The test - Wayzata Public Schools

Wayzata High School
Understanding
EXPLORE & PLAN
Results
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Why did your student take the
EXPLORE/PLAN?
 These tests shows academic strengths and
weaknesses in English, math, reading, and science
 These tests helps students search for careers and
learn which ones might be right for them
 These tests helps student’s choose high school
courses that will prepare them for college and work
The test:
includes four multiple-choice tests:
EXPLORE
PLAN
Subject
Number of
Questions
Length of
Test
Subject
Number of
Questions
Length of
Test
English
40
30 Minutes
English
50
30 Minutes
Math
30
30 Minutes
Math
40
40 Minutes
Reading
30
30 Minutes
Reading
25
20 Minutes
Science
28
30 Minutes
Science
30
25 Minutes
The English Test
• The English Test measures your understanding of
standard written English—punctuation, grammar and
usage, and sentence structure (Usage/Mechanics)—
and your understanding of the use of strategy,
organization, and style in writing (Rhetorical Skills).
• You receive a total score for the English test and
separate scores (called "sub scores") for
Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills.
The Math Test
• The Math Test measures your mathematical reasoning.
The test focuses on your ability to reason in math rather
than on how well you have memorized formulas or can
do involved computations.
• Questions on the test cover four areas—knowledge and
skills, direct application, understanding concepts, and
integrating your understanding of concepts—in prealgebra, elementary algebra, geometry, and statistics
and probability.
The Reading Test
The Reading Test measures your ability to understand written material from different school
subjects. The skills measured include referring to details in the passage, drawing
conclusions, and making comparisons and generalizations. The test does not cover
information outside the passages, vocabulary taken out of context, or formal logic.
The passages are typical of materials you might read in school, including:
•
Prose Fiction: Short stories or excerpts from short stories or novels.
•
Humanities: Excerpts from memoirs and personal essays, and from works on
architecture, art, dance, ethics, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy,
radio, religion, television, and theater.
•
Social Sciences: Excerpts from works on anthropology, archaeology, biography,
business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, and
sociology.
The Science Test
o The Science Test measures your scientific reasoning skills and your
ability to understand scientific information and draw conclusions from
it. Six sets of scientific information are presented in one of three
formats:

Data Representation (graphs, tables, and other forms)

Research Summaries (descriptions of several related experiments)

Conflicting Viewpoints (two or more hypotheses that are inconsistent with
one another).
o Materials for this test are drawn from the life sciences, Earth/space
sciences and physical sciences. The test emphasizes your scientific
reasoning skills rather than how well you can recall scientific facts, or
your skills in mathematics or in reading.
How do EXPLORE, PLAN, and the
ACT Align together?
o
o
o
EXPLORE is the first part of a testing
system that goes on to include PLAN
and the ACT.
Typically, students take EXPLORE in
the 8th or 9th grade, PLAN as 10th
graders, and the ACT as juniors or
seniors.
All three test you in English, math,
reading, and science. However, the
material tested in each program gets
more difficult. This is why the top
scores are different.
Program
Grade Level
Composite
Score Range
EXPLORE
8&9
1 to 25
PLAN
10
1 to 32
ACT
11 & 12
1 to 36
College Readiness Benchmarks
EXPLORE
PLAN
Test
Score
Test
Score
English
13
English
15
Math
17
Math
19
Reading
16
Reading
18
Science
18
Science
20
Score Report Side 1
Your Scores
•
•
•
•
Scores are between 1-25
Composite Score is the average of the 4 test scores.
Score Reports show how students did in percentiles
In the example above, the student scored in the 69th percentile in
English. This means they scored at or above 69% of those who took
the test.
Your Estimated PLAN/ACT Composite
Score Range
• Your EXPLORE scores can
be used to predict how you
are likely to do if you take
the PLAN as a 10th grader
• You can use these predicted
or estimated scores to see if
you are “on track” to achieve
the scores you want by the
time you take the ACT later
in high school.
Areas in Which Your Student May Want
Additional help
• When students took the EXPLORE, they were asked whether
or not they needed help in each of seven different areas. The
areas they checked are reflected on their Report Sheet.
Your Plans for After High
School
14
College
Readiness
The Interest Inventory
Students were asked to consider how much they
would like doing a variety of activities and were asked
to answer with one of the following:
• I would dislike doing this activity
• I am indifferent (I don’t care one way or the other)
• I would like doing this activity
World-of-Work Map
The map shows how
Career Areas differ in
their involvement with four
basic work tasks.
Working With:
1.
Data
2.
Things
3.
Ideas
4.
People
Your Career
Possibilities
Minnesota Career Information
System (MCIS)
The Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) is an Internet-based
system that combines a wealth of career, educational and labor market
information into one comprehensive, easy-to-use exploration tool. With
MCIS, students can:
• Learn about over 520 occupations
• Develop a personal portfolio
• Research colleges, universities, and career schools
• Improve job search skills and create a resume
http://www.mncis.intocareers.org
User Name: Wayzata
Password:
Trojans
EXPLORE/PLAN Score
Report
Side 2
EXPLORE Interpretive Visuals
9/2008
20
Review Answers
Your Skills
What do you do now?
Now that your student has taken EXPLORE, you know
much more about their skills, career interests, and
readiness for college. Using the Score Report, ask
yourself some questions:

Does my high school course plan include challenging
college prep courses?
 What skills do I need to work on to be sure I am on target
for college?
 How can I learn more about careers that interest me?
Important Skills to Have Before
Entering High School
• Set a regular time and place to study each day and
throughout the week.
• Keep a daily “to do” list.
• Set goals for yourself.
• Do your reading assignments before the material is
discussed in class.
• Pay close attention and take good notes in class.
• Prepare for tests during your regular study times instead of
cramming at the last minute.
Keys to Good Educational
and Career Planning
 Take challenging college prep courses in high school.
 Explore the many career options available to you and
think about how your career choices will affect your
future.
 Set career goals and develop an educational plan to
achieve them.
Questions?
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