Preparing for a World of Possibilities Understanding Your EXPLORE® Results Preparing for a World of Possibilities Visual 1: Points of Emphasis Welcome! This session is designed to help you understand what the EXPLORE Student Score Report can tell you about your skills, interests, college readiness, plans, and goals. It will also explain how this information can be used to develop effective educational and career plans for high school and beyond. One of the keys to ensuring that you are prepared for high school (and eventually for college) is getting an early start to the planning process. Even before high school starts (or very early in your high school career) EXPLORE helps you: know if you’re on track to be college ready choose high school begin career planning. Early awareness of academic strengths and weaknesses, plus a rigorous high school course plan, are the keys to success. 12/4/2018 9/2010

ACT EXPLORE Score Interpretation Session Goals: During today’s session we will: Review basic fundamentals of the ACT EXPLORE Explain the various components of the Student Score Report Identify how EXPLORE and PLAN results can help students prepare for the ACT

Why Take EXPLORE? EXPLORE shows you your academic strengths and weaknesses in English, mathematics, reading, and science. EXPLORE helps you search for careers and learn which ones might be right for you. EXPLORE helps you choose high school courses that will prepare you for college and work. Visual 2: Points of Emphasis There are many benefits to taking EXPLORE: EXPLORE shows you your academic strengths and weaknesses. This way, you will know which courses will be best to take to improve your skills or show you where you might want to get some extra help. EXPLORE is a great career exploration tool. EXPLORE not only helps you learn about more than 500 occupations, it can show you which of them are most likely to interest you. Every student should have the choice about whether or not they wish to go to college. Students who are not prepared are not likely to be successful in college. EXPLORE helps you build a high school plan that will ensure you are taking the challenging coursework you’ll need to be prepared for college-level work. EXPLORE includes College Readiness Benchmark Scores that show you whether or not you are on target to be ready for college-level coursework. If you score at or above the benchmarks, you are likely on target for college. If you score below the benchmarks, you still have time to improve in those areas if you take the right classes and work hard in them.

7th Explore (1-25) 8th Explore (1-25) 9th Plan (1-32 ) 10th Plan (1-32) 11th ACT/MME (1-36) Allows for one year’s measurement of growth and time for inventions.

ACT College-Readiness Benchmarks ACT Readiness Benchmarks for Credit-Earning College Courses College EXPLORE (8th/9th) PLAN (10th) ACT (11th/12th) Credit-Earning College Readiness College Readiness College Readiness Course Benchmarks Benchmarks Benchmarks English Comp. English English English Algebra Math Math Math Social Science Reading Reading Reading Biology Science Science Science 10th 15 19 17 21 11th 18 22 21 24 8th 13 17 15 20 9th 14 18 16 20 75 % chance “C” or better 50% chance of “B” or better Are these students “on track”?

Using Your EXPLORE® Results Student Guide to EXPLORE Visual 3: Points of Emphasis You should have received a copy of Using Your EXPLORE Results, a booklet designed to help you understand your EXPLORE Score Report. This booklet walks you through the Student Report section by section. Using Your EXPLORE Results also includes a Coursework Planner that can help you plan your high school courses and show you how those courses are important to different careers. You should also make sure that your parents read the booklet as well. Along with your counselor, they can help you understand your EXPLORE results. Using Your EXPLORE Results is also available in Spanish. 3 9/2010

ACT EXPLORE ENGLISH TEST 30 minutes Content/Skills Number of Items Usage/Mechanics 25 Punctuation 6 Grammar and Usage 8 Sentence Structure 11 Rhetorical Skills 15 Strategy 5 Organization 5 Style 5 Total 40

ACT EXPLORE Mathematics Test 30 minutes Content Area Number of Items Pre-Algebra 10 Elementary Algebra 9 Geometry 7 Statistics/Probability 4 Total 30

ACT EXPLORE Reading Test 30 minutes Content Area Number of Items Prose Fiction 10 Humanities 10 Social Studies 10 Total 30

ACT EXPLORE Science Test 30 minutes Earth/Space Sciences Data Representation 12 questions Life Sciences Research Summaries 10 questions Physical Sciences Conflicting Viewpoints 6 questions Total 28 questions

Student Score Report What is the Student Score Report? This report is an individualized score report detailing scores received on the assessment, and the career plans and needs indicated by the student. What will the Student Score Report do? The Student Score Report will provide – suggestions for improving student academic skills – careers that match student interests – indicators of college readiness Visual 4

EXPLORE Score Report Side 1 Visual 5: Points of Emphasis Here you see the front side of a sample Student Score Report. The Score Report includes a great deal of information about your skills and knowledge, academic plans for high school and beyond, career interests, and likely readiness for college. The Score Report has been designed for use as a tool to help you improve your academic skills and knowledge, make educational plans, and investigate careers. The more thoroughly the Score Report is used, the more you will likely benefit from EXPLORE. In the next few slides, we will take a closer look at each of the sections on the EXPLORE Score Report.

