This presentation discusses Louisiana's new mandate requiring all 11th grade students to take the ACT exam and provides an overview of ACT's College and Career Readiness System. The system uses a longitudinal assessment model starting in 8th grade with EXPLORE, followed by PLAN in 10th grade, and the ACT exam in 11th/12th grade. These norm-referenced tests measure achievement in core subjects and include career exploration. The goals are to better prepare students for college and careers and provide data to improve instruction and student outcomes.

1. ACT’s
College and Career
Readiness System
2013-2014
presented by
Marlon Cousin, Title I Coordinator

2. Objective
This presentation will address the “new” State of Louisiana
mandate that all 11th grade students are required to take the
American College Testing (ACT) examination beginning this
school year (2012-2013).
Included in this presentation is a snapshot of ACT’s College and
Career Readiness System.
*For the 2012-2013 academic school year, all 11th and 12th grade students will take the ACT.

3. Education Terminology
Used in Presentation
• Common Core Standards: The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of
what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The
standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that
our young people need for success in college and careers.
• Longitudinal growth model: concerned with the development of persons or groups over time
• Criterion Referenced Test (CRT): CRT’s are constructed so that the student is tested upon what he is
supposed to know. This kind of test is usually connected to something else—grades, promotion to next
grade, HS diploma. Examples of a CRT include: Teacher-made tests, LEAP or a driver’s license test.
• Norm Referenced Test (NRT): NRT’s are not pass/fail. They compare one score to that of a group who also
took the test. Examples of a NRT include: ACT/SAT or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
• benchmark: a standard point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed.

4. Why Statewide Testing in Louisiana?
• Adopting all or part of
ACT’s College and Career
Readiness System on a
statewide basis provides
significant advantages for
educational and career
planning, assessment,
instructional support, and
evaluation.

5. Benefits of Statewide Testing
• Students benefit from a longitudinal growth
model that includes coordinated
measurement in 8th or 9th grade
(EXPLORE®), 10th grade (PLAN®), and 11th
or 12th grade (the ACT®).
• The system focuses on the integrated,
higher-order thinking skills students develop
in grades K-12 that are important for
success both during and after high school.
• Norm and criterion-referenced assessments
provide meaningful data for student and
school improvement efforts.
In addition, statewide testing:
• Raises awareness and exposure among all
students, rather than just self-selected,
college-bound students.
• Is a great equalizer of opportunity. Primarily,
it brings more men, more minorities, and
more middle- and low-income students into
the enrollment pipeline.

6. ACT’s Assessment Programs Provide
Flexibility to Meet State Needs
• Testing window allows test
administration either on
designated weekdays or on
weekends.
• Utilize state-assigned IDs (instead
of Social Security numbers) for
students, protecting their
personal information and
facilitating easy integration of test
results into state records system.
• Quick turnaround means test
results and follow-up materials
are shipped within 3 weeks of
testing for EXPLORE AND PLAN, 4
to 6 weeks for the ACT.
• Provides opportunity for
customized State-Allowed
Accommodations.

7. ACT’s Assessment Programs Provide
Flexibility to Meet State Needs (continued)
• As a result, states, districts, and
schools can align their curricula,
professional developments, and
assessments around the Common
Core State Standards, confident
they are aiming at the same
targets as the best-performing
countries around the world.
*Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA)

8. Definition of College and Career Readiness
• ACT defines college and career
readiness as “the acquisition of
the knowledge and skills a
student needs to enroll in and
succeed in credit-bearing
first-year courses at a
postsecondary institution
(such as a two- or four-year
college, trade school, or
technical school) without the
need for remediation.”

9. ACT’s
College and Career Readiness System
At the core of the system is a series of assessments (tests) that are curriculum-based
and show measurement over time. It begins in the 8th grade with EXPLORE,
followed by PLAN in the 10th grade, and ACT for juniors and seniors. Each assessment
measures achievement in English, math, reading, and science and includes a career
interest exploration component.
• 8TH AND 9TH grade educational
and career planning programEXPLORE
• 10TH grade educational and
career planning programPLAN
• 11TH or 12th grade assessment
for learning outcomesThe ACT

10. Features of EXPLORE (continued)
• Through EXPLORE, the strengths and
weaknesses of 8th or 9th graders can be
identified early in their educational
development, when they have the
greatest opportunity to establish a high
school program of studies that will help
them achieve their career and educational
goals.
• EXPLORE also includes a career
exploration component that stimulates
students’ thinking about future plans and
relates personal characteristics to career
options.
• The EXPLORE program helps students
discover a broad range of options for their
future.

