loudoun county public schools / overview - the act test is a … · 2016. 11. 26. · act national...
TRANSCRIPT
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The ACT® test is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students' academic readiness for college.
The ACT Overview
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• The capstone of ACT college and career readiness solutions
• Aligned with ACT Aspire®, making the system an effective tool to track academic progress and student growth
The ACT Overview
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The ACT Overview
Research Based
• Linked to the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards – Sets of statements intended to help students understand what their
ACT scores mean
• ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores • ACT National Curriculum Survey®
– Data about what entering college students should know and be able to do to be ready for college-level coursework
– Also informs the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards
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• Curriculum-based college entrance exam
• Measures academic achievement
– English – Mathematics – Reading – Science – Writing (optional)
• High-stakes assessment
The ACT Overview
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The ACT Features
Test Score Scales • English
– Usage and Mechanics – Rhetorical Skills
• Mathematics – Pre-Algebra/Algebra – Algebra/Coord Geometry – Geometry/Trig
• Reading – Social Studies/Sciences – Arts/Literature
• Science
Composite • Average of four test scores (No writing)
The ACT with writing • Writing Subject Score • Writing Domain Scores
• Ideas and Analysis • Development and Support • Organization • Language Use and Conventions
1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18
1–36
2–12 2–12 2–12 2–12
1–36 1–36 1–36 1–36
1–36
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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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Pricing
• 2015-2016 – $39.50 the ACT – $56.50 the ACT with writing – ASR $12 – Late Fee $25
• Fee waivers available – 11th and 12th grade students – US citizens, or testing in the United States, US territories, or Puerto Rico – Meet the indicators of economic need
• Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements Flier
ACT National Testing Features
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English Test
• 75 questions, 45 minutes • 5 essays or passages, each with a set of
multiple-choice questions • Two subscores and a total test score
− Usage/Mechanics − Punctuation − Grammar and Usage − Sentence Structure
− Rhetorical Skills − Strategy − Organization − Style
The ACT Features
10–15% 15–20% 20–25% 15–20% 10–15% 15–20%
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Mathematics Test
• 60 questions, 60 minutes • Multiple-choice questions that require the use of reasoning skills to
solve practical problems • Three subscores and a total test score
− Pre-Algebra /Elementary Algebra − Pre-Algebra − Elementary Algebra
− Intermediate Algebra/Coord. Geometry − Intermediate Algebra − Coordinate Geometry
− Plane Geometry/Trigonometry − Plane Geometry − Trigonometry
The ACT Features
20–25% 15–20% 15–20% 15–20% 20–25% 5–10%
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Reading Test
• 40 questions, 35 minutes • 4 sections, each containing one long or two shorter prose passages • Two subscores and a total test score
− Arts/Literature − Literary Narrative or Prose Fiction − Humanities
− Social Studies/Sciences − Social Studies − Natural Sciences
The ACT Features
25% 25% 25% 25%
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Science Test
• 40 questions, 35 minutes • Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving
skills – Biology, Earth/Space Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics
• One score – Data Representation − Research Summaries − Conflicting Viewpoints
The ACT Features
30–40% 45–55% 15–20%
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Writing Test (Optional) • Enhanced design introduced in fall
2015 • 1 writing prompt, 40 minutes • The scoring moved from holistic,
single-score reporting to analytic reporting of four domain scores (ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use) to provide better information about college and career readiness
• Emphasizes student ability to evaluate multiple perspectives on a complex issue and generate an analysis based on reasoning, knowledge, and experience
The ACT Features
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Student Score Report
• Understand your scores – www.actstudent.org/scores/understand
• Using Your ACT Results – www.act.org/aap/pdf/Using-Your-ACT-Results.pdf
The ACT Features
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• New readiness indicators were introduced in fall 2015 – English Language Arts (ELA)
Score – STEM Score – Understanding Complex Texts
Indicator – Progress Toward Career
Readiness Indicator
New Readiness Indicators
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• English Language Arts Score – 1–36 range – Combines achievement on the English,
reading, and writing portions of the ACT for those who take all three sections
– Compares performance with others who have been identified as college ready
– Must take the optional writing test to receive this score
New Readiness Indicators
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• STEM Score – 1–36 range – Represents the student’s
overall performance on the science and math portions of the exam
New Readiness Indicators
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• Text Complexity Progress Indicator – Tells students if they are making
sufficient progress toward understanding the complex texts they will encounter in college and during their careers
New Readiness Indicators
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• Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator
– Provides an indicator of future performance on the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate™ (ACT NCRC®)
– Indicates progress toward Bronze-level, Silver-level, or Gold-level ACT NCRC. It also shows whether the student is making insufficient progress toward an ACT NCRC level
New Readiness Indicators
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Key Noncognitive Components
• High School Course/Grade Information − Courses completed or intend to take − Grades received
• ACT Interest Inventory − Helps students explore personally relevant
career options
• ACT Student Profile Section (SPS) – Educational and vocational aspirations – Post-high school plans – Activities – Accomplishments – Needs
The ACT Features
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Receiving Student Scores Report • Multiple-Choice scores available online beginning two weeks
after test date • Writing scores can take an additional 3-4 weeks
Sending scores • 4 free score reports to schools of student’s choice
− If requested at the time of registration
• Additional score reports can be requested at any time for nominal fee
The ACT Features
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Online Registration
• Student Account • www.actstudent.org
More than 95% of students register online
ACT National Testing Features
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Student Resources
• Free test preparation material – Sample questions with explanatory
answers – ACT Question of the Day
• www.act.org/qotd/ – Preparing for the ACT (downloadable PDF)
• Testing tips • ACT Map of College Majors • Interactive ACT World-of-Work Map • Financial aid and scholarship
information www.actstudent.org
The ACT Features
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Student Preparation Available for a Nominal Fee
• The Real ACT Prep Guide ($34.95) – www.actstudent.org/testprep/book.html
• ACT Online Prep ($39.95/year)
– www.actstudent.org/onlineprep/
The ACT Features
Personalized College & Career Planning
July 2015
Some students are lost • Wandering without a goal or plan • Could benefit from exploring personally
relevant education and career planning information
Some students are not aware • May have a goal but only limited view
of options • Could benefit from exploring personally
relevant information to better understand the various paths available
Addressing a Problem
• Student creates Profile account – a personal data experience
• Fills out ACT inventories for interests, abilities and values (+130 million people have taken ACT’s interest inventory)
• Views personalized results on Major Map & Career Map
• Explores other resources available in Profile related to schools, majors, careers, scores…
• Connects with counselors, groups and institutions via opt-in
How It Works – Students
Create account
Guided mini tour
Decide where to start
Use social media to post or log in
Explore the options
Sign out & sign back in (as often as they’d like)
Connect with friends, counselors, parents
Student Experience
Take inventories – few minutes each Explore results on Major Map Explore results on Career Map Take inventories again (if desired) Share results with counselor, parents or other advisors See how personalized results match to majors and careers of interest
Getting to Personalization
Understanding What to Study
Understanding What to Study
Exploring Career Options
Exploring Career Options
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Questions?
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Resources: www.actstudent.org
Student Account Registration Test prep http://www.act.org/education/family.html
www.act.org/standards Detailed information on scoring ranges and skills
associated with scores
www.actprofile.org Career and college Planning
ACT Customer Service: 319.337.1270