Lynn Hale – Graduation Interventionist ACT EPAS Welcome Definition of statistics Theme of the day Organization of notebook slide notes data notebook student needs assessment Lynn Hale – Graduation Interventionist Marion County Schools lhale@mctns.net 423.667.5566

THE BIGGER PICTURE The Explore Test is one part of the Educational Planning and Assessment System from ACT Explore (8th Grade) Plan (10th Grade) ACT (11th – 12th Grade)

Format of EPAS Four Subtests English Mathematics Reading Science Reasoning

What do Your Scores Mean? Composite Score 15 The top section provides your child’s scores. The score for each of the four components as well as the composite score is given. Keep in mind that the scale runs from 1-32. You can see how your child ranks in the nation, district, and at this school. The English section is broken down into two sub-sections – usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills. The score range for these sections is 1-12.

Your Estimated PLAN Composite Score Range

Your Plans for High School and Beyond

Am I “on track” to being ready for college courses?

Your Reported Needs

Your Career Possibilities

http://tn.kuder.com 2 assessments Career Search with Person Match Skills Assessment Research shows that students who put a career plan in place during their high school years are 47 percent more likely to complete postsecondary education.

EXPLORE Score Report Side 2 Visual 13: Points of Emphasis On Side 2 of your EXPLORE Score Report you will find important information about how you can improve your skills based on your EXPLORE results. Earlier, we talked about the importance of making high school course plans that will help you develop the skills you need for college-level courses. Your EXPLORE Score Report can give you specific suggestions on how you can improve your skills.

How can I improve my skills?

www.explorestudent.org

College Readiness Benchmarks Through collaborative research with postsecondary institutions nationwide, ACT has established the college readiness benchmarks. A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college course.

College Readiness Benchmarks The EXPLORE and PLAN college readiness benchmarks are based on the ACT Assessment college readiness benchmarks. They reflect students’ expected growth from EXPLORE to PLAN to the ACT Assessment and assume sustained academic effort throughout high school. College English Composition 18 15 13 College Algebra 22 19 17 College Social Sciences 21 17 15 College Course College Readiness Benchmarks College Biology 24 21 20 ACT PLAN EXPLORE To read the top row: Students who score 13 on the English test of EXPLORE have a 50% probability of making an 18 on the English test of the ACT. Students who score 15 on the English test of PLAN have a 50% chance of making an 18 on the English test of the ACT. These are not predicted scores. These are only probabilities.

Courses Courses Count! Count! Count!

Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different? Studies underscore the importance of having a common expectation for all students when they graduate from high school: One that prepares all high school graduates for both credit-bearing entry-level college courses and workforce training programs.

Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different? The levels of readiness that high school graduates need to be prepared for college and/or workforce training programs are comparable. All of these skills can be acquired through rigorous high school courses.

Recommendations for Entering High School Students Take the challenging course work in high school, and don’t let anyone scare you away from it. Read like crazy! Expand your language space! Language is power! Come out of high school with more than Algebra 2, making sure to include math in your senior year. Source: U.S. Department of Education