ACT’sCollege

ReadinessSystem

Meeting theChallenge of a

ChangingWorld

© 2008 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., in the U.S.A. andother countries. ACT National Curriculum Survey®, EXPLORE®, and PLAN® are registered trademarks ofACT, Inc. ACT College Readiness StandardsTM and QualityCoreTM are trademarks of ACT, Inc.

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The Challenge: A Changing WorldThe United States faces the challenge of adapting to thedemands of a globalized economy. Jobs have become morespecialized and more driven by technology, requiring higherlevels of education and training—especially in mathematics andscience—than did many of the jobs available to high schoolgraduates of the past.

Are we ready as a nation to meet the demands of 21st-century jobs?

Not yet.

To enter the workforce with the math, science, and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in the knowledge economy,young Americans must be able to succeed in postsecondaryeducation. Postsecondary education and training lead to betterjobs and to greater career options. Without education andtraining beyond high school, it is difficult to earn a self-sufficientliving or to support a family. Until more U.S. students are ableto succeed in postsecondary education, the nation’s children, forthe first time in generations, could face poorer prospects thanthose of their parents and grandparents.

But it all starts with P–12. Students must graduate from highschool ready for the demands of postsecondary education. Andrigorous academic preparation during the P–12 years is essentialto students’ college readiness.

College Readiness Equals Career Readiness

ACT defines college readiness as the level of achievement astudent needs to be ready to enroll and succeed—withoutremediation—in credit-bearing first-year postsecondary courses.And by postsecondary we mean primarily two-year or four-yearinstitutions, trade schools, and technical schools.

Today, however, workplace readiness demands the same levelof knowledge and skills as college readiness. While not everystudent plans to attend college after high school, many of thejobs that can support a family require knowledge and skillscomparable to those expected of the first-year college student(ACT, 2006c).

College readiness, therefore, is now no longer a privilege of thefew. It is a right of all students that P–12 must fulfill. If we definereadiness for work as pertaining to jobs that (1) require at least ahigh school diploma, (2) pay a salary above the poverty line fora family of four, (3) provide the potential for careeradvancement, and (4) are projected to grow in the next five toten years, then our high school graduates must have access tocourses that give them a sound foundation of academic skills toprepare them to succeed in workforce training programs.Improved college readiness will provide a better foundation ofknowledge and skills that will allow our future workers to adaptto the changing requirements of a more technologicallysophisticated working world.

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The Facts: Our Students Are Not ReadyInternational comparisons of academic achievement show U.S.students at a deficit compared to students in many othernations:

■ According to the most recent results of the TIMSS (Trends inInternational Mathematics and Science Study), United Stateseighth-graders rank 15th (of 45) in average mathematicsscore and 9th in average science score (Gonzales et al.,2004).

■ According to the most recent results of the PISA(Programme for International Student Assessment), UnitedStates 15-year-olds rank 28th (of 40) in average mathematicsperformance, 18th in average reading performance, and22nd in average science performance (Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development, 2004).

The evidence is overwhelming: too few U.S. high schoolgraduates are prepared for either their first year of college or for workforce training. Here are just a few of the sobering factsabout the state of college readiness, based on the 1.3 million2007 high school graduates who took the ACT® test (ACT,2007a):

■ Only 1 in 4 ACT-tested 2007 high school graduates areprepared for entry-level college courses in Englishcomposition, algebra, social science, and biology.

■ One in 4 ACT-tested 2007 high school graduates are notprepared for college coursework in any of the four subject areas.

Students currently in the education pipeline are not doing muchbetter. The 2007 data from ACT’s early college readinessprograms, EXPLORE® and PLAN® (ACT, 2007a), show that:

■ Only 1 in 10 students in 8th grade are on target to be readyfor entry-level college courses in English composition,algebra, social science, and biology.

■ Only 1 in 5 students in 10th grade are on target to be readyfor entry-level college courses in these four subject areas.

High Schools Redesigned: State Policy Actions to Help Prepare Every Student for College and WorkIn today’s changing world, the goal of high school should beclear: to prepare graduates for life after high school by teachingthem the skills and knowledge that are essential to college andworkforce training readiness. Less obvious is how best to meetthis goal.

