ACT Executive Update NACAC Essentials of Professional Development October 17, 2016

Presenter: Sue Wheeler ACT Senior State Lead sue.wheeler@act.org 847 736 1992 Mel Fuller ACT State Lead - Texas mel.fuller@act.org 817 714 7112

• Elementary–High School educational assessment • Postsecondary Education awareness, engagement,

placement, and enrollment assessment

• Workforce Development assessments and solutions ACT is the nation’s leader in college and career readiness, providing research-based solutions grounded in more than 50 years of experience.

ACT Mission: Helping people achieve education and workplace success

ACT Benchmarks and Standards—

Data Driven

• ACT National Curriculum Survey® drives the test content

• ACT College Readiness Benchmarks—scores associated with postsecondary success in credit-bearing courses

• ACT College and Career Readiness Standards—empirically based on an analysis of the skills and knowledge students need to respond successfully to an assessment question

ACT Benchmarks and Standards Driven

Driving test content Determines what skills and knowledge postsecondary institutions expect Measures college-ready skills Collects information from diverse education audiences across the nation Provides consultation with content area experts

ACT National Curriculum Survey

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• Based on ACT analysis of actual student performance in college • The minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a high

probability of success in corresponding first-year credit-bearing college courses – 50% chance of earning a B or better – 75% chance or better of earning a C or better

ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

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• Direct link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next

• Help interpret what the scores earned on the ACT mean

• Identify the knowledge and skills students are likely to demonstrate at various score levels on each academic test

• Linked to college instruction

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

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ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

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ACT College and Career Readiness Standards— Ideas for Progress

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How prepared are students?

Texas ACT Graduating Class of 2016

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The ACT Features Two Models • National Testing

– Student registers for the ACT

• State and District Testing – The ACT is provided

by State or District Board of Education

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Test Options • Two options

– The ACT – The ACT with writing

• Offered six times each year – Typically on a

Saturday morning • Test methods

– Paper only

ACT National Testing Overview

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Student Web Account 95% students register online at www.act.org • Register online and upload

photo 24/7 • Complete Career and

Interest Inventory • View scores beginning

two weeks after test date • Print admission ticket • Receive email reminders • Decide where to send scores • Update student profile

ACT National Testing Features

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ACT National Testing Benefits

Students • Curriculum-based—every day students attend class they’re

preparing for the ACT • Accepted by ALL four-year colleges and universities in the

United States • ACT scores are based on the number of correct answers —

there is no penalty for guessing • Helps students identify personally relevant career and college

major options • Offers interventions to assist students in educational and

career planning

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ACT National Testing Benefits

Educators • Helps educators monitor academic

growth and identify interventions – Grades 3 through 12 when combined

with ACT Aspire • Helps educators improve curriculum

and instructional tools – ACT reporting categories aligned

with ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

• Provides colleges and universities with detailed data − Improves recruiting, advising,

placement, and retention

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Test Options • Two options

– The ACT – The ACT with writing

• All participating schools in the same state/district must use the same test option

• Test methods – Online – Paper

ACT District Testing Overview

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Test Dates • Options

– One in the fall • Allows seniors to receive scores in time to meet college application deadlines • Available to seniors and juniors

– Two in the spring • Registration open until August 26 for February 28 test date and

October 28 for April 19 test date

• All schools in same state/district must test in the same window • Paper testing includes a scheduled makeup test date • Online testing allows for testing to occur during a designated window

ACT District Testing Features

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District Testing • Available to public school districts that do not have a state adoption

during the same testing season (fall/spring) – Minimum 50 testers per district per test date

• Private schools may participate regardless if the state has a state adoption – State may request input on test date or test option

• District must sign new contract for each participating test season

ACT District Testing Features

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Reports • Student Report • High School Report • Aggregate Reports • Student Data File

ACT District Testing Features

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Redesigned Paper Score Reports • The following paper reports will have a new design and

format: – The ACT student score report – The ACT high school score report – The ACT college score report – The ACT high school checklist

What’s Next for the ACT—September 2016

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2016-17 Score Report

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Redesigned Paper Score Reports

New Reporting Categories • Introduction of a comprehensive set of reporting categories for each subject test

(English, mathematics, reading, and science)

• Based on the ACT College Readiness Standards as well as other sets of standards that target college and career readiness

• Will replace the current subject test subscores (e.g., rhetorical skills, arts/literature) • Easier to understand the makeup of any subject test score to better understand a

student’s strengths and areas for improvement

• States and districts will receive better aggregate information regarding student achievement

What’s Next for the ACT?

