ACT’s College and Career Readiness System
WVDE Regional School Counselor Conferences
March 2015
Chris Hansen
Client Relations
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Five Year Trends
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ACT Elementary — Career Continuum
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ACT Aspire Overview
The ACT Aspire Assessment System® is a vertically scaled,
standards-based system of assessments that monitor
student growth and progress in the context of college and
career readiness.
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ACT Aspire Overview
Summative Assessments
• English, math, reading, science, and writing assessments
• Grades 3–8 and Early High School (grades 9–10)
• Computer-based testing AND paper-and-pencil
• Connected to ACT College and Career Readiness Standards
and Benchmarks, along
with other high-stakes
standards initiatives
• Longitudinal reporting
on a vertical scale
linked to the ACT®
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ACT Aspire Overview
Periodic Assessments
Interim Assessments
• English, math, reading, and science assessments
• Grades 3–10
• Computer-based testing
• Connected to ACT
College and Career
Readiness Standards
and Benchmarks,
along with other
stakes standards
initiatives
high-
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ACT Aspire Overview
Periodic Assessments
Classroom Assessments
• English, math, reading, and science assessments
• Grades 3–8
• Computer-based testing
• Connected to ACT
College and Career
Readiness Standards
and Benchmarks, along
with other high-stakes
standards initiatives
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ACT Aspire Features
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Interim assessments are approximately 45 minutes.
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Classroom assessments are short and efficient.
Summative Timing in Minutes
Grade
English
Math
Reading
Science
Writing
3
30
55
60
55
30
4
30
55
60
55
30
5
30
55
60
55
30
6
35
60
60
55
30
7
35
60
60
55
30
8
35
65
60
55
30
Early HS
40
65
60
55
30
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ACT Aspire Features
Multiple Item Types
• Selected Response
Items can accurately distinguish students who grasp a basic concept from those who
do not. As one component of our assessments, selected-response items can help
measure a large amount of content in a brief time.
• Constructed Response
Require learners to use creativity, organizational skills, logic, and content knowledge
to demonstrate understanding.
• Technology Enhanced
Any question that takes advantage of computer capability to present material to the
student, engage the student in an activity, simulate the creation of information, or
otherwise allow interaction not possible in paper mode testing.
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ACT Aspire Features
Stronger Technologies
• Leverages technology
familiar to students to foster
achievement
• Robust online reporting that
enables timely modifications
to student learning and
intervention strategies
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ACT Aspire Features
Stronger Technologies
• Rapid Ramp-Up
Browser based, so zero time lost to install;
and uses your native industry browsers—
so no time-draining browser install/removal.
• Group or Individual Testing
High flexibility allows traditionally grouped
tests and individuals to be tested
as needed.
• Robust Capacity
To date in 2014, ACT AspireTM successfully
delivered more than 1.2 million
assessments, both online and paper.
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ACT Aspire Features
Online Reporting for Schools and Districts
• Rich data and insights
• Accessible via computer or tablet
• Downloadable PDFs of
student reports
• Dynamic online reporting
for schools, districts, and states
• Aggregate data files available
for download to SIS
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ACT Aspire Features
Summative Reporting — Easy-to-Use Data and Insights
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Flexible Student Grouping — your results as you want to see them
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Quick identification of Benchmark Attainment, Growth, and Standards
Performance
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Student Longitudinal Growth charts showing personalized progress
— Predicted ACT scores for Composite and each subject starting
in early high school
— National Normative data to provide grade level context
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Standards performance based on ACT College and Career Readiness
Standards including:
— ACT Readiness Ranges : Typical performance of students who
have met the ACT Readiness Benchmark for that subject
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Simple interventions as a path to improvement
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ACT Aspire Features
Summative Reporting – Additional Measures of Readiness
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National Percentile Ranks showing students how they performed
vs. other students in their grade nationwide
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ELA score for students who test in English, reading, and writing
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STEM scores for students who test in both math and science
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A Reading Progress with Text Complexity Score
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A Progress Toward Career Readiness Score (grades 8–10) for students
who test in English, math, reading, and science
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Predicted ACT Subject and Composite Scores (beginning at grade 9/10)
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ACT Aspire Features
Dynamic Aggregate Reporting Online for Educators,
Schools, and Districts
• Identifies potential curriculum gaps
• Identifies students in need of intervention
• Identifies opportunities for professional development
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ACT Aspire Benefits
• Provides evidence-based results
• Additional measures provide a more holistic view of student
• Educators have greater visibility into specific areas
of academic risk and can apply earlier intervention
• Modular administration by subject and/or grade provides
testing flexibility
• Links to ACT College Readiness Benchmarks ensure a student’s
path to College and Career Readiness is on target
• Provides educators with a powerful predictor of performance on
the ACT test beginning in grades 9 and 10
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ACT Elementary — Career Continuum
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Built on Research
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Free
Social
Mobile
Insight-Driven
ACT Profile is the first social college and career
planning tool built on more than 30 years of
research and analysis.