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Based on its decades of research into student academicachievement and educational success, ACT offers the followingsix action steps that states should take to maximize theirstudents’ chances of graduating from high school ready for thechallenges of the future. These six steps are presented below,along with discussions of the research findings that led ACT tomake each recommendation.

1. States should adopt fewer—but essential—college- and career-readiness standards as their new high school graduation standards.

States should adopt empirical college readiness standards as thecornerstone of their state standards. Then states can add additionalstate-specific standards as necessary to supplement the essential collegereadiness standards. States should then map these standards downwardthrough the P–12 grades. It is only when college and workforce trainingreadiness standards pervade P–16 that we have a fully aligned set ofstandards.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

Results of the most recent ACT National Curriculum Survey®

(ACT, 2007b) indicate that what postsecondary instructorsexpect entering college students to know and be able to do isfar more targeted and specific than what high school teachersview as important. This is consistent with recent evaluations ofstate standards, raising concerns that some states require toomany standards to be taught and measured, rather thanbecoming more selective in identifying the most important statestandards for students to attain. The long lists of content topicsand skills defy teachers’ efforts to teach them in detail within theconfines of a single school year. It may be that the extensivedemands of state standards are forcing high school teachers totreat all content topics as important, sacrificing depth forbreadth.

In light of this finding, it is clear that, rather than trying todefine all content and skills covered by the high schoolcurriculum, state standards should instead focus oncommunicating the essential knowledge and skills needed forpostsecondary education. It is less important for state standardsto reflect all of what students are exposed to in high school andmore important to focus on the essential knowledge and skillsfor college readiness.

The ACT College Readiness StandardsTM (see pp. 18–24) areprecise descriptions of the essential skills and knowledge thatstudents need to become ready for college, beginning in grade8 and continuing through grade 12. The College ReadinessStandards are informed by the ACT National CurriculumSurvey. 3

What is the ACT NationalCurriculum Survey?The ACT NationalCurriculum Survey is a one-of-a-kind nationwide survey of educational practices andexpectations conducted byACT every three to fouryears. This survey tells uswhat postsecondaryinstitutions believe isimportant and necessary fortheir entering students toknow and what middle andhigh school teachers areteaching. It can thereforeidentify the gap betweenpostsecondary expectationsand high school practice.ACT surveys thousands ofmiddle school, high school,and postsecondary teachers in English/writing, reading(including English languagearts and social studiesteachers), mathematics, andscience for the purpose ofdetermining what skills andknowledge are currently beingtaught that are consideredimportant for collegereadiness from grade 7through the first year ofcollege.

2. States should adopt a rigorous corecurriculum for all high school graduates,whether they are bound for college or work.

States should require all students to take a challenging core preparatorycurriculum as a prerequisite for a high school diploma—a curriculumthat prepares them for postsecondary education and workforce training.Rather than have students opt into such a curriculum, it should be thedefault option. This communicates a clear expectation for what coursesstudents should take and removes many of the obstacles that studentsencounter when seeking access to these courses.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

While not every student plans to attend college after highschool, many of the jobs that can support a family and offer thepotential for career advancement require a level of knowledgeand skills that is comparable to the level expected of the first-year college student. ACT (2006c) provided the first empiricalevidence that all high school students need to be educated to acomparable level of readiness in reading and mathematics,regardless of whether they plan to enter college or a workforcetraining program after graduation.

This conclusion is supported by commonalities seen in thespecific knowledge and skills students need to be ready forcollege and workforce training programs, even though these skillsare often taught and assessed in different contexts. All of theseskills can be acquired through rigorous high school core courses.

What are these courses? The ACT Critical Core Curriculum is defined as at least:■ Four years of English■ Three years of mathematics, including rigorous courses in

Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II■ Three years of science, including rigorous courses in Biology,

Chemistry, and Physics■ Three years of social studies

ACT research shows that students who take the ACT-recommended core curriculum are more likely to be ready forcollege when they graduate from high school than students whodo not take this curriculum (ACT, 2006a). Further, ACTresearch demonstrates the substantial value added to students’college readiness when they take mathematics courses such asAlgebra II and beyond, or science courses such as Chemistryand Physics (ACT, 2004).

