The Georgia Board of Education has approved an amendment to the state’s Testing Programs and Student Assessment rule that exempts students from taking End of Course (EOC) tests for a core subject course if they pass an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) course in a related subject. 
The new rule takes effect this semester (Fall 2019), so students who are currently enrolled and completing eligible AP and IB courses will be exempt from the EOC. Eligible AP and IB courses include American literature, U.S. history, and economics. Passage of AP or IB exams for these courses is not required to exempt the EOC, but passage of the course is.
This exemption does not apply to all core courses. Students must still take EOC tests for ninth grade literature and composition, algebra I, coordinate algebra, and biology due to federal laws that require assessments in math, English language arts/reading, and science at least once in high school. Students must also take the EOC for geometry, analytic geometry, and physical science since these courses do not have a related AP or IB course.
Students who fail an eligible AP or IB course will be required to take the EOC when they repeat the course.
As far as the impact on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) is concerned, students earning an A (90-100) will count as “distinguished learners,” students earning a B (80-89) or C (70-79) will count as “proficient learners,” and students earning less than a C (70) will count as “beginning learners” in CCRPI indicators that utilize achievement levels. These are the same rules that are used in the dual enrollment exemption. Dual enrollment students have been able to exempt eligible core subjects since November 2016 when the state board of education passed an amendment to the testing rule.
