I Took The Practice ACT-- So Now What?

1. I Took The Practice ACT-- So Now What? Next Steps for Your ACT Adventure

2. CONGRATULATIONS! You Survived the Practice ACT!

3. Today’s Goals • Understand why your ACT score matters for YOUR future plans • Understand what it takes to get the ACT score YOU need

4. Tomorrow’s Goals (in Comm Arts) • Review your practice ACT and freshman/sophomore Aspire results • Set goals for your February ACT and create a plan to make it happen!

5. Why Does My ACT Score Matter? • Boost your college admission profile • Earn money for 4-year colleges and technical colleges • Skip technical college placement testing • Keep your score forever

6. What Is On the Test? • English: Punctuation, grammar, usage, and rhetorical skills (organization, style, strategy) • Math: Pre-algebra, algebra, coordinate and plane geometry, trigonometry • Reading: prose fiction, humanities, social science, natural science

7. What Is On the Test? • Science: Data representation, research summaries, and conflicting viewpoints • Writing: 40-minute argumentative writing task. Students develop a perspective on a complex issue and compare/contrast their perspective to other perspectives provided.

8. Practice ACT vs ASPIRE vs the REal ACT • When you took the ASPIRE in 9th and 10th grade, you received a predicted ACT range for each subject and for your composite score • When you took the practice ACT on November 2nd, you received a translated ACT score for each subject • Both of these tests give you important information about how well prepared you are to take the ACT

9. What is a “Good Score”? According to ACT’s Research, you have a 50% chance of earning a B or higher and a 75% chance of earning a C or higher in typical college first-year courses if you score

10. What Score Fits My Goals? “Middle 50%” ACT Composite Scores

11. Automatic Scholarships St. Norbert

12. Automatic Scholarships University of MissouriMark Twain Nonresident Scholarship

13. Score Cutoffs for Scholarships Marquette Burke Scholars Program • 10 full tuition scholarships for students committed to social justice and community service • Minimum ACT score of 25 to apply Pere Marquette Scholarship Program • $4,000-$14,000 renewable annually based on ACT and academic achievement

14. Scholarships for Specific Majors UW-Milwaukee Engineering Excellence Scholarship • $12,000-$24,000 4-year scholarships, including a paid undergraduate internship • Requires ACT Composite 25+, ACT Math 28+, 3.5+ GPA, and engineering coursework

15. Scholarships for Specific Majors UW-Milwaukee Business College Merit Scholarships • Rath Foundation Merit Scholarships, Lubar Scholarships, Dean’s Scholarships, MGIC Scholarship • $2,500-$9,600 renewable annually • All require a 25+ ACT Composite and 23+ ACT Math

16. Scholarships for Tech School MATC MATC Promise • Free tuition and fees for up to five semesters for qualifying students • ACT Composite 16+ and financial need Admissions • ACT Composite 18+ waives Accuplacer Testing • ACT can be used for specific programs

17. ACT Mythbusters True or False: I have great grades, so I don’t really need to study or prepare for the ACT.

18. I have good grades, so I don’t Need to Prepare for the ACT FALSE! • Although strong content knowledge is a piece of ACT success, skill development is also important • Some of the skills tested on the ACT are different from what you typically encounter in classwork and class assessments due to test format, time constraints, etc.

19. I have good grades, so I don’t Need to Prepare for the ACT FALSE! • Any skill benefits from practice • Just as you study and prepare for classroom assessments and final exams, you should plan to prepare for this college entrance/ career readiness exam

20. ACT Mythbusters True or False: I should start preparing for the February ACT now.

21. I should start preparing for the feb. ACT NOW! True! • Steady practice over time is more effective than “cramming” before the test • Test prep companies report that 1-2 hours a week over 3-4 months is ideal and is more effective than the same number of hours condensed into 6 weeks

22. ACT Mythbusters True or False: I would have to get almost all of the questions right to get a good score.

23. I have to Get Almost All of the Questions Right FALSE! • The questions and content you do not know or cannot determine quickly can be overwhelming, but you can actually miss around 50 questions on the ACT and still get a 26.

24. What Does It Take to Score Well?--English • “College Ready” is a score of 18 or higher (40-41 out of 75 questions). This is also the score MATC requires to waive Accuplacer testing • “Top 25%” is a score of 24 (56-57 out of 75) • “Top 10%” is a score of 29 (66 out of 75)

25. What Does It Take to Score Well?--Math • MATC requires a score of 18 or higher (27-28 out of 60 questions) to waive Accuplacer testing • “College Ready” is a score of 22 or higher (34-35 out of 60 questions) • “Top 25%” is a score of 24 (38-40 out of 60) • “Top 10%” is a score of 28 (47-48 out of 60)

26. What Does It Take to Score Well?--Reading • MATC requires a score of 18 (20-21 out of 40) to waive Accuplacer testing • “College Ready” is a score of 22 or higher (26 out of 40 questions) • “Top 25%” is a score of 25 (30 out of 40) • “Top 10%” is a score of 30 (35 out of 40)

27. What Does It Take to Score Well?--Science • MATC requires a score of 18 (16 out of 40 questions) to waive Accuplacer testing • “College Ready” is a score of 23 or higher (24-25 out of 40 questions) • “Top 25%” is a score of 24 (26-27 out of 40) • “Top 10%” is a score of 27 (32 out of 40)

28. How Can I Prepare for February? • Your active participation in your classwork is the best preparation for the ACT • Your Method Test Prep account includes an ACT checklist to complete between now and February 27. It takes about 20 hours to complete the entire checklist, and it includes both strategies/test taking tips and hundreds of practice questions.

29. Student Dashboard--the Checklist

32. But Does It Really Help? Class of 2018 Average Score Increase: ACT Practice to ACT Actual

33. My Plan • When will you use Method Test Prep? • Study Hall? • Black Hawk Time? • Evenings at home? • Weekends? • How can you make 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week to prepare?

34. Students who have completed 12 or more tasks* in Method Test Prep by 12/20 will get a donut and hot chocolate breakfast treat! We will have three incentives between now and the test date. * 12 tasks = about 4 hours An Added Incentive . . .

35. Other Prep Ideas • Free Materials from ACT • ACT Website (www.actstudent.org) • Preparing for ACT Test paper bulletin is also available in the Counseling Office • Additional full-length tests • Paper copies from The Real ACT--ask Ms. Isbell or Ms. Mintie • Various websites

36. Other Prep Ideas • Wisconsin Test Prep • 6 Monday evening sessions and one Saturday session starting in January • Taught by a GHS teacher • Tons of free online websites and tutorials • YouTube, PrepScholar, SparkNotes, etc. • Additional resources are linked to the GHS Counseling Website and Naviance under College Entrance Test Preparation. • Consider creating a study group and make time to prep together!

37. A Student Perspective

38. Good Luck with your Preparation!