College and career readiness assessments :

1. College and career readiness assessments: Preparing Students, Staff and Parents for EXPLORE-PLAN-ACT

2. Expectations for the session….?

3. Outcomes of today • Why is it important to administer Explore/Plan? • How do the Explore/Plan/Act function together as a test series? • What data is collected? • What should we be doing to encourage an honest effort from our students? • Connecting the assessment to students • Getting staff involved • Communicating with parents • Sharing administration practices • Preparing to review results…

4. Why Why is it important to administer Explore/Plan?

5. Discussion:Please answer the obvious question… My school chooses to administers Explore and Plan because…??? The enemy

6. Characteristics of High Performing Schools Adapted from the Hope Foundation’s Six Principles of High Performing Schools & Failure is not an option research

7. The National Readiness Gap • 81% of high school students expect to attend college: • About 70% enroll in college; • 50% will graduate in 5 years; • 25% will drop out in first year; • Only half of the students were ready for college-level content ; • 1/3 of freshmen enroll in at least one remedial course; • Only 17 percent of students who enroll in a remedial reading course receive a BA or BS within 8 years. How did we get here?

8. ACT Performance (11th grade MME)

9. College Readiness Benchmarks

11. A Compelling Case…

12. EPAs as a Growth Measure

13. Becoming Intentional and Deliberate Don’t let good ideas become the scapegoat of poor implementation!

14. Background Knowledge What is the Educational Planning and Assessment System?

15. EPAS: Background Knowledge EPAS programs can be mixed and matched in ways that meet the needs of individual schools, and districts. However, each program includes the four components that form the foundation of EPAS: Student Planning—Process through which students can identify career and educational goals early and then pursue those goals. Instructional Support—Support materials to help classroom teachers prepare their students for the coming transitions. This reinforces the direct link between the content and skills measured in the EPAS programs and those that are taught in classrooms. See also the College Readiness Standards. Assessment—Student achievement is assessed at three key transition points in EPAS—8th/9th, 10th, and 11th/12th grades—so that academic progress can be monitored to ensure that each student is prepared to reach his/her post-high school goals. Evaluation—An academic information monitoring service that provides teachers and administrators with a comprehensive analysis of academic growth between EPAS levels. Source: http://act.org/epas/index.html

16. EPAS: Background Knowledge • Student Planning Students also need a plan that includes a general direction for their life. Without such a plan, they are less likely to stay in school. • EPAS: • Identify career and educational options • Establish goals • Motivates students to see the connection between course selections and achievement and their lifelong objectives • Evaluate educational/career progress • Increases student access to post-high school options

17. EPAS: Background Knowledge Instructional supportTeachers need clear targets for integrating essential skills into classroom instruction. EPAS: Connects teaching, learning, and assessment Provides information helpful in aligning curriculum to life-relevant goals and objectives Relates what is being taught to what is being learned Suggests high-quality instructional activities

18. EPAS: Background Knowledge • AssessmentStudents need to know their academic strengths and weaknesses so they can choose courses or get extra help where they need it. • Schools need to know their students academic strengths and weaknesses to provide instruction and support to best enable students to reach their goals. • EPAS: • Focuses on standards-based assessments that emphasize higher-order thinking skills important for success in school and work • Provides information to document student academic achievement and program effectiveness • Contributes information for appropriate course placement decisions • Student Planning

19. EPAS: Background Knowledge EvaluationAdministrators need a way to evaluate student progress in acquiring these skills from eighth to twelfth grade. EPAS help administrators: Document accomplishment of standards and objectives Observe evidence of student growth over time By providing information to make informed decisions about relative strengths and weaknesses of instructional programs By guiding career and educational planning, instructional support, assessment, and longitudinal evaluation.

20. EPAS – College Readiness Standards • One set of standards for all three assessments. • The ceiling is raised from one assessment to the next • The College Readiness Standards are very finite compared to MMC / HSCE / CCSS • Key questions: • Do I have to choose between the Michigan Merit Curriculum, the ACT College Readiness Standards, and the Common Core Standards? • What level of alignment is necessary? • Math example

21. College Readiness Benchmarks

22. Benchmark Score? • College Readiness Benchmark Scores: • A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses, which include English Composition, Algebra, Social Science and Biology. These scores were empirically derived based on the actual performance of students in college.

