EXPLORE Information Session
Georgia Appalachian Center
For Higher Education
February 5 & 6, 2013
Our ACT Consultant:
Carl Forbes, MSED
Senior Consultant
East Region – Atlanta Office
404-231-1952
3355 Lenox Road NE, Suite 320
Atlanta, GA 30329
carl.forbes@act.org
Topics/Agenda
 Assessment Overview
Administration
After The Test
Questions
College
and Career
Readiness
System
College and Career Readiness
System
MEASURING STUDENT PROGRESS TOWARD READINESS
IMPROVING
COURSE RIGOR
EXPLORE
PLAN
The ACT
ENGAGE
QualityCore
8th and 9th grade
curriculum-based
educational and
career planning
program
10th grade
curriculum-based
educational and
career planning
program
11th and 12 grade
curriculum-based
assessment for
learning outcomes
Middle and high
school assessment
that measures all
factors of academic
success
Research-driven
solutions for
strengthening
curriculum
SUPPORTING SOLUTIONS
PLANNING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Core Practice Audit
CoreWork Diagnostics
Framework for evaluating current
practices
Online service to diagnose and improve
content and practice areas
EPAS - Educational Planning and
Assessment System
EXPLORE- 8th or 9th
Assessment
PLAN- 10th
Student Planning
ACT- 11th or 12th
Instructional Support
Evaluation
EPAS Scales Relationship
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
32
36
25
EXPLORE
PLAN
ACT
What Will EXPLORE Tell Us?
Academic Progress
Interests
Career Plans
 at key transition points
Educational Planning and
Assessment System – EPAS
CONTENT
How are the test
constructed?
What do the
tests
measure?
Guiding Principles of EPAS
 The EPAS tests are achievement tests. They
are tests of acquired or developed abilities.
 The tasks (questions) constituting all EPAS
tests correspond to recognized middle and
high school learning experiences.
 The EPAS tests consists of complex,
heterogeneous tasks that require students to
use skills and knowledge developed over time
to solve them.
 Each test is developmentally appropriate for
the grade level
English Test
Designed to measure students’ ability to
effectively communicate meaning by:
Critiquing
Revising
Editing
English Test
2 sub-scores
EXPLORE
Punctuation
6 (.15)
25
63%
Usage/Mechanics
Grammar
and Usage
8 (.20)
Sentence Structure
11 (.28)
PLAN
7 (.14)
30
60%
9 (.18)
14 (.28)
ACT
10 (.13)
40 (.16)
53%
12
18 (.24)
Strategy
Organization
Rhetorical Skills
Style
5
5
15
5
6
7
20
7
12 (.16)
11 (.15)
35 47%
12 (.16)
Total
40
50
75
4
300 Words
4
300 Words
5
325 Words
Passages
Passage Length
(.12)
(.12)
37%
(.12)
(.12)
(.14)
40%
(.14)
Mathematics Test
Requires Students to
Analyze problems – in both real
world and purely mathematical
settings
Plan and carry out strategies
Verify appropriateness of solutions
Mathematics Test
EXPLORE
Content Area
Basic Statistical/
Probability Concepts
4 (.13)
Pre-Algebra
10 (.33)
Elementary Algebra
9 (.30)
Pre-Geometry
7 (.23)
Plane Geometry
Coordinate Geometry
Intermediate Algebra
Trigonometry
Total
30
PLAN
ACT
14
8
(.35)
(.20)
14
10
(.23)
(.17)
11
7
(.27)
(.18)
14
9
9
4
(.23)
(.15)
(.15)
(.07)
40
60
Reading Test
Measures student proficiencies in
understanding and deriving meaning
from texts ranging from fiction
narratives to informational passages
Measures vocabulary by determining
the meaning of unfamiliar or multiplemeaning words from context
Measures skills used to read and
understand published materials
Reading Test
Content Area
Prose Fiction
Humanities
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences
EXPLORE
10 (.33)
10 (.33)
10 (.33)
PLAN
8 (.32)
9 (.36)
8 (.32)
ACT
10 (.25)
10 (.25)
10 (.25)
10 (.25)
Total
30
25
40
Passages
Passage Length
3
500 Words
3
500 Words
4
750 Words
Reading Between the Lines
Those ACT-tested students who can
read complex texts are more likely to
be ready for college
Performance on complex texts is the
clearest differentiator in reading
between students who are likely to be
ready for college and those who are
not. And this is true for both genders,
all racial/ethnic groups, and all annual
family income levels
Reading Between the Lines
More students are on track to being
ready for college-level reading in 8th &
9th grade than are actually ready by
the time they reach 12th grade
Not enough high school teachers are
teaching reading skills or strategies
and many students are victims of
teachers’ low expectations
Science Test
Measures student proficiencies in using and
reasoning with science information, skills, and
knowledge
Asks Students to:
 Communicate information and use scientific
research strategies
 Make comparisons between, and draw
conclusions from scientific findings, studies, and
viewpoints
Science Test - EXPLORE
Content Area1
Format
Life Science
Physical
Science
Earth/Space
Science
Data Representation
Research Summaries
Conflicting Viewpoints
1Content areas are distributed over all formats
Science Test
Stimulus Material EXPLORE
12 (.43)
Data Representation
Research Summaries 10 (.36)
Conflicting Viewpoints
6 (.21)
PLAN
10 (.33)
14 (.47)
6 (.20)
ACT
15 (.38)
18 (.45)
7 (.18)
Total
30
40
28
Science Test - Passages
Content Area
Life Science
Physical Science
Earth/Space Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Total
EXPLORE
3
2
1
6
PLAN
ACT
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
1-2*
5
7
*At least one topic is required in this content area, and some test forms may
have two topics. No more than two topics in a particular content area are
allowed.