11. Features of EXPLORE (continued)
Content/Skills Area # of
items
EXPLORE English Test (30 minutes)
Usage/ Mechanics
Punctuation 6
Grammar and Usage 8
Sentence Structure 11
Rhetorical Skills
Strategy 5
Organization 5
Style 5
TOTAL 40
Content/Skills Area # of
items
EXPLORE Mathematics Test
(30 minutes)
Pre-Algebra 10
Elementary Algebra 10
Geometry 7
Statistics/Probability 4
TOTAL 30
*Curriculum-based assessment (test) of ELA, math,
science and reading skills of 8th and 9th grade students
that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

12. Features of EXPLORE (continued)
Content/Skills Area # of
items
EXPLORE Reading Test
(30 minutes)
Prose Fiction 10
Humanities 10
Social Studies 10
TOTAL 30
Content/Skills
Area
Format # of
items
EXPLORE Science Test
(30 minutes)
Earth/Space
Sciences
Data
Representation
12
Life Sciences Research
Summaries
10
Physical Sciences Conflicting
Viewpoints
6
TOTAL 28

13. Features of PLAN
• Typically administered in the 10th grade,
PLAN provides students with an indication
of how their educational progress relates
to their post-high school educational and
career plans.
• PLAN scores can be used by both students
and teachers to analyze the relationship
between instruction and academic skill
development.
• Then adjustments can be made to high
school coursework to ensure they are
prepared for what they want to do next.
• Because PLAN and the ACT share common
score scale, the scores earned on PLAN
represent the same score a student is
likely to earn on the ACT.

14. Features of PLAN (continued)
Content/Skills Area # of
items
PLAN English Test (30 minutes)
Usage/ Mechanics
Punctuation 7
Grammar and Usage 9
Sentence Structure 14
Rhetorical Skills
Strategy 6
Organization 7
Style 7
TOTAL 50
Content/Skills Area # of
items
PLAN Mathematics Test
(30 minutes)
Pre-Algebra 14
Elementary Algebra 8
Coordinate Geometry 7
Plane Geometry 11
TOTAL 40
*PLAN is a curriculum-based assessment (test) of ELA,
math, science and reading skills of 10th grade students
that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

15. Features of PLAN (continued)
Content/Skills Area # of
items
PLAN Reading Test
(20 minutes)
Prose Fiction 8
Humanities 9
Social Studies 8
TOTAL 25
Content/Skills
Area
Format # of
items
PLAN Science Test
(25 minutes)
Biology Data
Representation
10
Chemistry Research
Summaries
14
Physics Conflicting
Viewpoints
6
TOTAL 30

16. Grade 8th 9th 10th

19. Features of the ACT
Content/Skills Area # of
items
ACT English Test (45 minutes)
Usage/ Mechanics
Punctuation 10
Grammar and Usage 12
Sentence Structure 18
Rhetorical Skills
Strategy 12
Organization 11
Style 12
TOTAL 75
Content/Skills Area # of
items
ACT Mathematics Test
(60 minutes)
Pre-Algebra 14
Elementary Algebra 10
Intermediate Algebra 9
Coordinate Geometry 9
Plane Geometry 14
Trigonometry 4
TOTAL 60
*The ACT is a curriculum-based college entrance exam that
measures skills and knowledge in ELA, math, reading and
science. The ACT is aligned to the Common Core State
Standards and includes an optional writing test.

20. Features of the ACT (continued)
Content/Skills Area # of
items
ACT Reading Test
(35 minutes)
Prose Fiction 10
Humanities 10
Social Studies 10
Natural Sciences 10
TOTAL 40
Content/Skills
Area
Format # of
items
PLAN Science Test
(35 minutes)
Biology Data
Representation
15
Earth/Space
Sciences
Research
Summaries
18
Chemistry
Physics
Conflicting
Viewpoints
7
TOTAL 40

21. School Performance Score
Middle School October 2013
LEAP
Grade 8
i LEAP
Grade 6
i LEAP
Grade 7
Dropout//Credit
Accumulation
Index
Assessment Points *
150 Advanced
125 Mastery
100 Basic
0 Approaching Basic
0 Unsatisfactory
Credits Accumulation
Index Points
Points
Per Student
6 150
5.5 125
5 100
4.5 75
4 50
3.5 25
3 or less 0
3rd
year 8th
grade student 0
Dropout 0
* Bonus Points - Up to 10 bonus points for students identified as non-proficient on
2012 state English language arts or math exams and exceed growth expectations on
2013 tests
* End-of-Course Points – Additional points for middle school students scoring
Excellent (50) or Good (25) on EOC tests