Your Career Possibilities

Sample Interest Inventory Questions: I would dislike doing this activity (D) I am indifferent (I ) I would like doing this activity (L ) Help someone make an important decision Use a microscope or other lab equipment Find errors in a financial account Write reviews of Broadway plays Design a poster for an event (Examples from ACT PLAN UNIACT Interest Inventory)

Your Career Possibilities Based on John Holland’s six interest and occupational types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional) Uses ACT's Interest Inventory (UNIACT) – 72 items to assess basic interest areas

Important Interpretative Points of World of Work Map: 26 career areas (Career Area List) 12 regions (plus Region 99) 4 work tasks (Data, Things, Ideas, People)

Your Scores Visual 7: Points of Emphasis On the left side of the graphic, you will find several scores that indicate how well you did on EXPLORE. You will see scores for English, mathematics, reading, science, as well as your Composite Score. Each of these scores will range from 1–25. The Composite Score is the average of your English, mathematics, reading, and science scores. Notice there are 2 subscores under English. These scores may indicate specific areas in English that need improvement. These scores range from 1–12. The horizontal bars are simply another way to show the percentage of students at or below your scores. The farther to the right the bar extends, the greater the number of students who scored at or below your score. The column titled “In the U.S. Fall 8th” shows the percentage of students in a national norm group that scored at or below your score. In this example, this student scored as high or higher than 61% of students in the national norm group of 8th graders who took EXPLORE in the fall. “In Your State” norms are only provided when specified by a state contract. Do not be concerned if you do not see numbers in these columns.

Your Estimated PLAN® Composite Score Range Visual 8: Points of Emphasis EXPLORE is one of three assessments that measure your readiness for college. PLAN ® is a test usually taken in 10th grade, and the ACT® is usually taken in 11th or 12th grade. All three tests cover the same four subject areas (English, math, reading, and science). Used together, EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT can show you how your skills and knowledge grow over time. When you take EXPLORE you will receive an estimated PLAN Composite Score Range. The Estimated PLAN Composite Score Range tells you how other students scored on PLAN as 10th graders after achieving the same Composite Score as you received on EXPLORE. Based on your EXPLORE scores, it is likely that when you take PLAN, your score will be in this range. You may score higher if you improve your study skills and/or take challenging courses. Remember, this is not a guarantee. It is an estimate of your performance on PLAN based on your EXPLORE scores and assumes you will continue your current level of commitment to your coursework.

Your High School Course Plans Compared to Core Visual 9: Points of Emphasis This section compares your plans for high school coursework to a recommended “Core” set of courses that are important to take in order to prepare yourself for college. ACT defines Core as: 4 years of English 3 or more years of math 3 or more years of social studies 3 or more years of science Is the student in this example meeting Core? Students who take this recommended Core set of courses tend to be much better prepared for college-level work than students who do not. You should plan to take additional coursework in the appropriate subject areas if your plans fall short of Core. Taking additional courses beyond the Core, especially upper-level math and science courses, makes it even more likely that you will be ready for college.

Areas in Which You Would Like Additional Help Visual 10: Points of Emphasis When you took EXPLORE, you were asked whether or not you needed help in seven different areas: Making plans for my education, career, and work after high school Improving my writing skills Improving my reading speed and comprehension Improving my study skills Improving my mathematical skills Improving my computer skills Improving my public speaking skills The items marked with a checkmark are the areas with which you said you would like help. Talk with your counselors/teachers on how to receive additional help. Teachers/Counselors: Be sure to let students know how they can receive help at your school.

Your Plans for After High School Visual 11: Points of Emphasis When you completed EXPLORE, you were asked to consider your future educational and career plans. As you explore occupations within the Career Area you said you preferred, think about whether or not the Educational Plans you indicated are consistent with the educational preparation required for jobs that interest you. For instance, if you are interested in being a high school classroom teacher, you will most likely need to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree. You can find out more about educational preparation required for specific jobs at www.explorestudent.org. Click on the link for the World-of-Work Map at the bottom of the page to begin exploring careers. You can also visit www.bls.gov/oco to access the Occupational Outlook Handbook, a resource that describes jobs and the outlook for job openings.

College Readiness Visual 12: Points of Emphasis Your EXPLORE results give you an early indication of how likely you are to be ready for college-level work. While you have quite a bit of time before you will need to take college courses, the time to begin preparing for them is now. EXPLORE uses ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark Scores to indicate whether or not you are on target to develop the skills and knowledge you need to be ready for college. The best way to get the skills you need is to take challenging, rigorous courses in high school. This section shows whether you scored above, at, or below EXPLORE College Readiness Benchmark Scores for English, mathematics, reading, and science. Students who meet the Benchmark Scores in English, mathematics, and science are likely on target for success in entry-level college courses in these subjects. Students meeting the Reading Benchmark Score are likely developing the reading skills needed in all college subject areas. Are your scores at or above the Benchmarks? If so, keep working hard. This just means you are on target for success if you maintain your current focus. You will need to keep working hard to stay on track. Are your scores below the Benchmarks? There is still plenty of time to build your skills. Make sure you are meeting the recommended Core courses needed for college success. The information in the Your Skills section of the Score report can also help you. You may want to focus your attention on taking more courses in areas where you are not currently meeting Benchmark scores.

