EPAS: Educational Planning and Assessment System AUDREY HARPER DISTRICT INTERVENTION TEACHER SOUTH WARREN HIGH SCHOOL ADAPTED FROM: AUDREY NEAL GEAR UP KENTUCKY
10 STRATEGIES FOR IMPACTING SCORES Increase percentage of students taking core coursework Provide test preparation experiences Review content and format of the test Align curriculum with the skills tested Involve faculty and parents Examine and discuss data Engage early in college readiness assessments Retesting Promote a serious attitude Enhance student motivation
What Kind of Test Prep is Best? Increase in ACT Composite Score 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Short-term activities Long-term activities (core or more)
What is the EPAS? Assess middle and high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work English, Math, Reading, and Science optional writing assessment Explore is scored on a scale of 1-25 PLAN on a scale of 1-32 ACT on a scale of 1-36 The ACT:215 questions within 2 hours and 55 minutes
COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS The EPAS testing system focuses on curriculum skills and not content knowledge The College Readiness Standards outline skills that students need to be successful in college Allow us to: map the development of your students knowledge and skills analyze your students progress to identify areas of strength and areas that need more attention help determine next steps in the instructional planning process
COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS One set of standards for each content area that is assessed Standards correspond to test score ranges Each test item is connected to a standard The standards also offer suggestions for ways to improve student performance and move them to the next level http://www.act.org/standard/ http://www.act.org/commoncore/pdf/ CommonCoreAlignment.pdf
Why is the ACT important? College admissions Scholarships or other programs KEES bonus money Placement in college courses determined by benchmark Indicator of readiness for AP or other advanced courses Career exploration Planning tool
How does the test differ from the types of tests our students are accustomed to taking? Timed test All questions are worth the same number of points The test does not progress from easy to hard in terms of subject matter Students can miss almost half the questions on the test and still score at benchmark in most areas Ex: To score a 20 on the ACT, you need to answer 53% of the questions correctly
Breakdown of test questions EXPLORE PLAN ACT ENGLISH MATH READING SCIENCE 40 questions 30 minutes 50 questions 30 minutes 75 questions 45 minutes 30 questions 30 minutes 40 questions 40 minutes 60 questions 60 minutes 30 questions 30 minutes 25 questions 20 minutes 40 questions 35 minutes 28 questions 30 minutes 30 questions 25 minutes 40 questions 35 minutes
ENGLISH Understanding of the conventions of standard written English in punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure Ability to make the kinds of decisions made by good writers related to strategy, organization, and style EXPLORE (1-12) PLAN (1-16) ACT (1-18) Punctuation 6 7 10 Grammar & usage 8 9 12 Sentence structure 11 14 18 Strategy 5 6 12 Organization 5 7 11 Style 5 7 12 TOTAL 40 50 75 PASSAGES/LENGTH 4/300 4/300 5/325
MATH Ability to analyze and solve problems rather than basic memorization of formulas*, knowledge of techniques, or computational skill Basic statistical/ probability concepts EXPLORE PLAN ACT 5 Pre-algebra 10 14 14 Elementary algebra 9 8 10 Pre-geometry 7 Plane geometry 11 14 Coordinate geometry 7 9 Intermediate geometry Trigonometry 4 TOTAL 30 40 60 9
ALGEBRA SKILLS STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW Evaluate algebraic expressions Multiply binomials Factor a polynomial Simplify an algebraic fraction Solve a linear equation Solve a quadratic equation Solve a system of equations Solve an inequality Find the distance between two points Find the slope of a line
GEOMETRY SKILLS STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW Line crossing two parallel lines angle measurements Special triangle properties Area calculations (triangle, circle, etc) Similar triangles with corresponding angles Pythagorean theorem Calculation of a minor arc, given an angle and radius Combining different area calculations for odd shapes Properties of special triangles (30-60-90 triangle, 45-45-90 triangle, etc) refer to 100 key concepts
READING Ability to understand and derive meaning from text by using both stated and implied information to identify main ideas, locate important supporting information, and understand characters relationships Sequences, cause-effect relationships, generalizations and comparisons about stated information and characters, understand events and complex processes Determine the meaning of unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words from context Use passage cues to generalize about author s purpose, attitude, or POV EXPLORE PLAN ACT PROSE FICTION 10 8 10 HUMANITIES 10 9 10 SOCIAL SCIENCES 10 8 10 NATURAL SCIENCES 10 TOTAL 30 25 40 Passages/length 3/500 3/500 4/750
SCIENCE Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in coursework in the natural sciences EXPLORE PLAN ACT DATA REPRESENTATION 12 10 15 RESEARCH SUMMARIES 10 14 18 CONFLICTING VIEWPOINTS 6 6 7 TOTAL 28 30 40 LIFE SCIENCE 3 PHYSICAL SCIENCE 2 EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE 1 1-2 1-2 BIOLOGY 1-2 1-2 CHEMISTRY 1-2 1-2 PHYSICS 1-2 1-2 TOTAL 6 5 7