On April 13, 2011, the State Board of Education approved State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge's plan to phase out the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT). Students who enter high school this fall will no longer be required to take and pass the GHSGT in English, math, social studies and science, in order to graduate. This new plan will require students to pass all required courses, and the End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) would now count 20% of a student's final grade, rather than the current 15% weight.  Students currently in high school will take the End-of-Course Tests and will also have the option of taking the GHSGT, if they do not pass all required End-of-Course Tests. 

The requirements for students entering high school in the 2011-2012 school year:

• The GHSGT no longer be required to earn a high school diploma for students entering grade nine for the first time during the 2011-2012 school year and beyond.
• The End-of-Coarse Test (EOCT) will contribute 20% to the course grade (for those core courses in which an EOCT is mandated).
• To earn a high school diploma, students will be required to pass the course with the increased weight of the EOCT applied to the course grade.
• The requirement to achieve a passing score on the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) will remain for all students.

The requirements for students currently in high school:

• It is proposed for students who entered ninth grade between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2011, that the testing requirement currently in place for diploma eligibility be achieved through demonstration of proficiency on one of the two EOCTs in each content area (language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies). Under this proposal, a passing score on a content area EOCT will serve as an alternate demonstration of proficiency and stand in lieu of the requirement to pass the corresponding content area GHSGT.
• The EOCT will continue to contribute 15% to the student's course grade.
• The GHSGT will remain available for any student unable to meet the testing requirement through the EOCT in any content area.
• The requirement to achieve a passing score on the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) will remain for all students.

View a color coded matrix explanation of requirements