3. States must define “how good is goodenough” for college and career readiness.

States should establish performance targets for communicating students’readiness for postsecondary education to the students and their teachersand parents.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

ACT has developed its College Readiness Benchmarks (2005)to identify students who are prepared for college-level

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coursework. The ACT Benchmarks are minimum scores on theACT English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Tests thatreflect at least a 50 percent chance of achieving a B or highergrade, or at least a 75 percent chance of a C or higher grade, inentry-level, credit-bearing college English Composition, CollegeAlgebra, social science, and Biology courses, respectively. (Seetable, p. 7.)

ACT research (in press) demonstrates that, compared tostudents who do not meet the Benchmarks, students who meetthe Benchmarks are more likely to:

■ persist to the second year at the same institution,■ achieve a grade of B or higher in first-year college courses,■ achieve a first-year college grade point average (GPA) of

2.5 or higher,■ progress toward a college degree, and■ complete a college degree.

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks also provideimportant cross-disciplinary information about students’readiness for postsecondary education and workforce training.Reading, for example, is a critical skill that influences collegereadiness in all subject areas. Students who meet the ACTCollege Readiness Benchmark for Reading are substantiallymore likely to meet the College Readiness Benchmarks forEnglish, Mathematics, and Science. Conversely, students whodo not meet the Reading Benchmark are substantially less likelyto meet the other three Benchmarks.

4. States should strengthen the rigor of their courses.

States should ensure that high school coursework be of sufficient rigor toprepare their graduates for postsecondary education and workforcetraining. States should also train teachers—perhaps the most criticalelement in preparing students for life after high school—in standards-based education so that they will be clear about what students need toknow to be ready for college.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

While taking the right number of courses is certainly better thannot, it is no longer enough to guarantee that all students willgraduate ready for life after high school. Nor are monitoringstudents’ college readiness and making necessary interventionssufficient to solve the college readiness problem. Researchshows that the academic quality and intensity of the high schoolcurriculum is a key determinant of success in postsecondaryeducation (Adelman, 2006).

ACT research (2007c) indicates that even when students takesubstantial numbers of additional courses, no more than three-fourths of them are ready for first-year college coursework inmathematics, social science, or natural science. Only in Englishdoes the percentage of students who are ready for college-levelwork after taking additional courses in high school exceed 75 percent.

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Why should so many students who take a core curriculum inhigh school be unprepared for the challenges of first-yearcollege coursework? Why should it be necessary for students totake additional courses beyond the core in order to prepare forcredit-bearing first-year college courses? And why should somany of even these students still graduate unprepared? Perhapsthe underlying reason is that high school core courses lack rigorand are simply not focused on the essential outcomes thatpostsecondary institutions want their entering students to knowand be able to do. Is it not reasonable to expect that studentswho satisfactorily complete a core curriculum be ready forcollege?

Ironically, however, many students are receiving high grades intheir high school courses, leading them to believe they areready for college. Are course grades giving students and theirparents mixed messages about college readiness?

Nearly half of ACT-tested 2005 high school graduates whoearned a grade of A or B in high school Algebra II did notmeet the ACT College Readiness Benchmark for Mathematics,and more than half of the graduates who earned a grade of A or B in high school Physics did not meet the ACT CollegeReadiness Benchmark for Science (ACT, 2007c). How can 43 percent of the students who received an A or B in Algebra II not be ready for College Algebra? Whether as aresult of grade inflation or a lack of challenging course content,it is clear that course grades are not accurately reflecting what isneeded to meet the challenges of a college education. It is timeto define essential course outcomes so that teachers can teach tothese outcomes and student grades can more accurately reflecthow well students are learning the knowledge and skills that arenecessary for college readiness.

Schools can achieve high levels of college readiness byreinforcing high expectations, focusing on clear standards andskills, providing high-quality curricula and instruction, andoffering student support (ACT & The Education Trust, 2004).Specifically, high school courses that succeed at preparingstudents for college provide students with four crucial resources:

■ college-oriented content in the courses,■ qualified and experienced teachers,■ teaching that is flexible and responsive to students, and■ extra student support when needed.

