Assessments
The Gwinnett County Public School assessment program gives teachers, parents, and the school system a look at all the pieces that create a comprehensive picture of a student’s learning throughout the year. Only a small amount of time, ranging from as little as one hour up to two hours, is spent testing on a given test day.
- ACCESS
- ACT
- AP Exams
- District Assessments
- GAA
- GKIDS
- Gwinnett Writes
- iReady
- MAP
- Milestones
- NAEP
- PSAT 8/9
- PSAT/NMSQT
- SAT
ACCESS
What is this assessment?
ACCESS is a test designed to measure English learners' social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses conversational and instructional English (words used in classes at school). Results help teachers and schools to understand the progress of students in the areas of Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing in English.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
This is a state required assessment for students eligible for Multilingual Learner services. Students may exit the ML program based on their ACCESS scores.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
ACT
What is this assessment?
The ACT is a college admission assessment, which tests student knowledge in the areas of reading, math, and science.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Students take the ACT to meet college admission requirements.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
AP Exams
What is this assessment?
AP Exams are standardized exams designed to measure how well students have mastered the content and skills of a specific AP course. Most AP courses have an end-of-year exam, but a few courses have different ways to assess learning—for example, AP Art and Design students submit a portfolio of work for scoring.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Many colleges will grant course credit or advanced placement in a course based on the scores that students earn on their AP exams.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
2024-2025 Advanced Placement Exam Registration Information for GCPS Students
District Assessments
What is this assessment?
District Assessments are administered each nine weeks to measure student learning of the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) in language arts and mathematics 1st through 11th grades and science and social studies in 3rd through 11th grades.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
District Assessments are designed to support teachers in designing instruction based on individualized student data to support the diverse students served.
The data from the District Assessments provides students and parents with information regarding student learning.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
GAA
What is this assessment?
The Georgia Alternate Assessments allows students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3 – 8 and 11 to demonstrate their growth and accomplishments in Language Arts and Math and for some grade levels, Science and Social Studies.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
This assessment allows the student, parent, and teacher to gain information about the student’s strengths and needs.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
GKIDS
What is this assessment?
GKIDS is an assessment administered to kindergarten students throughout the year to help teachers track the progress students are making in achieving skills and knowledge that have proven to be important for success in 1st grade and beyond.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
This is a state required assessment for all Kindergarten students in the state of Georgia.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
Gwinnett Writes
What is this assessment?
Gwinnett Writes is administered once a year during third quarter as a language arts assessment. For the test, students will write an informative or argumentative response to a Language Arts, Science, or Social Studies topic. The choice of topic will be made by the student on test day prior to starting the test.
Gwinnett Writes will be administered in grades 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10 this school year.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Students learn to write in elementary school and use writing for learning in middle and high school courses. Gwinnett Writes assesses writing skills as defined in the Academic, Knowledge, and Skills (AKS) for Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
iReady
What is this assessment?
iReady is a Universal Screener administered to all K – 8 grade students at least twice per year. It assesses skills in Reading and Mathematics.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Universal Screeners are used to help teachers determine which skills need to be supported more and which skills are a particular strength for each student. This allows the teacher to plan instruction more effectively.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
MAP
What is this assessment?
MAP Growth is a Universal Screener administered to all 9th graders and some 10th graders at least once per year. It assesses skills in Reading and Mathematics.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Universal Screeners are used to help teachers determine which skills need to be supported more and which skills are a particular strength for each student. This allows the teacher to plan instruction more effectively.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
Milestones
What is this assessment?
The Milestones EOG is administered to 3rd – 8th grade students each spring. All grades will take English/Language Arts and Mathematics Assessments. Fifth graders also take a science test and 8th graders take assessments in Science and Social Studies. The results of these tests provide information about the student’s readiness for the next grade level.
The Milestones EOCs are administered at the end of an EOC course to provide information about the student’s achievement in the course.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
These are state required assessments. For EOCs, the test serves as a final exam and contributes to a percentage of the student’s final grade in the course.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
NAEP
What is this assessment?
NAEP assesses what America's students know and can do in the subject areas of: Math, Reading, Writing, Science, the Arts, Civics, Economics, Geography, U.S. History, and Technology/Engineering Literacy.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
Your child’s school was randomly chosen to participate this year by the Georgia Department of Education and your child was randomly selected as a participant in one of the selected grade levels.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
PSAT 8/9
What is this assessment?
The PSAT 8/9 is a test given in Gwinnett in 8th grade that helps determine what students need to work on most so that they are ready for college when they graduate from high school.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
The PSAT 8/9 is meant to give students an idea of their college and career readiness. It also gives students a chance to preview the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT. 
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
How do I Access My Scores?
PSAT/NMSQT
What is this assessment?
High school students take the PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) as practice for the SAT college admission assessment and to gain access to SAT study tools. The state of Georgia pays for all tenth-grade students to take the assessment.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
The PSAT/NMSQT provides practice prior to taking the SAT and access to tools to help prepare for the SAT.
Scores for juniors who take this assessment are used by scholarship programs, including the National Merit Scholarship Program, to look for eligible students.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?
How do I Access My Scores?
SAT
What is this assessment?
The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test. It tests knowledge of reading, writing, and math.
Why is my child taking this assessment?
The SAT can provide students with information about their readiness to be successful in college courses.
Where can I find more information about this assessment?