24. EPAS: College Specific Samples

25. ACT - Interesting Research Reports ACT Profile Report - Class of 2009 2009 Graduates Ready for College by State College Readiness Benchmarks by Career Field College Readiness Benchmarks by Subject The Condition of College Readiness

26. What Data is Collected? What do we get for our money???

27. Content Area Data: • Scale scores and Percentiles: • Composite • Math • Science • Reading • English • Sub-scores • Rhetorical Skill • Usage and Mechanics • Algebra (Plan) • Geometry (Plan) • Estimate of next EPAs composite score

28. The other (really cool and useful) stuff: • Parents level of education; • Education Plans after high school; • Career Choice (self selection); • Career Interest Inventory results; • Needs Assessment (self reported); • Post high school planning • Writing • Reading • Study Skills • Math • Computers • Public Speaking

29. Available Reporting: • From ACT Inc.: • Student Report • Profile Report • Item Analysis Report • Within DataDirector: • Students who met all CRBs • “Not Yet” reports • For each content area, shows students who missed CRB, their post secondary intentions and any self reported needs related to that content. • Post Secondary Plans summary • Self Reported Needs summary • EPAs Family Growth Report

30. Getting honest effort from students: How do we make sure the data collected is accurate?

31. You can’t redeem bad data

32. The Backward Design Process Identify Desired Results Determine Acceptable Evidence Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction Grant Wiggins and Jay McTigheUnderstanding by Design1998 ASCD

33. Teaching to the Test? Instruction Curriculum Assessment

34. Managing Test Affect Assessment 101 • True Score = Observed Score – Error Process: • Use backward design to develop the right desired outcomes? • Design assessment to yield valid evidence of learning • Tightly linked to learning targets - valid • High quality assessments to reduce error • Design instruction / interventions that are tightly tied to • The learning targets • The assessment to be used

35. Teaching to the test? • Do we buy into the desired outcomes of increasing college aspirations and improving college readiness? • Is the ACT the best, the most valid and reliable way to measure progress towards those outcomes? • Is improved performance good for students? • Is it good for schools? • Is paying attention to the College Readiness Standards good for curriculum and instruction? So, can a case be made for teaching to this test?

37. Discussion: What actions does your district take to assure students are aware of the connection between high school success and post-secondary opportunities?

38. Student Orientation - Overview • Learning Targets: • To develop student awareness of the EPAS path to college readiness • To increase student expectations regarding the value and attainability of a college degree or certificate. • To attach an appropriate level of importance to college readiness • This is not just about ACT knowledge. It is about connecting with kids on a personal level to get them thinking about the impact of today on tomorrow.

39. Making the Case Education Plays Document

41. Making the Case… Unemployment Rate by Level of Education

42. Making the Case • Visit the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information on the future of jobs and education. Next Question: • What percentage of your students aspire to attend college? • (Show Regional Post Secondary Aspirations Report)

43. Ownership? Assumptions? Orientation? • Purpose • Audience • Time Required • Optimal Delivery Date • EXPLORE Student Orientation Session Template

44. Student Orientation - Resources Resources available at ACT.org EXPLORE Resources at ACT.org EXPLORE PPT – Visuals(Open later – long download time) PLAN Resources at ACT.org PLAN PPT - Visuals ActStudent.org

45. Student Planning Reports… • Don’t leave students out of the process! • A framework for developing student ownership: • Joe Esper will now tell a compelling story….

46. Clear Roles

47. Discussion • How do you assure your staff sends the right message?

48. Suggestions for connecting staff • Administer the test at a staff meeting. • Show last year’s results • Profile reports • Student Report • Item analysis reports • DataDirector reports • Schedule time NOW for: • Staff analysis • Student conferencing on results

49. Making ConnectionsCommunicating With Parents Characteristic #5: Actively Engaging Family and Community • Assessment Program Letter • Pre-Test Letter • Post-Test Letter

50. Administration Practices