1. Explore Night OCMS

2. What is the Explore? National Test for 8th Grade students given in September. A precursor to the ACT. A test that predicts College and Career Readiness. Identically matches the format and types of questions of the ACT. Feel free to thumb through the booklet, but we will need to get them back.

3. Why Did My 7th Grader Take it Then? We have chosen to give 7th Grade students the Explore to give them the best advantage possible when taking it in 8th Grade. We can also measure student growth from one year to the next.

4. Why is it Important? The Explore is important because it gauges a student’s college and career readiness. The benchmarks predict what a student’s PLAN and ACT score will be if they do not progress academically. A long line of research indicates… Is used by the High School in scheduling and course selection.

5. Test Progression 7th and 8thExplore 9th and 10thPLAN 11thACT 12th ACT Optional

6. Why is the ACT Important? Is used my most colleges in the admission process. If students don’t meet certain benchmarks they may have to take remedial courses that aren’t counted as credits….expensive! Is a basis for many academic scholarships and grants.

7. 7th Grade Anticipation Typically 7th Graders show much growth from 7th to 8th grade on the Explore. They take it in September, so they have been taught only a small portion of the 7th grade curriculum. Math and Science are typically low. Don’t be discouraged or disappointed.

8. What Makes the Explore so Challenging? It is a timed test. Students have on average between 1-2 minutes per question. Time is the largest hurdle. It tests their reading ability in each section and tests their problem solving abilities. It is not a content test like the KPREP.

9. How Did OCMS as a School Perform? We are very proud of our students because our composite is tied with the highest it has ever been. Explore factors into our overall school score, and we are in the top 24% of all middle schools in Kentucky, a Proficient School. With that being said, we are proud, but we have room to grow in our Explore performance.

10. Benchmarks English (Grammar)13 Math17 Reading15 Science (hard to get)20 The Explore is a 25 pt Scale. PLAN is 32 pt. ACT is 36 pt.

11. Ms. Minor Individual Score Analysis

12. Website www.act.org/explorestudent/index.html www.actstudent.org

13. Questions Any Questions?