5. States should begin monitoring early tomake sure younger students are on target tobe ready for college and career.

States should monitor college readiness beginning in at least the eighthgrade so that student progress can be measured reliably over time, and sothat students who need academic interventions can be identified earlybefore it is too late to get them back on target for college readiness.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

Effective use of EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT involvesusing scores to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, help

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guide students, and inform curriculum decisions. Initially lower-scoring students attending schools who use EXPLORE, PLAN,and the ACT effectively experience greater-than-expectedacademic growth. More important, this growth is mostpronounced between eighth and tenth grades—the early years ofhigh school, when students who perform well begin to establishthemselves on the path to college and workforce trainingreadiness. Schools that use EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACTeffectively, therefore, are likely to help those students who needhelp most.

Students who participate in EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACTare more likely to be ready for college than those who do notparticipate (ACT, 2006b). For example, compared to studentsnot participating in both EXPLORE and PLAN, students whoparticipate in both programs increase their odds of meeting theACT College Readiness Benchmarks by anywhere from 24 to44 percent.

In addition to the College Readiness Benchmarks for the ACT,ACT has also developed College Readiness Benchmarks forEXPLORE and PLAN to identify students in grades 8 and 10,respectively, who are on target to be ready for college by thetime they graduate from high school. Students who meet theEXPLORE and PLAN College Readiness Benchmarks have avery high chance of meeting the College Readiness Benchmarksfor the ACT and of being ready for entry-level college coursesby the time they graduate from high school (ACT, 2006b):

■ 89 percent of students who meet both the EXPLORE andPLAN English Benchmarks are likely to be prepared forcollege English Composition by the time they graduate fromhigh school.

■ 85 percent of students who meet both the EXPLORE andPLAN Mathematics Benchmarks are likely to be preparedfor College Algebra by the time they graduate from highschool.

■ 76 percent of students who meet both the EXPLORE andPLAN Reading Benchmarks are likely to be prepared forcollege social sciences courses by the time they graduatefrom high school.

■ 82 percent of students who meet both the EXPLORE andPLAN Science Benchmarks are likely to be prepared forcollege Biology by the time they graduate from high school.

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ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark Scores

Test College Course EXPLORE PLAN ACT

English English Composition 13 15 18

Mathematics College Algebra 17 19 22

Reading Social Science 15 17 21

Science College Biology 20 21 24

EXPLORE, PLAN, andthe ACTThe ACT EXPLOREprogram, used in grade 8,provides baseline informationon the academic preparationof students that can be used toplan high school coursework.The ACT PLAN program, forstudents in grade 10, providesa midpoint review of students’progress toward theireducation and career goalswhile there is still time tomake necessary interventions.The ACT, for students ingrades 11 and 12, measuresstudents’ academic readinessto make successful transitionsto college and workforcetraining programs after highschool.

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6. States need to establish longitudinal P–16data systems.

States should provide educators with the tools to make good use of allkinds of data in the classroom and in instructional planning. Data canhelp teachers and administrators learn how to interpret informationgathered in the process of monitoring students’ college readiness and,more important, how to use this information in making criticaleducational decisions.

What ACT Research Tells Us:

ACT’s research (2006b) has shown repeatedly that studentsbenefit from participating in a longitudinal college readinesssystem that includes EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT. Datafrom this system show that using these programs:

■ increases educational achievement,■ encourages students to take more college-preparatory courses

in high school,■ increases students’ college readiness,■ promotes educational and career planning,■ promotes college readiness of underrepresented minority

students, and■ promotes educational achievement in college, college

enrollment, and persistence in college.

Moreover, more states are providing feedback reports fromcolleges to high schools that examine how well prepared eachhigh school’s graduates were for college. These reports arebeing used to strengthen high school curricula.

