Georgia HomeroomGeorgia Milestones · End-of-Course test
High School Physical Science
What the Georgia Milestones end-of-course test for High School Physical Science covers, from the state's assessment blueprint: its reporting categories and their points, the standards each category assesses, how complex the questions are meant to be, and the kinds of questions on it.
- 46
- 4
- 10
Who takes this test
From the blueprint: “Only grade 8 students who are enrolled in the high school Physical Science course are eligible to take the High School Physical Science exam.”
Reporting categories
Points are the blueprint's approximate figures. Each percent is of the test's 46 points, rounded; a range such as 7–8 counts at its midpoint.
Chemistry: Atomic and Nuclear Theory and the Periodic Table
13 points, about 28% of the test
- SPS1 (a, b, c)Periodic Table Element Properties
- SPS2 (a, b, c)Atomic Bonding in Compounds
- SPS4 (a, b, c)Fission, Fusion, and Decay
Physics: Energy, Force, and Motion
13 points, about 28% of the test
- SPS7 (a, b, c, d)Energy Transformations and Flow
- SPS8 (a, b, c, d)Force, Mass, and Motion
Chemistry: Chemical Reactions and Properties of Matter
10 points, about 22% of the test
- SPS3 (a, b)Conservation of Matter
- SPS5 (a, b)Phases of Matter
- SPS6 (a, b, c, d, e)Properties of Solutions
Physics: Waves, Electricity, and Magnetism
10 points, about 22% of the test
- SPS9 (a, b, c, d, e)Properties of Waves
- SPS10 (a, b, c)Electricity and Magnetism
Depth of Knowledge
From the blueprint: “Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is measured on a scale of 1 to 4 and refers to the level of cognitive demand (different kinds of thinking) required to complete an assessment item.”
| DOK | Points | Share of the test |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 2 to 7 | 5% to 15% |
| Level 2 | 25 to 30 | 55% to 65% |
| Level 3 | 12 to 16 | 25% to 35% |
| Level 4 | Not on this test | |
Kinds of questions
| Question type | Questions | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1-point Selected-Response and Technology-Enhanced Items | 30 | 30 |
| 2-point Technology-Enhanced Items | 8 | 16 |
| Field Test Items | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 46 |
Achievement levels
For the subjects and grades Georgia tests, Georgia Homeroom shows what each Milestones achievement level means in practice, using the state's own descriptions. Georgia publishes these descriptions for tested content, so they are not available for every standard. On this test, 10 of the 10 standards have them, marked “Achievement levels” above; each standard's page shows them.
How this test counts
Under Georgia State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.13, an End-of-Course test is the final exam for its course, and its score counts for at least 10% of the student's final grade in the course. Read the rule
Practice tests
The Georgia Department of Education's Georgia Milestones page links the state's online practice tests, Experience Online Testing Georgia.