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The ACT® test is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students' academic readiness for college.

The ACT Overview

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• The capstone of ACT college and career readiness solutions

• Aligned with ACT Aspire®, making the system an effective tool to track academic progress and student growth

The ACT Overview

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The ACT Overview

Research Based

• Linked to the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards – Sets of statements intended to help students understand what their

ACT scores mean

• ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores • ACT National Curriculum Survey®

– Data about what entering college students should know and be able to do to be ready for college-level coursework

– Also informs the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

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• Curriculum-based college entrance exam

• Measures academic achievement

– English – Mathematics – Reading – Science – Writing (optional)

• High-stakes assessment

The ACT Overview

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The ACT Features

Test Score Scales • English

– Usage and Mechanics – Rhetorical Skills

• Mathematics – Pre-Algebra/Algebra – Algebra/Coord Geometry – Geometry/Trig

• Reading – Social Studies/Sciences – Arts/Literature

• Science

Composite • Average of four test scores (No writing)

The ACT with writing • Writing Subject Score • Writing Domain Scores

• Ideas and Analysis • Development and Support • Organization • Language Use and Conventions

1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18 1–18

1–36

2–12 2–12 2–12 2–12

1–36 1–36 1–36 1–36

1–36

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The ACT Features

Two Models

• National Testing – Student registers for

the ACT

• State and District Testing

– The ACT is provided by State or District Board of Education

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Test Options

• Two options – The ACT – The ACT with writing

• Offered six times each year

– Typically on a Saturday morning

• Test methods – Paper only

ACT National Testing Overview

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Pricing

• 2015-2016 – $39.50 the ACT – $56.50 the ACT with writing – ASR $12 – Late Fee $25

• Fee waivers available – 11th and 12th grade students – US citizens, or testing in the United States, US territories, or Puerto Rico – Meet the indicators of economic need

• Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements Flier

ACT National Testing Features

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English Test

• 75 questions, 45 minutes • 5 essays or passages, each with a set of

multiple-choice questions • Two subscores and a total test score

− Usage/Mechanics − Punctuation − Grammar and Usage − Sentence Structure

− Rhetorical Skills − Strategy − Organization − Style

The ACT Features

10–15% 15–20% 20–25% 15–20% 10–15% 15–20%

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Mathematics Test

• 60 questions, 60 minutes • Multiple-choice questions that require the use of reasoning skills to

solve practical problems • Three subscores and a total test score

− Pre-Algebra /Elementary Algebra − Pre-Algebra − Elementary Algebra

− Intermediate Algebra/Coord. Geometry − Intermediate Algebra − Coordinate Geometry

− Plane Geometry/Trigonometry − Plane Geometry − Trigonometry

The ACT Features

20–25% 15–20% 15–20% 15–20% 20–25% 5–10%

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Reading Test

• 40 questions, 35 minutes • 4 sections, each containing one long or two shorter prose passages • Two subscores and a total test score

− Arts/Literature − Literary Narrative or Prose Fiction − Humanities

− Social Studies/Sciences − Social Studies − Natural Sciences

The ACT Features

25% 25% 25% 25%

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Science Test

• 40 questions, 35 minutes • Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving

skills – Biology, Earth/Space Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics

• One score – Data Representation − Research Summaries − Conflicting Viewpoints

The ACT Features

30–40% 45–55% 15–20%

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Writing Test (Optional) • Enhanced design introduced in fall

2015 • 1 writing prompt, 40 minutes • The scoring moved from holistic,

single-score reporting to analytic reporting of four domain scores (ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use) to provide better information about college and career readiness

• Emphasizes student ability to evaluate multiple perspectives on a complex issue and generate an analysis based on reasoning, knowledge, and experience

The ACT Features

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Student Score Report

• Understand your scores – www.actstudent.org/scores/understand

• Using Your ACT Results – www.act.org/aap/pdf/Using-Your-ACT-Results.pdf

The ACT Features

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• New readiness indicators were introduced in fall 2015 – English Language Arts (ELA)

Score – STEM Score – Understanding Complex Texts

Indicator – Progress Toward Career

Readiness Indicator

New Readiness Indicators

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• English Language Arts Score – 1–36 range – Combines achievement on the English,

reading, and writing portions of the ACT for those who take all three sections

– Compares performance with others who have been identified as college ready

– Must take the optional writing test to receive this score

New Readiness Indicators

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• STEM Score – 1–36 range – Represents the student’s

overall performance on the science and math portions of the exam

New Readiness Indicators

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• Text Complexity Progress Indicator – Tells students if they are making

sufficient progress toward understanding the complex texts they will encounter in college and during their careers

New Readiness Indicators

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• Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator

– Provides an indicator of future performance on the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate™ (ACT NCRC®)

– Indicates progress toward Bronze-level, Silver-level, or Gold-level ACT NCRC. It also shows whether the student is making insufficient progress toward an ACT NCRC level

New Readiness Indicators

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Key Noncognitive Components

• High School Course/Grade Information − Courses completed or intend to take − Grades received

• ACT Interest Inventory − Helps students explore personally relevant

career options

• ACT Student Profile Section (SPS) – Educational and vocational aspirations – Post-high school plans – Activities – Accomplishments – Needs

The ACT Features

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Receiving Student Scores Report • Multiple-Choice scores available online beginning two weeks

after test date • Writing scores can take an additional 3-4 weeks

Sending scores • 4 free score reports to schools of student’s choice

− If requested at the time of registration

• Additional score reports can be requested at any time for nominal fee

The ACT Features

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Online Registration

• Student Account • www.actstudent.org

More than 95% of students register online

ACT National Testing Features

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Student Resources

• Free test preparation material – Sample questions with explanatory

answers – ACT Question of the Day

• www.act.org/qotd/ – Preparing for the ACT (downloadable PDF)

• Testing tips • ACT Map of College Majors • Interactive ACT World-of-Work Map • Financial aid and scholarship

information www.actstudent.org

The ACT Features

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Student Preparation Available for a Nominal Fee

• The Real ACT Prep Guide ($34.95) – www.actstudent.org/testprep/book.html

• ACT Online Prep ($39.95/year)

– www.actstudent.org/onlineprep/

The ACT Features

Personalized College & Career Planning

July 2015

Some students are lost • Wandering without a goal or plan • Could benefit from exploring personally

relevant education and career planning information

Some students are not aware • May have a goal but only limited view

of options • Could benefit from exploring personally

relevant information to better understand the various paths available

Addressing a Problem

• Student creates Profile account – a personal data experience

• Fills out ACT inventories for interests, abilities and values (+130 million people have taken ACT’s interest inventory)

• Views personalized results on Major Map & Career Map

• Explores other resources available in Profile related to schools, majors, careers, scores…

• Connects with counselors, groups and institutions via opt-in

How It Works – Students

Create account

Guided mini tour

Decide where to start

Use social media to post or log in

Explore the options

Sign out & sign back in (as often as they’d like)

Connect with friends, counselors, parents

Student Experience

Take inventories – few minutes each Explore results on Major Map Explore results on Career Map Take inventories again (if desired) Share results with counselor, parents or other advisors See how personalized results match to majors and careers of interest

Getting to Personalization

Understanding What to Study

Understanding What to Study

Exploring Career Options

Exploring Career Options

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Questions?

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Resources: www.actstudent.org

Student Account Registration Test prep http://www.act.org/education/family.html

www.act.org/standards Detailed information on scoring ranges and skills

associated with scores

www.actprofile.org Career and college Planning

ACT Customer Service: 319.337.1270