1. Office of Student Assessment
ACT Aspire Test Design
Office of Student Assessment

3. Math, English, Writing, Reading and Science
Students Grades 3-11
Alternate
NCSC for Math and ELA
Grades 3-8 and 11
Science Portfolio
Grades 5,7 and 10 only
ACT Aspire/ACT
Math, English, Writing, Reading and Science

4. ACT Aspire

5. ACT Aspire
Grades 3-10
English, writing, reading, math, and science yearly
Accountability will be calculated at grade 10 only for the high school
Online schools set their own test schedule
Test Administrators must be licensed by ADE

6. Aspire Test Windows
Online - April 11 – May 13 Paper – April 18 – April 29

7. Scheduling

8. Shift in Thinking
ACT Aspire is shorter – Only one administration window
Allows for more time to teach
Focus on the standards and teach them well
ACT Aspire has questions above and below grade level
Foundations and prediction
Overviews-

9. Scheduling Computer Based Testing
No more than three subject tests per day
There is no order in which the subject tests have to be administered
Grade cohorts must test on the same day, or as close together as possible
Small groups may be needed

10. ACT Aspire Resources Live Binder Exemplars Landing Page
Example Test Question Booklet (PDFs)
TestNav8 examples
Landing Page
Knowledge and Skills Map

11. LiveBinder

12. Exemplars - Test Design
Example Test Question Booklet (PDF) – grade level per content area PDFs that explain test questions from the Student Sandbox and explanations of scoring.
Student Sandbox – TestNav online examples – currently various grades are represented for each content area except writing. Future plans are to offer grade-by-grade per content area examples. (Example – 4th grade reading, 4th grade English, 4th grade science, 4th grade math)

13. Landing Page http://actaspire.pearson.com
Resources for the various facets of implementation are provided on our landing page.
The ACT Aspire Assessment Landing Page, accessible at actaspire.pearson.com, provides easy access to information and tools to administer the ACT Aspire tests; everything from Training and Manuals, to Technology Resources, to Support options can be found here.
ADE Staff Training - Aug. 2015

14. Knowledge and Skills Map
Login: actlabs
Password: actlabs
NEW!!!

15. English Language Arts

16. English Language Arts
ACT Aspire divides ELA into 3 separate assessments:
Reading
English
Writing

17. Test Item Types Multiple Choice/Selected Response Technology Enhanced
1 point each
4 to 6 choices
Technology Enhanced
Example - Drag and Drop
Constructed Response (Justification and Explanation)
2 to 4 points each
Short answer/evidence based

18. Reading Two main types of passages 1. Literary
2. Informational – science and history
Number of passages per type
Grades 3-5: 4 operational reading passages 
(2 literary narratives, 1 history text, and 1 science)  
Grades 6-EHS: 3 operational reading passages 
(1 literary narrative,  1 history text, and 1 science)
Estimated number of items per passage type
Grades 3-5 – literary, informational
Grades 6-10 – 7-8 literary, informational
( A field test passage set will also be added in each grade)

19. Reading Examples Technology Enhanced

20. Reading Example Paired Passage/Constructed Response

21. English
The ACT Aspire  requires students to revise and edit. Students will read passages and make editorial decisions that provide evidence of their understanding in the following areas: 
Conventions of Standard English
Punctuation and Usage Conventions 
Sentence Structure and Formation
Production of Writing
Topic Development 
Organization, Unity, and Cohesion 
Knowledge of Language 

22. English Approximate number of items per grade:
Grades 3-5 – 25 operational items
Grades 6-8 – 35 operational items
Early High School (EHS) – 40 operational items
(4-8 field test items will also be added in each grade)
There are 2 main item types used on the English assessment for the online format (CBT- computer-based test):  
(1) MC - multiple choice - 1 point each
(2) TE - technology enhanced - 1 point each

23. English Examples Multiple Choice

24. English Examples Technology Enhanced

25. Writing Three modes of writing: Essay format One prompt only per grade
Analytical Expository
Reflective Narrative
Persuasive Argumentative 
Essay format
One prompt only per grade
30 minutes total per grade
Scratch paper is allowed for pre-writing