QualityCoreTM

The ACT QualityCoreprogram is designed toinvigorate the watered-downcurriculum found in too manyof our high schools today.QualityCore improves thequality of high school corepreparatory courses byhelping teachers learn how toteach the essential skills thatstudents need to learn in eachcore course to become readyfor college. QualityCore alsodocuments and verifies therigor of core course content.

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ACT’s College Readiness SystemACT’s College Readiness System is intended to help statesimplement the policy actions necessary to help prepare everystudent for college and work. This system is a fully aligned,research-based solution.

Our College Readiness Standards and College ReadinessBenchmarks define college readiness empirically, based onwhat postsecondary educators indicate is important for studentsto know and on actual student success in college. The Standardsand Benchmarks together represent a single academicexpectation for all students, regardless of whether they go on tocollege or workforce training after high school.

The longitudinal assessment component of the system—consisting of EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT—is directly tiedto and aligned with the College Readiness Standards andCollege Readiness Benchmarks. These assessments allow statesto monitor students’ college readiness beginning in eighth gradeso that necessary interventions can be made.

RESEARCH FOUNDATION

READINESSfor collegeand career

PROGRESS

ACT’sCollege

ReadinessBenchmarks

STANDARDS

ACT CollegeReadinessStandardsTM

ASSESSMENT

EXPLORE®,PLAN®, and

the ACT ®

INSTRUCTION

QualityCoreTM

Student success in college-entrycourses in a nationallyrepresentative sampleof colleges

ACT NationalCurriculum Survey®

(Grades 7–14)

Course objectives basedon high-performinghigh schools

Standards-basedand normativecomparisons

RESEARCH FOUNDATION RESEARCH FOUNDATION

RESEARCH FOUNDATION

CON

TIN

UO

US

SCHOOLIM

PR

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ACT’s College Readiness System

QualityCore, the instructional improvement component ofACT’s College Readiness System, offers rigorous model highschool courses designed to prepare all students for college,course by course. QualityCore course objectives focus on thecourse-level knowledge and skills needed for college readiness.As such, they are tied to the College Readiness Standardsmeasured by EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT. And becauseEXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT are college readinessassessments based on extensive research into postsecondaryexpectations, they in turn reflect performance in QualityCorecourses: as students take rigorous courses in high school, theircollege readiness will increase.

Finally, ACT’s college–to–high school feedback reports enablepostsecondary institutions in a state to report back to theirfeeder high schools about how prepared their high schoolgraduates are for college. Such feedback is an importantelement in the high school improvement process. In turn,strengthening high school curricula helps states meet theirultimate obligation to high school graduates: maximizing theirsuccess in college and workforce training so that they areprepared to meet the challenges of a changing world.

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Results of ACT’s College Readiness SystemIn its nearly half-century existence as a not-for-profitorganization dedicated to helping students meet theireducational goals, ACT has amassed a wealth of data showingthe many benefits of its programs and services. Following is asummary of the benefits offered by the three assessmentcomponents of ACT’s College Readiness System: EXPLORE,PLAN, and the ACT.

EXPLORE and PLAN

■ States that have adopted EXPLORE, PLAN, or bothEXPLORE and PLAN statewide have experienced● Higher average ACT Composite and subject area scores● Increased percentages of students meeting ACT’s College

Readiness Benchmarks● Increased percentages of students meeting statewide minimum

ACT scores for admissions and/or course placement■ Students who participate in EXPLORE and PLAN have

higher college aspirations (twice as likely to consider collegeor graduate school) and are more certain of those aspirationsthan students who do not participate (30 percent more likelyto be certain).

■ Students who meet the EXPLORE and PLAN CollegeReadiness Benchmarks have a very high chance of meetingthe College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT and of beingready for entry-level college courses by the time theygraduate from high school.

Based on 237,794 ACT-tested graduates from 2002, 2003, and 2004 whohad also taken EXPLORE in grade 8 and PLAN in grade 10.

Percentage of students meeting EXPLORE and PLAN Benchmarks who are ready for

college by high school graduation

8276

8589

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

EnglishComposition

CollegeAlgebra

SocialSciences

CollegeBiology

Perc

enta

ge

■ Schools that use PLAN achieve larger gains over time inaverage ACT scores than do schools that do not use PLAN.

