The ACT College and Career Readiness System MEASURING STUDENT PROGRESS TOWARD READINESS IMPROVING COURSE RIGOR SUPPORTING SOLUTIONS PLANNING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT EXPLORE 8th and 9th grade curriculum-based educational and career planning program PLAN 10th grade curriculum-based educational and career planning program The ACT 11th and 12 grade curriculum-based assessment for learning outcomes ENGAGE Middle and high school assessment that measures all factors of academic success QualityCore Research-driven solutions for strengthening curriculum CoreWork Diagnostics Online service to diagnose and improve content and practice areas Core Practice Audit Framework for evaluating current practices

ACT National Curriculum Survey ® Determines what skills and knowledge postsecondary institutions expect Measures college-ready skills Surveys completed nationally Consultation with content area experts

Minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a high probability of success in credit-bearing college courses Empirically derived based on actual performance of college students Established using data from 98 institutions and over 90,000 students ©2010 by ACT, Inc. ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

Empirically Derived 50% chance of achieving a B or higher or about a 75% chance of achieving a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college course TestCollege CoursePLANACT 8th Grade9th Grade EnglishEnglish Composition MathAlgebra ReadingSocial Sciences ScienceBiology EXPLORE ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

Public Four- Year Retention and College GPAs by ACT Benchmarks ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, Retention and First Year College GPA: What’s the Connection ©2005 by ACT, Inc. Benchmarks Met

The EXPLORE Student Score Report

The ACT Profile Report

Direct link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next. Suggested learning experiences provide links between the Standards in one score range and those in the next (higher) score range. Ideas for progressing to the next score range demonstrate ways that information learned from standardized test results can be used to inform classroom instruction. ACT’s College Readiness Standards ™

Example: Mathematics College Readiness Standards ACT’s College Readiness Standards™

College Readiness Standards ™ Suggestions to progress to a higher level of achievement

The ACT Profile Report

Item Response Student Report

Item Response Summary Report

Curriculum Review Worksheets

© 2011 by ACT, Inc. The linking analysis affirms that the performance standards of college and career readiness—and therefore the new Common Core State Standards—are competitive with the highest performing nations in the world.

US College and Career Readiness Benchmark United States

Mind the Gaps College Readiness Benchmarks and Achievement Gaps © 2010 by ACT, Inc.

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Family Income Gaps in College Enrollment Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Enrolled in College First Year Gap reduction: 16 percentage points Highest family income group Lowest family income group

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Racial/Ethnic Gaps in College Retention Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Re-enrolled in College Second Year Gap reduction: 5 percentage points White Underrepresented minorities

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Racial/Ethnic Gaps in 4-Year College Degree Completion Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks College Completion Within 5 Years Gap reduction: 5 percentage points White Underrepresented minorities

Joe Cruse Director, Program Solutions ACT Mountain/Plains Region Contact Information