22. School Performance Score
High School October 2013
ACT *
25%
End-of-
Course
Tests
25%
Graduation
Index
25%
Graduation
Rate
25%
Graduation Index Points
150 Diploma + Advanced Placement with a
score of 3 or higher
110 Diploma + Dual Enrollment or Advanced
Placement with a score less than 3 or
Industry Based Certification
100 Diploma
75 5th Year Graduate
25 GED
ACT Points
150.4 Score of 36
100 to 147.6 Score of 18 to 35
0 Score Less than 18
2.8 increase for each additional
ACT point between 18 – 36
Graduation Rate Points
Earn points for the percent of
students who graduate in four
years
EOC Test Points
150 Excellent
100 Good
0 Fair
0 Needs
Improvement
Tests include Algebra I,
Geometry, English II, English
III, and Biology. U.S. History
will be included in the 2014 SPS
* Bonus Points – Up to 10 bonus points if students:
• were non-proficient on last state English language arts or math exams
• took PLAN test and have targets
• exceeded PLAN targets on ACT tests

23. Benefits for taking the ACT
• Rewards students for what they know.
The ACT is the only college admissions
test based on the number of correct
answers—with no penalty for guessing
• Results help educators monitor
academic growth from grades 8
through 12 (when combined with
EXPLORE and PLAN) and better identify
when and where students need help
• Motivates students to perform to their
best ability and often results in
increased college enrollment, especially
for underrepresented students.
• Provides colleges and universities with
detailed information for recruiting,
advising, placement, and retention.
• Helps students identify personally
relevant career options with the ACT
career exploration component.
• Offers interventions to assist students
in educational and career planning.

24. ACT Resources
for Students and their Families
*Visit www.actstudent.org to learn more about how these
resources are designed to help families and educators guide
students during their preparation for college and career.

25. ACT Student app
for iPhone® and iPod® touch
• ACTStudent helps users anticipate
and manage the ACT test experience.
Using the “Practice” feature, students
can answer answers to practice items
and gain feedback from their
attempts. The “Account” feature
allows users to log in for limited,
read-only access to their own
registration and score information.
• By accessing the link to ACT’s mobile
site, users can find straightforward
answers to typical questions test
takers have about events leading up
to the test and the test day itself.
www.act.org/mobileapps/actstudent

26. ACT College Search app
for iPhone® and iPod® touch
• ACT’s College Search helps users
focus and narrow their prospects for
postsecondary education. Searching
by names and/or selecting
preferences, users can arrive at a
manageable number of institutions
for more thorough investigation.
• They can view profiles, visit the
webpages and save as “favorites”
information about nearly all two-and
four-year postsecondary education
institutions in the U.S.
www.act.org/mobileapps/collegesearch

27. Online Resources
ACT Student Web Account
• Students can set up an ACT Web
Account to register for the ACT.
• The student account allows students to
make changes to their test option, test
date, or test center; add, change, or
delete college choices; receives e-mail
updates from ACT about registration;
view scores; and request additional
score reports.
www.actstudent.org
ACT Online Prep™
• ACT Online Prep offers practice tests
with real ACT Test questions, a
diagnostic test and personalized Study
Path, and comprehensive content
review for each of the ACT’s four
multiple-choice tests—English,
Mathematics, Reading, and Science.
• Practice essays with real-time scoring
for the optional Writing Test are also
included.
• Student edition: $19.95
www.actstudent.org/onlineprep

28. Online Resources (continued)
ACT Question of the Day
• Visit www.actstudent.org where a new
ACT Test practice question is posted
each day—FREE!
www.actstudent.org/qotd
ACT College Readiness Standards
• Become familiar with the ACT College
Readiness Standards™, educators and
parents can best equip themselves to help
students understand the skills necessary for
academic success.
• ACT’s College Readiness Standards clearly
describe the skills and abilities typically
demonstrated by students scoring in
particular ranges on ACT EXPLORE, ACT PLZN,
and the ACT Test.
• Download a FREE copy of Connecting College
Readiness Standards to the Classroom.
www.act.org/standard

