Building Momentum: The Condition of Progress Toward College Readiness 2013

A PROFILE OF 2013 ACT EXPLORE®– AND ACT PLAN®–TESTED STUDENTSBuilding Momentum: The Condition of Progress Toward College Readiness 3534© 2015 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. The ACT® college readiness assessment is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., in the USA and other countries. The ACT National Curriculum Survey®, ACT Explore®, and ACT Plan® are registered trademarks of ACT, Inc. 3Building Momentum: The Condition of Progress Toward College Readiness1 The data in this report are from the 2008–2009 to 2012–13 ACT Explore and ACT Plan national data release files. Prior to the 2012–2013 school year, students were excluded from analyses if they tested under extended time or participated in an equating study. Starting in the 2012–2013 school year, students were excluded from analyses if they participated in an equating study, but students tested under ACT-approved accommodated administrations that result in college-reportable ACT scores were included. ACT Explore analyses were limited to 8th-grade participants, and ACT Plan analyses were limited to 10th-grade participants. Students were only included if they had a valid (non-missing) Composite score. For the 2012–13 ACT Explore cohort, N = 1,120,585; for the 2012–13 ACT Plan cohort, N = 1,307,189.About Building Momentum: The Condition of Progress Toward College Readiness 2013Since 1959, ACT has collected and reported data on students’ academic readiness for college. As a trusted, nonprofit leader in research on college and career readiness, ACT is committed to continuing our efforts to provide data and information to help solve the daunting problems faced by our nation. In the near future, ACT research and data will provide insights not only on academic achievement but also on student behavior and goals. These additional insights will help individuals better prepare for success throughout their lives, from kindergarten through career. These new efforts will broaden and extend our core mission: helping people achieve education and career success.This report examines the progress toward college readiness made by middle school students and students at the midpoint of high school who took ACT Explore and ACT Plan during the 2012–13 school year.1 The data in this report provide insights to help inform and guide our collective efforts to improve college and career readiness for the next generation of students now making their way through the US education system.What is the ACT College and Career Readiness System?The ACT College and Career Readiness System provides a suite of integrated, curriculum-based assessments designed to measure progress over time. The system includes components to assess English, math, reading, and science skills, as well as behavioral aspects and career interests. The system includes three components: ACT Explore, ACT Plan, and the ACT® college readiness assessment. These assessments are curriculum based and take a longitudinal approach to assessment, career and educational planning, instructional support, and evaluation.What are ACT Explore and ACT Plan?ACT Explore and ACT Plan are two of the three components that make up the ACT College and Career Readiness System. ACT Explore is the first test in the series, typically administered to 8th- and 9th-grade students. ACT Plan, typically administered to 10th graders, serves as the midpoint measure of academic progress in the series. Like the ACT, which is the capstone of the ACT College and Career Readiness System, both ACT Explore and ACT Plan are standardized academic achievement tests that measure student learning in four subject areas: English, reading, mathematics, and science. 4 BUILDING MOMENTUM: THE CONDITION OF PROGRESS TOWARD COLLEGE READINESSWhat do the ACT Explore and ACT Plan benchmarks mean for college readiness?The ACT Explore and ACT Plan benchmarks2 can be used to gauge a student’s progress in the 8th and 10th grades toward becoming college ready. These benchmarks gauge this progress by estimating a student’s probability of successfully meeting the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. Students who meet a benchmark on ACT Explore or ACT Plan are likely to have a 50% chance of earning a B or higher or about a 75% chance of earning a C or higher in the corresponding college courses by the time they graduate from high school.ACT uses data from the ACT to measure information about academic performance in the context of college and career readiness for The Condition of College & Career Readiness, an annual ACT report. However, looking at progress toward college readiness during the middle school and early high school years—focusing on the number or percentages of students meeting or exceeding the ACT Explore and ACT Plan benchmarks—adds to the college readiness conversation by providing meaningful and compelling information about the earlier academic achievement of students. For students, parents, teachers, and other educators, having such information early provides mor