■ In schools that use PLAN consistently, average ACTComposite scores of students of all racial/ethnic backgroundsincrease over time more than they do in schools not usingPLAN.

■ Students who participate in both PLAN and the ACT● Achieve higher grades in college than students who

participate only in the ACT● Are more likely to enroll in college and re-enroll in the same

college their second year than students who participate onlyin the ACT

The ACT

■ States that have adopted the ACT statewide haveexperienced ● Increases in average ACT Composite and subject area scores● Increased percentages of students taking the core curriculum

in high school—while at the same time the correspondingpercentage of ACT-tested high school students nationwidetaking the core curriculum decreased

● Increased percentages of students meeting ACT’s CollegeReadiness Benchmarks

● Increased percentages of students enrolling in college the fallfollowing high school graduation

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Based on average ACT scores before and after PLAN implementation for1,145 schools that used PLAN consistently between 2000 and 2003 (at aminimum) and 1,565 schools that had not used PLAN at all as of 2003.

Increase over time in schools’ average ACT Composite score associated with

participation in PLAN

0.40.4

0.10.1

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

AfricanAmerican

AsianAmerican

Hispanic White

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EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT

■ Students who attend schools that use EXPLORE, PLAN,and the ACT for educational planning and guidance aremore likely to attain higher scores on PLAN and the ACTthan students attending schools that do not use all threeassessments (up to 1.0 score point higher).

■ Students who participate in EXPLORE, PLAN, and theACT are more likely to be ready for college than those whodo not participate in all three assessments (up to 76 percentmore likely to meet a given ACT College ReadinessBenchmark).

■ Students of all racial/ethnic backgrounds who participate inEXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT attain higher scores on theACT than similar students who do not participate in all threeassessments, regardless of the high school they attend (up to1.2 score points higher).

EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT are designed to help studentsplan for further education and explore career options based ontheir own skills, interests, and aspirations. And the assessmentsare empirically proven to work. Each program gives highschools and districts a way to get students engaged in planningtheir own futures. When students know what colleges expect, interms they can understand, they can use their own informationto help make a smooth transition to postsecondary education ortraining.

Average ACT Composite scores for racial/ethnic group members who do and do notparticipate in EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT

18.2

19.9

22.8

20.519.9

21.8

17.5

19.4

21.6

19.4 19.2

21.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

AfricanAmerican

AmericanIndian

AsianAmerican

Hispanic MexicanAmerican

White

■ Less than EXPLORE–PLAN–ACT ■ EXPLORE–PLAN–ACT

Based on comparisons of 237,794 ACT-tested graduates from 2002, 2003,and 2004 who had also taken EXPLORE in grade 8 and PLAN in grade 10to 3,036,903 ACT-tested graduates from 2002, 2003, and 2004 who had notpreviously taken both EXPLORE and PLAN.

Aver

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ACT

Com

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Which states have adoptedelements of ACT’s CollegeReadiness System statewide?A growing number of states are recognizing the importance ofcurricular alignment and assessment in ensuring the collegereadiness of their high school graduates. As of April 2008,seven states—Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota,Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia—administerEXPLORE to all of their 8th-grade students. Six of these states—Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, andWest Virginia—also administer PLAN to all of their 10th-gradestudents. Two additional states—Florida and South Carolina—allow 10th-grade students to take PLAN at no cost to them ortheir families.

For the past six years, the states of Colorado and Illinois havepaved the way in adopting the ACT as part of their statewideassessment programs. Colorado uses the ACT in the ColoradoStudent Assessment Program (CSAP) as an 11th-gradeachievement-based assessment that gives the state an indicationof how well its public schools are performing at educatingstudents at the P–12 level. Illinois also administers the ACT toall of its public high school juniors as part of its Prairie StateAchievement Exam (PSAE). Illinois uses the ACT to measurestudent progress at meeting state learning standards.

Michigan has recently adopted the ACT as part of its newstatewide high school assessment program, the Michigan MeritExamination (MME). The MME replaced the MichiganEducational Assessment Program (MEAP) for all Michigan highschool students beginning in the 2007–2008 school year. Similarstatewide adoptions of the ACT have been implemented inKentucky and Wyoming.