EXPLORE Score Report Side 2 Visual 14: Points of Emphasis On Side 2 of your EXPLORE Score Report you will find important information about how you can improve your academic skills based on your EXPLORE results. Use this information to identify academic skill areas you can continue to improve upon. 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.

Review Your Answers Visual 15: Points of Emphasis On the left side of page 2 of your Student Report, you will find a list of your responses to each of the EXPLORE test questions that were on the test. You will find a list for each of the four areas of EXPLORE (English, mathematics, reading, and science) For each test question, the correct answer is shown along with your response to the question and the subscore group the question came from. (Was it a question about Algebra? Rhetorical Skills?) At the bottom of each list is a short summary of the number of questions you answered correctly, the number you answered incorrectly, and the number you did not answer (omitted). Hopefully, you did not omit any questions. There is no penalty for guessing on EXPLORE. Your teacher or counselor may want to give you the EXPLORE test booklet so that you can see the questions themselves as you look over each list of responses. This will help you see which areas you need to work on most.

Your Skills Visual 16: Points of Emphasis On Side 2 of your Student Report you will find information that you can use to improve your skills in each of the areas tested by EXPLORE (English, mathematics, reading, and science). Notice that each suggestion corresponds to specific content areas. For instance, in English, you will find suggestions for how to improve your skills in Organization, Word Choice, and other important areas in English. The suggestions you find on your Score Report will most likely be different from those for other students in your class who took EXPLORE, because they are based specifically on your EXPLORE scores.

West’s Scores English 15.6 15.8 17.4 17.1 16.8 13 Math 17.3 18.3 18.2   District 7th WMS 7th District 8th 8th Last Year (8th) Benchmark English 15.6 15.8 17.4 17.1 16.8 13 Math 17.3 18.3 18.2 18 17 Reading 15.7 16.4 15 Science 17.7 17.8 19 18.9 18.5 20

What is West doing to prepare your child for the EXPLORE next year and beyond PD training- Christine Gullen, Oakland School’s consultant, educated our staff on EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT Test preparation prior to EXPLORE by our core curriculum teachers Staff meetings devoted to data analysis on EXPLORE results Counselors interpreted EXPLORE results for all 7th/8th grade students Core curriculum teachers will review and analyze highly missed questions with 7th/8th graders on May 5th-test booklets will be sent home with your child Parent nights 7th grade at current middle school 8th grade at the high school of attendance for next year

What can West parents do to prepare their student for the EXPLORE next year Study and analyze your son/daughter’s EXPLORE report mailed to your home Review the EXPLORE results booklet to help you better understand the results report Talk with your son/daughter about how they scored and how they can improve Start a file

K-12 Curriculum Alignment The 1-25 score measured by the Explore are all standards covered in Elementary and Middle School. Our District is shifting curriculum alignment to the ACT College Readiness Standards (rather than the MEAP). Elementary and MS have been in-serviced on the Standards and the State is moving to the National Core Standards which are ACT based.

All graduates of the Rochester Community Schools will be College Ready, Career Ready and Life Ready in English Language Arts. All graduates of the Rochester Community Schools will be College Ready, Career Ready and Life Ready in Mathematics. All graduates of the Rochester Community Schools will be College Ready, Career Ready and Life Ready in Science.

Scholars of Highest Distinction GPA 3.9 - 4.0 4 AP Courses ACT Score of 32 or higher Scholars of Distinction GPA 3.8 3 AP Courses ACT Score of 28 or higher Scholars of Achievement GPA 3.5 2 AP Courses ACT Score of 26 or higher

STEP ONE: As you review the MATH section questions and answers, circle whether your student had the question correct or incorrect. This will allow you to focus on the strong items as well as those that may need to be readdressed. NOTE- Look closely at the number of the test item; they are not in order. We have grouped them by the skill being measured. Pre-Algebra Student Results Notes 1. B Correct Incorrect 4. G Correct Incorrect 7. A Correct Incorrect 8. G Correct Incorrect 16. J Correct Incorrect 17. C Correct Incorrect 23. E Correct Incorrect 28. J Correct Incorrect 29. A Correct Incorrect 30. H Correct Incorrect

www.explorestudent.org Visual 17: Points of Emphasis ACT has developed a website designed to help students and parents understand and use EXPLORE results. At www.explorestudent.org you can: Learn what your EXPLORE scores mean Learn how to improve your skills Learn how EXPLORE can help you see if you are on target for college Use online career exploration tools Find sample EXPLORE test questions

Questions?