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Request an Account
Contact us at profile@act.org to learn more or with
questions
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ACT Elementary — Career Continuum
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ACT Engage Overview
ACT Engage® measures
behaviors and
noncognitive attributes
that relate to academic
success and persistence.
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ACT Engage Overview
Student success depends on three things:
• Student academic ability
• Academic behaviors
– Motivation
– Self-Regulation
– Social Engagement
• Alignment of measured interest
with chosen field of study
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ACT Engage Overview
Research Based
• Tested and tracked thousands
of Grade 6–9 students
• ACT Engage results are valid
predictors
– High school performance
– High school graduation
– College enrollment
• Helps identify students at
risk of poor grades and
academic failure
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ACT Engage Features
• Low-stakes assessment
– Students answer questions about themselves
• Cost-effective
• Web-based
• Easy to administer
– 30 minutes
• Student, Aggregate,
Roster reports
– Available 24/7
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ACT Engage Features
Academic Behavior Assessment
Student Grade Levels
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Student reported
(surveys)
ACT Engage Grades 6–9
ACT Engage
Grades 10–12
Teacher reported
(teacher ratings)
ACT Engage Teacher
Edition Grades 6–9
ACT Engage Teacher
Edition Grades 10–12
College
ACT Engage
College
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ACT Engage Features
Domain
Motivation
(Getting work done)
Social Engagement
(Getting along)
Self-Regulation
(Keeping your cool)
ACT Engage
Grades 6–9
ACT Engage
Grades 10–12 and College
• Academic Discipline
• Commitment to School
• Optimism
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• Family Attitude toward
Education
• Family Involvement
• Relationships with School
Personnel
• School Safety Climate
• Social Activity
• Social Connection
• Managing Feelings
• Orderly Conduct
• Thinking before Acting
• Academic Self-Confidence
• Steadiness
Academic Discipline
Commitment to College
Communication Skills
General Determination
Goal Striving
Study Skills
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ACT Engage Features
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ACT Engage Features
Sample Student Report
Profile
of scores
Indices only
provided on
the Advisor’s
Report
Interpretive
feedback,
sorted from
strengths to
needs
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ACT Engage Features
www.act.org/engage
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ACT Elementary — Career Continuum
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ACT State and District Testing
ACT State and District Testing Overview
The ACT® is a curriculum- and standards-based educational
and career planning tool that assesses students' academic
readiness for college.
State and District testing is a program that allows state and
district Boards of Education the opportunity to provide The
ACT® assessment to 11th and 12th grade students within
their participating schools.
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ACT State and District Testing Features
Availability
• Available to public school districts that do not have a state adoption
during the same testing season (fall/spring)
– Minimum 50 testers per district per test date
• Private schools may participate regardless if the state has a state
adoption
– State may request input on test date or test option
• Cost set at national price
• District must sign new contract for each participating test season
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ACT State and District Testing Features
Reports
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Student Report
High School Report
District Aggregate Report
Student Data File
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ACT State and District Testing Benefits
Students
• Test occurs during school day in familiar surroundings
– Less stressful environment
– No travel or Saturday commitment
• Free of charge to students
– District billed per student tested
• Exempt from photo upload requirement
• Wider availability to students
– Reach students who were not previously considering college
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ACT State and District Testing Benefits
Students
• Receive college admissions scores accepted by all four-year colleges
and universities in the United States
– May request scores sent to as many as four colleges at no charge
– Use the scores for financial aid and scholarship applications
• May provide personal information to help identify opportunities for
college admissions and scholarships
• Receive personalized information to explore future college and career
decisions
– Based on their strengths, weaknesses, and interests
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ACT State and District Testing Benefits
Faculty
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Help determine curriculum areas in need of improvement
Measure student achievement levels on group and individual basis
Compare student achievement to other schools
Assist counselors in directing student course placement
– Help increase score on future tests
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ACT State and District Testing Benefits
State and District
• Establish baseline information on student performance
• Insight on student academic achievement and college readiness levels
• Benchmark and compare school performance among schools in their
district
• Make informed curriculum decisions and intervention strategies
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ACT State and District Testing Benefits
Participating in ACT State and District testing:
• Gives students the opportunity to assess their academic
skills and level of college readiness
• Opens a world of possibilities for your students by
increasing their access to higher education opportunities
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ACT Elementary — Career Continuum
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Questions?
Chris Hansen
Client Relations
319-512-8922
chris.hansen@act.org
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