29. Online Resources (continued)
• ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks
are the minimum ACT Test scores
required for students to have a high
probability of success in credit-
bearing first-year college courses—
English Composition, social sciences
courses, College Algebra, or Biology.
www.act.org/education/benchmarks.html
College
Course
ACT
Subject-Area
Test
EXPLORE
Benchmark
Grade 8
EXPLORE
Benchmark
Grade 9
PLAN
Benchmark
ACT
Benchmark
English
Composition
English
13 14 15 18
College
Algebra
Math
17 18 19 22
Social
Sciences
Reading
15 16 17 21
Biology Science
20 20 21 24
The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

30. Online Resources (continued)
World-of-Work Map
• The World-of-Work Map graphically shows
how occupations relate to each other
based on work tasks.
• When students receive scores from one
ACT’s assessments, they receive a
personalized report. This report suggests
map regions and career areas on the
World-of-Work Map for students to
explore.
www.actstudent.org/wwm/world/html

31. Online Resources (continued)
Map of College Majors
• The Map of College Majors is unique and
searchable and directs students to 80
popular majors. The map is based on the
interests of thousands of college students.
• Each map point corresponds to the interests
of actual students enrolled in that major.
• The map helps students see similarities and
differences between majors, based on
student preferences for activities involving
data, ideas, people, and things.
www.actstudent.org/majorsmap/index.html
ACT Parent Newsletter
• A monthly newsletter to help parents
guide students from middle school and
high school toward college and careers.
• Subscribe for FREE!
www.act.org/path/parent/news

32. Online Resources (continued)
• March2Succes also offers 25 decks of
flashcards (20 Verbal and 5 Math) ranging
in difficulty from easy to hard.
• The flashcards show a word or term, will
read it aloud (if you have sound turned
on) and provide a definition.
• Each deck of cards includes as game or
quiz to review the terms you have just
learned.
• FREE tool designed to help students in the
following areas:
SAT/ACT Practice Tests and Flashcards
• March2Success offers 7 full length practice
tests for both the SAT and ACT.
• These practice tests are timed just as each
section of the real test is.
• Additionally, each section can be reviewed
after the section has been scored. This
will show whether each question is
correct or incorrect with the correct
answer and an explanation of the
problem.
MARCH2SUCCESS
www.march2success.com

33. Print Resources
“Preparing for the ACT”
• This booklet includes descriptions of the
skills measured by the ACT, test-taking
strategies, general information about test
day, and complete practice tests, including
writing prompt. A sample answer
document, scoring key, and scoring
instructions are also included.
• See the school guidance counselor for
your FREE copy today!
media.act.org/documents/preparing.pdf
“Using your ACT Results”
• The ACT Student Report contains a
student’s ACT Test results and basic
explanations of what they mean. This
booklet provides more information keyed
to the three parts of the Student Report:
scores, College Reports, and education
and career planning.
• Download your FREE copy at:
media.actstudent.org/documents/uyar.pdf

34. Print Resources (continued)
• This guide can help students make some
important decisions about their future
education. Included are: six steps to
simplify college planning, information on
ACT Test preparation, suggested activities
and planning resources, college selection
strategies, and financial aid facts.
www.act.org/path/secondary/pdf/GetSetfor Collge.pdf
• The parent version helps parents and
students research colleges, discuss the
information, and work together to decide
which colleges are most appropriate. This
brochure is meant to help parents and
students prepare for opportunities and
challenges ahead and make planning for
college a little easier.
www.act.org/path/secondary/pdf/GetSetfor CollgeParent.pdf
“Get Set for College”

35. Print Resources (continued)
“The Real ACT Prep Guide”—with CD
• This is the only official ACT Test
preparation guide provided by ACT.
• Included are: five practice tests with
an optional Writing Test, explanations
for all right and wrong answer
choices, an in-depth look at the
optional Writing Test and how it is
scored, and valuable test-taking
strategies. $34.95
www.actstudent.org/testprep/book.html

36. The ACT Writing Test
• The ACT offers an optional 30-minute
Writing Test Component.
• The ACT Writing Test complements the
English Test. The combined information
from both tests tells postsecondary
institutions about students’ understanding
of the conventions of standard written
English and their ability to produce a
direct sample of writing.
Why the ACT Writing Test Is Optional
• Because postsecondary institutions have
varying needs, the ACT Writing Test is
offered as an option.
• Postsecondary institutions are making
their own decisions about whether to
require the results from the ACT
• Students will decide whether to take the
Writing Test based on the requirements of
the institutions they are considering.
• Students are not required to take a test
that they do not need to take, thus
incurring unnecessary expense, and
institutions have the freedom to require
the tests that best meet their information
needs.

37. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

38. Contact Information
Marlon K. Cousin, Title I Coordinator
(225)922.5593
mcousin@ebrschools.org