in the testing environment. Possession and/or improper usage of such devices during testing will result in disciplinary action in accordance with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and/or may cause test invalidation. As such, all TMSA students taking the GMAS are expected to leave their electronic devices, including cell phones/smartphones, at home, inside their lockers, or have them collected until the end of each daily assessment.
Please review state guidance and mandate regarding cell phone and electronic device restricted usage during assessments per the 2022-2023 Georgia Student Assessment Handbook (page 64) accessible via the GaDOE:
Electronic Device/Cell Phone Use on Georgia State-Mandated Assessments Students are not permitted to use, or to bring into the testing environment any electronic device (with the exception of medical equipment) for any state-mandated assessments (Georgia Milestones, Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0, ACCESS for ELLS, Alternate ACCESS for ELLS, and NAEP), that could allow them to view, access, retain, or transmit information (e.g., cell phone, smartphone/watch camera, PDA, or playback device, etc.). Improper use of these devices for reasons other than the medical purposes required may result in an invalidation of student scores.
The GMAS period is an extremely crucial time at our school. As our students work to demonstrate their academic excellence, please assist our school’s teachers and administrators by having important conversations with your child(ren) regarding the restriction of cell phone usage and possession during GMAS.
As the GMAS Assessment Coordinator for TMSA, I appreciate your support in making our testing environment compliant and appropriate for all scholars.
Thank you,
Yuvonka AveryAssistant Principal (K-4)
GMAS Assessment CoordinatorThe Main Street Academy