ACT 101 for School Administrators

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ACT 101 for School Administrators
Illinois ACT State Organization 2007 Annual
Conference Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Springfield IL Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Naperville/Lisle, IL
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Then (1959)
and
Now (2007)
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ACT Assessment

• Academic Assessments
• English
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Science
• Student Profile Section
• Course/Grade Section
• Career Interest Inventory

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ACT Registration

• Paper/Pencil Registration Form (US Mail)
• Admission Ticket Mailed to Student
• OnLine Student Registration
• Students Print Admission Ticket OnLine
• PSAE (Illinois) Student Registration
• Schools Register Juniors Through SIS

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College Readiness Standards

• Narrative Description of what students need to
  know and be able to do
• Reflect a Common Continuum of Achievement
• Progressive Model of Student Progress from
  Middle to High School
• Reflect Student Strengths/Weaknesses
• Evaluate Student Readiness for Next Levels of
  Learning

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College Readiness Benchmarks

• Through collaborative research with postsecondary
  institutions nationwide, ACT has established the
  following college readiness benchmarks
• Minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area
  test to indicate a 50 chance of obtaining a B or
  higher or a 75 chance of obtaining a C or higher
  in the corresponding first-year credit-bearing
  college course.

13 17 15 20
15 19 17 21
18 22 21 24
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School Pre Test Issues

• Receive and Verify Test Materials
• Secure and Store Materials
• Arrange for Testing Facilities
• Recruit and Train Testing Personnel

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On Test Day

• Students Report to the Test Center
• Photo ID
• Driver License
• School Photo ID
• I.D. Letter
• Recognition
• Admission Ticket
• Two 2 Pencils
• Calculator (for the Mathematics Test)

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Schools Test Day Activities

• Briefing Session for Testing Personnel
• Review Procedures
• Distribute Materials
• Room Roster
• Administration Manual
• Test Booklets (ACT Assessment Writing Test)
• Answer Folder

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Schools Testing Room Activities

• ID and Admit Students to the Test Center and
  Testing Rooms
• Check ID, Mark Roster, Seat Students
• Read Directions to Students
• Distribute Materials to Students
• Monitor Student Work
• Following Testing Collect and Verify Materials

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Schools Post Test Activities

• Post-Test Meeting with Testing Personnel
• Turn In Materials
• Answer Folders
• Room Reports
• Collect and Verify Testing Materials
• Complete Required Reports
• Prepare Answer Folders for Return
• Secure and Store Test Booklets for Return

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ACT Results

• Student Results
• View Scores OnLine (free)
• ACT Results Mailed to Student
• School Results Sent to High School
• Roster of Student Scores
• Individual Student Score Reports School Version
• Student Score Labels (2)
• High School Electronic Score Reporting (purchase)

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ACT EssayView

• www.act.org/essayview/
• Establish a Free School Account
• Share Username/Password With School Staff
  (administration, English staff, counselors, etc.)
• Copy of Student Scanned Essays with Scoring and
  Comments

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Annual Reporting to Schools

• High School Profile Report (August)
• High School College Readiness Letter
• District College Readiness Letter
• District School Profile Report (purchase)

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PSAE Reporting

• ACT Student Report (3 weeks after testing)
• ACT School Reports
• Roster of Student Scores
• Individual Student Score Report School Version
• Individual Student Score Labels (2)

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PSAE Reporting

• Preliminary PSAE Student Report (August)
• PSAE Reports to School (September)
• CD of Scores
• Student Reports Score Report, State Goals
  Report
• School Reports School Summary, Score Roster,
  State Standards Goal Report
• WorkKeys Student Reports (2)

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PSAE Reporting

• Sent to Building Principal in October
• ACT State Test Profile Report
• CD of Junior ACT Scores from April/May PSAE
  Administration

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• Consists of three aligned assessment programs
• EXPLORE
• 8th/9th grade assessment
• Provides baseline information on the academic
  prep of students
• Used to plan high school coursework
• PLAN
• 10th grade assessment
• Midpoint review of students progress toward
  educational/career goals
• Take time to make necessary interventions
• ACT Assessment
• 11th/12th grade assessment
• Measure students academic readiness for
  postsecondary success
• College admission and placement tool

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The ACT Core Curriculum

• English (four years or more) English 9-12
• Mathematics (three years or more) one year each
  of Algebra 1, Algebra II, and Geometry.
• Social Studies (three years or more) one year
  each of American History, World History, and
  American Government
• Natural Sciences (three years or more) one year
  of General/Physical/Earth Science, Biology,
  Chemistry, and Physics

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• Not only is taking the right number of courses
  important, the right kind of courses, and the
  rigor of these courses, is critical to student
  readiness for college-level work

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10 Ways to Raise ACT Scores

• Increase of Students Taking Core Coursework
• Provide Test Preparation Experience
• Review Content and Format of the ACT Assessment
• Align Curriculum with Skills Tested
• Involve Faculty and Parents
• Examine and Discuss Core Trends and School
  Profile Report
• Focus on Improvement, Not Composite
• Retesting Test Information Release
• Promote a Serious Attitude About Importance/Uses
  of ACT
• Student Motivation

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Contact ACT

• George Schlott
• Senior Consultant
• Elementary/Secondary Educational Services
  Illinois
• ACT Midwest Regional Office
• 300 Knightsbridge Parkway, Suite 300
• Lincolnshire, IL 60069
• 847/634-2560 ? Cell 319/321-9698
• FAX [phone]
• george.schlott_at_ACT.org