College Admissions

Mission Statement "To ensure that all students graduate with the skills necessary to attend a college, university, technical college, or training program — and succeed."

Minnesota State Mandated Testing Minnesota Legislation The state legislature has adopted the Common Core State Standards and established a new state testing program beginning with the school year – ACT Explore Grade 8  Tests given November – ACT PLAN Grade 10  Tests given November 3 – 21

Mandated Testing Continued ACT  Minnesota now requires all 11 th graders to take the ACT to graduate  Intended to measure a student’s college and career readiness  You do not have to pay for this administration  The state ACT testing date is Tuesday, April 28, 2015

ACT Test Dates National Test Dates in Black October 25, 2014 December 13, 2014 February 7, 2015 April 18, 2015 April 28, 2015 – All 11 th grade students in Minnesota take ACT June 13, 2015 Forest Lake is a testing center for all dates.

ACT Test Registration Register at least 6 weeks in advance of the test date Plan at least an hour to sign up -Interest survey -Upload photo -Select testing center Note: You only have to register and pay for any national testing your child wishes to take

What’s the Big Deal? The ACT is not just an achievement test. It is a competition for scholarship dollars and college admissions. College selection: Check with admissions offices for the average score needed for entrance. Scholarships: A score of 28 is a huge benchmark for significant scholarship money for many universities. For some private schools, a 30–31 is the benchmark.

High School Prepatory Courses College Prep Composition Literature course Math through Pre-Calculus, including Trig Science courses (need to be able to analyze charts, tables, & other data)

How to prepare for the ACT Community Education Sponsored Test Prep (651) or (651) – Doorway to College ZAPPING the ACT $89 (9am–3pm one day) October 4 th or March 28 th (Saturdays) – PrepStar Premium June 8-11th $329 (four 6.5 hour sessions) – PrepStar Blast Jan 20, April 1 st (No School Mondays) $89 (one 6.5 hour session) ACT website practice exams Naviance Method Test Prep Take rigor in class choices

PrepStar PrepStar Premium ($329) offers: 2 Point Guarantee 24 hours of classroom prep Extensive content review (each subject area) Effective testing strategies Ti84 calculator programs (students ADORE these!) Math & science specialists PrepStar Blast ($89) offers: 6 hours of prep Overview of ACT test format and testing strategies Take home ACT test with online scoring PrepStar Plus ($139) offers: One on One tutoring for three hours For students that have already participated in a PrepStar course and want to work on specific areas

Zapping the ACT The ZAPPING the ACT program offers: Focused – a focus on test-taking strategies Effective – score increases from 2 – 4 points Engaging – kids are actively involved and taught by experienced presenters that make this class fun. Time sensitive – only five hours, one Saturday; your child is busy! Materials – a backpack-friendly student workbook and four subject-area Workout booklets with 24 shortened practice tests Affordable – only $89.99 including materials

Method Test Prep Offered through student’s Naviance Account Provides practice exams, sample questions, weekly skill development activities, and explains certain concepts. Free

Method Test Prep Student should access the high school website and click on the Naviance tab on the homepage Naviance login for students is the same as what student use to login on school computers Once in Naviance, students should be on the “Family Connections” home page. Click on the link “Method Test Prep” on the left side of the screen Students should “Signup” for Method Test Prep by creating a user name and password. Students will then be able to access a variety of ACT/SAT test prep as well as various activities for skill development After an account is made and student is logged into Method Test Prep, students can click on the “ACT” tab and see a variety of activities including weekly activities, evaluation tests, lessons and quizzes on content, practice questions, and practice exams

Is retaking the ACT worth it? Students who take the exam a 2 nd time 57% of students increase their composite score – Typical increase was 1–2 points 21% had no change 22% decreased Students who take the exam a 3 rd time Only 10% improve their score! Things to consider: College entrance requirements, scholarships

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