College Admissions
Mission Statement
"To ensure that all students
graduate with the skills necessary
to attend a college, university,
technical college, or training
program — and succeed."
Minnesota State Mandated Testing
• Minnesota Legislation
The state legislature has adopted the Common Core State
Standards and established a new state testing program
beginning with the 2014-15 school year
– ACT Explore Grade 8
 Tests given November 3 - 21
– ACT PLAN Grade 10
 Tests given November 3 – 21
Mandated Testing Continued
• ACT
 Minnesota now requires all 11th graders to take
the ACT to graduate
 Intended to measure a student’s college and
career readiness
 You do not have to pay for this administration
 The state ACT testing date is Tuesday, April 28,
2015
ACT Test Dates
National Test Dates in Black
• October 25, 2014
• December 13, 2014
• February 7, 2015
• April 18, 2015
• April 28, 2015 – All 11 grade students in Minnesota take
th
ACT
• June 13, 2015
Forest Lake is a testing
center for all dates.
ACT Test Registration
• www.actstudent.org
• Register at least 6 weeks in advance of the
test date
• Plan at least an hour to sign up
-Interest survey
-Upload photo
-Select testing center
• Note: You only have to register and pay for any
national testing your child wishes to take
What’s the Big Deal?
The ACT is not just an achievement test. It is a
competition for scholarship dollars and college
admissions.
•College selection: Check with admissions offices
for the average score needed for entrance.
•Scholarships: A score of 28 is a huge benchmark
for significant scholarship money for many
universities. For some private schools, a 30–31 is
the benchmark.
High School Prepatory Courses
• College Prep Composition
• Literature course
• Math through Pre-Calculus, including Trig
• Science courses (need to be able to analyze
charts, tables, & other data)
How to prepare for the ACT
• Community Education Sponsored Test Prep
http://www.forestlake.k12.mn.us/community_education/programs/
(651) 982-8110 or (651) 982-8120
– Doorway to College ZAPPING the ACT
$89 (9am–3pm one day) October 4th or March 28th (Saturdays)
– PrepStar Premium June 8-11th
$329 (four 6.5 hour sessions)
– PrepStar Blast Jan 20, April 1st (No School Mondays)
$89 (one 6.5 hour session)
• ACT website practice exams
• Naviance Method Test Prep
• Take rigor in class choices
PrepStar
PrepStar Premium ($329) offers:
2 Point Guarantee
•24 hours of classroom prep
•Extensive content review (each subject area)
•Effective testing strategies
•Ti84 calculator programs (students ADORE these!)
•Math & science specialists
•PrepStar Blast ($89) offers:
•6 hours of prep
•Overview of ACT test format and testing strategies
•Take home ACT test with online scoring
•PrepStar Plus ($139) offers:
•One on One tutoring for three hours
•For students that have already participated in a PrepStar course and want to work on
specific areas
Zapping the ACT
The ZAPPING the ACT program offers:
•Focused – a focus on test-taking strategies
•Effective – score increases from 2 – 4 points
•Engaging – kids are actively involved and taught by
experienced presenters that make this class fun.
•Time sensitive – only five hours, one Saturday; your child
is busy!
•Materials – a backpack-friendly student workbook and four
subject-area Workout booklets with 24 shortened practice tests
•Affordable – only $89.99 including materials
Method Test Prep
• Offered through student’s Naviance Account
• Provides practice exams, sample questions,
weekly skill development activities, and
explains certain concepts.
• Free
Method Test Prep
•
Student should access the high school website and click on the Naviance tab on
the homepage
•
Naviance login for students is the same as what student use to login on school
computers
•
Once in Naviance, students should be on the “Family Connections” home page.
Click on the link “Method Test Prep” on the left side of the screen
•
Students should “Signup” for Method Test Prep by creating a user name and
password. Students will then be able to access a variety of ACT/SAT test prep
as well as various activities for skill development
•
After an account is made and student is logged into Method Test Prep, students
can click on the “ACT” tab and see a variety of activities including weekly
activities, evaluation tests, lessons and quizzes on content, practice questions,
and practice exams
Is retaking the ACT worth it?
Students who take the exam a 2nd time
•57% of students increase their composite score
– Typical increase was 1–2 points
•21% had no change
•22% decreased
Students who take the exam a 3rd time
•Only 10% improve their score!
•Things to consider: College entrance requirements,
scholarships
Questions????????