26. Analytical Expository

27. Reflective Narrative

28. Persuasive/Argumentative

29. Mathematics

30. Math Three item types used:
The ACT Aspire mathematics assessments emphasize quantitative reasoning frequently applied to real-world contexts rather than memorization of formulas or computational skills. (Occasionally the formulas are given)
Three item types used:
Multiple choice – 1 point
Technology enhanced – 1 point
Constructed response (also called Justification and Explanation for math) – 2 to 4 points

31. Approximate Number of Operational Items
Math
Grade Band
Approximate Number of Operational Items
Testing Time
3-5 25 55
6-7 34 60
8-10 38 65

32. Math Calculator Policy Formula Sheet None allowed or provided
Grades 3-5
NO CALCULATOR - Even as an accommodation
Grades 6-10
ACT-approved personal calculator OR Online calculator tool
Formula Sheet
None allowed or provided
Needed formulas are written into test questions

33. Math Examples
Multiple Choice

34. Justification/Explanation
Math Examples
Constructed Response
Justification/Explanation

35. Justification/Explanation
Math Example
Constructed Response
Justification/Explanation

36. Science

37. Science
ACT Aspire focuses on science practices that encompass three domains: 
Interpretation of Data
Scientific Investigation
Evaluation of Models, Inferences and Experimental Results.
ACT Aspire science assessments focus on assessing science practices using rich, real-world scientific scenarios.  The scenarios in the upper-grade assessments include student investigations, formal scientific research, formal scientific data from references, and students or scientists providing competing explanations for real scientific phenomena.

38. Science The content of the science assessment includes:
biology (life science at the earlier grades)
chemistry and physics (physical science at the earlier grades)
Earth/space sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, and meteorology).
The ACT Aspire science assessments stress science practices over recall of scientific content, complex mathematics skills, and reading ability."

39. Science-Item Types
Selected response (multiple choice) questions will be tied to a scenario which could include a data table, a graph, or a scientific phenomenon
Constructed response which can vary in both point value and length of response
Technology enhanced questions will provide the student with a drop down menu or a drag and drop choices for students.

40. Science Test Items 3-5 35 33-34 28 5-6 6-7 40 37-38 32 5-6
Grade        Total Test      Total Test            Operational    Field Test Level Items-Paper Items-Computer Items Items
   3-5               35               33-34                   28               5-6
   6-7               40                                 32               5-6
   8                  40               38-40                   32               6-8
   EHS              40                                 32               6-8
Note:  item counts may vary.

41. Science Examples
Grade 3 Exemplar – Selected Response - Students will need to scroll to see the entire table.

42. Science Examples
Grade 6 Exemplar – Constructed Response –The scroll bar will have to be noticed and used to generate a correct response.

43. Science Examples
Early High School Exemplar – Technology Enhanced – drag and drop type. Student will have to scroll to see the full stem.

44. ACT Aspire Periodic Assessments
Available December 1st
Set up in the same system as the summative.
Students must be entered and PNPs completed before interims can be given.
Schools will schedule their own periodics and managing all data
Fixed forms for both Interim and Classroom online delivery only (no paper periodics)

45. Classroom vs. Interim Differences are underlined
Grades: Grades 3-8 
Content Areas:  English, reading, math,
science (no writing) 
Administration: local control 
6 assessments - per subject/per grade      
Format: fixed format, all multiple choice
Duration:   minutes/test 
Feedback: usually 15 minutes
Reports: student, parent, teacher, school/district; Item Report/Analysis
Interim
Grades: Grades 3-10
Content Areas:  English, reading, math,
science (no writing) 
Administration: local control 
4 assessments - per subject/per grade      
Format: fixed format, all multiple choice
Duration:  45 minutes or less /test 
Feedback: usually 15 minutes
Reports: student, parent, teacher, school/district; Item Report/Analysis

46. Sandbox Exemplars http://tinyurl.com/arkansasassessment

48. Additional Information
Contact the Office of Student Assessment
Director
Test Administration
Periodic Assessments
Accommodations
Science
ELA/Communications
Data Literacy
Tech
K-2/ELA
Alternate Assessments
ELPA21