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New Reporting Categories and ACT Readiness Ranges • Each reporting category will show:

– Total points possible – Total points achieved – Percent correct – The ACT Readiness Ranges

• The ACT Readiness Range shows where a student who has met the ACT College Readiness Benchmark on the subject test would typically perform on that skill grouping (reporting category)

• Combination of reporting category scores and the ACT Readiness Ranges will better highlight student areas that require the most additional assistance

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New Reporting Categories and ACT Readiness Ranges

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• ACT has a long-standing commitment to STEM education and skill measurement

• The ACT is the only college admission exam featuring a science test

• Indicates the scores required for a high probability of success in credit-bearing STEM college courses

• Related to achieving longer-term outcomes, including: – Earning a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher – Persisting in a STEM major – Earning a STEM-related bachelor’s

degree – Achieving a STEM-related career path

• STEM Benchmark is 26

STEM Benchmark

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Students • Help strengthen or reconsider their current plans • Provide opportunity for further college exploration

Counselors • Starting point for discussing transition to college • Conversations with students can vary based on level of alignment

– Alignment: facilitate discussion of coursework and occupations related to the major – Out of alignment: opportunity to discuss the results and suggest alternative majors or

educational pathways that help the student achieve their career goals

Colleges • Better customize admission communication efforts

Interest-Major Fit

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Career Connector

• The Career Connector visually summarizes a student’s work-relevant interests. The compass points are the four basic work tasks shown to underlie the work activities of occupations across the work world: working with people, data, things, and ideas.

• The Career Connector summarizes the pattern of results from the scales on the ACT Interest Inventory and visually displays it as one or two directions with respect to these compass points. The Career Connector also provides a personalized list of five potential occupations that involve work tasks in this same direction.

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Background • In fall 2015, ACT introduced enhancements to the design of the

ACT writing test. • The enhancements provided additional insight on student writing

including four domain scores and an overall ACT writing subject score on a 1–36 scale.

• We heard from customers that the 1–36 scale caused confusion because users attempted to interpret the writing scores alongside scores earned on other ACT subject tests.

Writing Test Score Update

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To reduce confusion, ACT is taking the following steps with writing scores beginning in September 2016: • Score reports for test events administered on or after September

2016 will no longer report writing scores on the 1–36 scale, which caused the confusion.

• For test events beginning in September 2016, the overall reported writing score will change to be the rounded average of the four writing domain scores having a score range of 2–12.

• We will be providing additional clarity to the writing task instructions. However, the task itself will not change.

Writing Test Score Update

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We are not changing the following: • The four writing domain 2–12 scores (sum of 1–6 raw scores from

2 raters) will continue to be reported as they are now. • The English Language Arts (ELA) score, which combines the

student’s achievement on the English, reading, and writing tests, will remain on a 1–36 scale.

• The writing test task will not be changed. • The scoring rubric will not be changed.

Writing Test Score Update

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Writing Test Score Update

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Stay Informed www.act.org/theact/enhancements

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Counselor/Educator Resources • Preparing for the ACT • Why Take The ACT? • Using Your ACT Results • ACT User Handbook • Test dates and deadlines • Sample Score Reports • ACT Online Prep™—

school version • ACT sample test

booklets/retired tests • Forms—fee waiver

eligibility, paper registration, accommodated testing

• Order materials

The ACT Features

A New Way to Prepare

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PreACT Overview

Taking PreACT is one of the first actionable steps a student will take to practice for The ACT test.

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10th grade multiple-choice paper assessment

Provides actionable insights for students, parents, and educators

Shorter in length than the ACT Flexible test administration dates Rapid reporting means earlier and

more effective intervention and planning

PreACT Overview

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PreACT scores and predicted ACT score ranges for composite and subject test on ACT 1–36 scale

PreACT reporting category scores Student’s college and career

planning results, including their results on Interest-Career Fit

STEM and text complexity scores

Student level item response and improvement skills

PreACT Overview—Reporting

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Early practice for taking the ACT test Provides PreACT score and predicted ACT score ranges

on the ACT 1–36 scale Students may opt to share their information with colleges

and scholarship agencies Results of the ACT Interest

Inventory provides students a personalized view of interests with college and career alignment

PreACT Key Benefits for Students

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Order Online

For Districts and Schools—access the www.act.org/preact website to order materials

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ACT Prep Resources Preparing for

The ACT (includes

practice test)

Free practice Questions

online

The Official ACT Prep

Guide ACT Kaplan Online Prep

LIVE

Question of the Day –

changes daily

ACT Sample Tests

ACT Online Prep

Tips for Taking the

ACT

PreACT

ACT Alternate Format Practice

Tests Paid

Resource Free

Resource

Key:

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FREE Resources: • Preparing for the ACT Test

– 1 full length practice test including writing – Also available in Spanish online

• Practice Questions online and Question of the Day • Tips for Taking the ACT • Alternate Format Practice Tests

– (DVD, Braille, Large Type)

Free Test Prep Resources

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Free to Fee Waiver Students

New partnership between ACT and Kaplan Prep to provide online, live instructional classes aimed at preparation for the ACT and improvement of academic skills focused on college readiness • Premium ACT preparation product

– Includes full access to all aspects of ACT Online Prep®

• Live instructor-lead, interactive classes – English, Math, Reading, Science, and noncognitive – Live streaming video with in-session chat and polling

• Flexible scheduling – Multiple nights and levels of classes – Available on any computer/mobile device

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• Available for students to purchase

• Free to students registering for a National ACT test with a fee waiver

http://www.onlinepreplive.com/

Free to Fee Waiver Students

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• The Official ACT Prep Guide • Sample Tests

– Self-scored – With or without writing

• Assessments – PreACT – ACT Aspire

Additional Test Prep Options for a Fee

Questions?

Thank you for attending! Have a safe trip home!