MAKING READINESS A REALITY
Monitor College Readiness Early
Based on more than 540,000 8th graders who
took EXPLORE in 2007:
When
students’
skills
Majority
of students
not
ACT data
suggestsare
that
are
improved
during
on
target in
middle
students
who
enterschool
high
middle
school,
the
to
be ready
for college-level
school
lacking
prerequisite
results
by
the
end
of
workrarely
after ever
high catch
schoolup
skills
high school can be
astounding
Non-Cognitive Components
Student Information Section
 Name
 Student ID Number
 Birth Date
 Gender
 Current Grade
 Race / Ethnicity
Non-Cognitive Components
Needs Assessment
 Exploring options for Education, Careers,
and jobs after HS
 Improving writing skills
 Improving reading speed or
comprehension
 Improving study skills
 Improving mathematical skills
 Improving computer skills
 Improving public speaking skills
Non-Cognitive Components
Plans and Background
 Language the student knows best
 Types of courses planned in high school
 HS coursework plans in 5 subject areas
 Participation in accelerated, honors, or
outreach programs
 Parents’ highest levels of education
 Educational and career plans after HS
Non-Cognitive Components
Local Supplemental Items
 What would you like to know about your
students?
+ Average amount of time with TV,
+ Average amount of time spent studying
+ School environment
+ Teams?
Non-Cognitive Components
UNIACT Interest Inventory
 Included in all EPAS tests at no extra
charge
 72 item unisex interest inventory of work
relevant activities
 Identifies personally relevant career
options
 Bridged to World-Of Work Map and
Holland Types
World of Work Map
E= Enterprising
S=Social
C=Conventional
R=Realistic
S
A=Arts
R
I=Investigative
World of Work Map
Interest Inventory Results
What We Need to Know to Help
Students’ Scores Improve
What skills the test measures
How the test measures the skills
How the test relates to my curriculum
What skills my students already know
What skills my students need to learn
What instructional methods would be
most effective in meeting the students’
needs
. . . as a base for building instructional strategies
Student Score Report
Review
Using Your EXPLORE Results
Student/School Information
What do Your Scores Mean?
Score
Range
(1-25)
Composite Score
15
Your Estimated PLAN Composite
Score Range
ACT Recommended Coursework
ACT Minimum Core
English:
4 years
Social Sciences: At least 3 years
Mathematics: At least 3 years
Natural Sciences: At least 3 years
Your High School Course Plans
Compared to Core
Your Reported Needs
Your Plans for After High School
College Readiness
Benchmark Scores
*The ACT Benchmark Score indicates a 50% chance of obtaining a “B” or a
75% chance of obtaining a “C” in corresponding credit-bearing college courses.
College Readiness Benchmark
Scores Explained
College Readiness
Career Area List
Coursework Planning
Page 10
Coursework Planner
Page 12
EXPLORE Score Report
Side 2
Building Your Skills
www.explorestudent.org
Additional Resources
http://www.act.org/explore/downloads.html
Supplemental Report Review
EXPLORE Reports
 School Summary
Profile Report
 Presentation Packet
 Early Intervention
Roster
 Item-Response
Summary Report
 College Readiness
Standards Report
Profile Summary Report
This report provides an overall summary
of information on all students who have
taken the test in the district/school
Includes option for 12 local items
Page 2
EXPLORE (1 – 25)
EXPLORE Subscores Page 3
Subscores Scale:
EXPLORE 1-12
College Readiness Standards
College Readiness Standards (CRS) are the statements
that represent widely held learning goals that are
important for success in high school, college, and the
world of work.
The CRS link EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT
Assessment scores to curriculum and instructional
decision making.
I
m
p
r
o
v
i
College Readiness Standards
by Learning Strands and Score Ranges
Basic
Operations
and . . .
16-19
20-23
Standards:
Probability,
Statistics, &
Data . . .
Standards:
Numbers:
Concepts &
Properties
Standards:
Scores are seen as
ideas
for progress
Assessment
for Achievement,
Standards:
Standards:
Standards:
rather than
Assessment
of
Achievement!
ideas for progress
EXPLORE CRS Tables
Page 3
Educational Plans
Page 5
EXPLORE Summary Profile
Report Activity
Presentation Packet
Early Intervention Rosters
Early Intervention Rosters
 Identify students who reported that they
do not plan to complete high school, or
have no post-high school educational
plans
 Identify students who earned a composite
score at or below the national 10th
percentile (</= 10)
 Identify students who expressed a need
for help in one or more areas
Item-Response Summary Report
College Readiness Standards
Report
Your School Curriculum
Compared to EPAS
For each skill, knowledge, or
process:
 Is it included in your curriculum?
 At what grade level (or in which course)
are students first introduced to the skill?
 At what grade level (or in which course)
are students expected to demonstrate
proficiency in this skill?
Improving Academic
Achievement
College Readiness Guides
 Examples of test items by Strand by Score
Range
 Suggestions for strategies and
assessments by Strand
 Special Section: Using Assessment
Information to Help Support Low-Scoring
Students
Connecting College Readiness
Standards To The Classroom
www.act.org/standard/guides/explore
Building Success Strategies
What is the data telling us?
What are our College Readiness
goals?
What strategies need to be
implemented this year?
What are our long term
strategies?
What type professional
development is needed?
Our ACT Consultant:
Carl Forbes, MSED
Senior Consultant
East Region – Atlanta Office
404-231-1952
3355 Lenox Road NE, Suite 320
Atlanta, GA 30329
carl.forbes@act.org