How can Parents Prepare
Students for the ACT Aspire?
The Night Before Testing:
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Talk to your child about any concerns they
may have about the test.
Your family should relax and enjoy the
evening.
Your child needs to go to bed on time.
Your child should not go to bed upset or
angry.
Your child should get a full night’s sleep.
The Morning of Testing:
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Start your day as you normally do.
Provide your child with a healthy breakfast.
Allow your child to wear his/her favorite
comfortable clothing.
Encourage your child to have a positive
attitude and to do his/her best on the test.
Ensure your child is at school and on time
every day during testing.
Ensure your child brings prescription glasses
to school every day during testing (if
applicable).
Test Results
ACT Aspire strudent score reports contain
a lot of information about your child’s skills
that can help answer three important
questions about their future.
Rogers Public Schools
where all belong, all learn, and all succeed
Where do they stand right now?
ACT Aspire shows their strengths and
weaknesses in the five subject areas tested.
How can they make goals for the future?
Looking at strengths and weakness can help
students plan coursework and set goals.
Are they on target for high school,
college, and a career?
to the
For more information on ACT Aspire,
visit the following website:
www.discoveractaspire.org
Rogers Public Schools
where all belong, all learn, and all succeed
500 West Walnut Street
Rogers, AR 72758
(479) 636-3910
Spring 2016
ACT Aspire Assessment Information for Parents
TESTING DATES
April 11 – May 13
The ACT Aspire has been chosen as
the new state assessment to take
the place of the PARCC Assessment
that was administered last year.
ACT Aspire is a Computer-Based
Assessment administered in
grades 3-10 in five subject areas.
The length of the entire
assessment is approximately
4 hours.
English
ACT Aspire English tests assess
students’ developed ability to revise
and edit texts. (MC, TE)*
Grades 3-5: 30 minutes
Grades 6-8: 35 minutes
Grades 9-10: 40 minutes
Reading
ACT Aspire Reading tests assess
students’ ability to answer
questions that assess their abilities
to recognize meaning in, reason
logically about, and make
connections between and among
texts, including literary narratives
(Prose Fiction, Memoirs, Personal
Essays) and informational text
(Social Science, Natural Science).
(MC, TE, CR)*
Grades 3-10: 60 minutes
Writing
ACT Aspire Writing tests ask students
at each grade level to respond in
essay form to a single writing prompt.
WRITING MODES
Reflective Narrative (Grades 3,6)
Analytical Expository (Grades 4,7,9,10)
Persuasive Argumentative (Grades 5,8)
Grades 3-10: 30 minutes
Math
ACT Aspire Mathematics tests
provide a picture of the whole of a
student’s mathematical development,
including a look at the concepts and
skills new to the grade level as well
as whether the student has continued
to strengthen, integrate, and apply
mathematics from earlier grades.
(MC, TE, CR)*
Grades 3-5: 55 minutes
Grades 6-7: 60 minutes
Grades 8-10: 65 minutes
Science
ACT Aspire Science tests focus on the
assessment of science practices using
real-world scientific scenarios. The
test stresses science practices over
recall of scientific content, complex
mathematical skills, and reading
ability. (MC, TE, CR)*
Grades 3-10: 55 minutes
Question Types Used:
MC - Multiple Choice/Selected Response
TE - Technology Enhanced (Questions require computer interaction)
CR - Constructed Response (Open-ended questions that require students to generate a typed response)