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EXPLORE

PLAN

ACT

Statewide adoption of elements of ACT’s College Readiness System

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Tennessee has instituted a voucher program in which studentsmay take the ACT at no cost to them or their families. A similarvoucher program is planned in Arkansas.

SummaryEducation and training beyond high school are crucial to theability of U.S. high school graduates to earn a self-sufficientliving or support a family. Students who are not ready forcollege are less likely to enroll in college, more likely to needremedial coursework during their first year, less likely tosucceed in their college courses, and less likely to earn a collegedegree.

U.S. students are in danger of entering the workforceunprepared for the challenges of the 21st-century economy. IfU.S. high school graduates are unable to compete in a globallabor market, then not just the graduates themselves but thenation at large will suffer.

But it all starts with P–12. College readiness is no longer aprivilege but a right—a right of all students that P–12 must fulfill.

ACT has a long-standing commitment to effective educationaland career planning. As education in the United Statesresponds to the changing needs of its constituents and thechanging circumstances of a global marketplace of ideas, risks,and opportunities, ACT stands ready with the programs and theresearch and development capabilities to help students becomeready for college.

Are we ready as a nation to meet the educational demands ofthe 21st century?

Not yet. But we can do it.

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References

ACT. (2004). Crisis at the core: Preparing all students for college andwork. Iowa City, IA: Author.

ACT. (2005). What are ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks? IowaCity, IA: Author.

ACT. (2006a). Benefits of a high school core curriculum. Iowa City,IA: Author.

ACT. (2006b). EPAS: A system that works. Iowa City, IA: Author.

ACT. (2006c). Ready for college and ready for work: Same ordifferent? Iowa City, IA: Author.

ACT. (2007a). 2007 National data release. Iowa City, IA:Author.

ACT. (2007b). ACT National Curriculum Survey 2005–2006. IowaCity, IA: Author.

ACT. (2007c). Rigor at risk: Reaffirming quality in the high schoolcore curriculum. Iowa City, IA: Author.

ACT. (in press). Making the most of the college experience: Closingachievement gaps in college success. Iowa City, IA: Author.

ACT & The Education Trust. (2004). On course for success: A closelook at selected high schools that prepare all students for college. IowaCity, IA: Authors.

Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completionfrom high school through college. Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Education.

Gonzales, P., Guzmán, J. C., Partelow, L., Pahlke, E., Jocelyn,L., Kastberg, D., & Williams, T. (2004). Highlights from the Trendsin International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003(NCES 2005–005). Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofEducation, National Center for Education Statistics.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.(2004). Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003.Paris: Author.

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ACT Research: Setting the Standard for College Readiness

ACT is a national leader in policy research on thetopic of college and workforce training readiness. Inrecent years, we have added our distinctive voice tothe debate over what it means for students to betruly ready for postsecondary education. Bydeveloping new empirical approaches to the issue,ACT capitalizes on a wealth of longitudinal datathat no one else possesses. Here are summaries of afew of our most recent cutting-edge reports, all ofwhich are available on ACT’s website (www.act.org).

Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in theHigh School Core Curriculum2007www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/rigor_report.pdf

Our latest policy report on the subject of collegereadiness demonstrates that even students who takethe ACT-recommended number of core courses inhigh school are often ill prepared to handle collegematerial, and that many of these students are notready for college even after taking a substantialnumber of additional higher-level courses. Rigor atRisk cites a number of factors that contribute toinadequate college preparation in high schools andargues for immediate improvements in the contentand quality of high school core courses.

Aligning Postsecondary Expectations andHigh School Practice: The Gap Defined(Policy Implications of the ACT NationalCurriculum Survey® Results 2005–2006)2007www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/NCSPolicyBrief.pdf

The results of our most recent National CurriculumSurvey define the troubling gap that persistsbetween what students are being taught in highschool and what instructors of first-year collegecourses expect their entering students to know.What college instructors want their students toknow and be able to do is far more targeted andspecific than what high school teachers actuallyteach. The gap is defined for English/writing,mathematics, reading, and science. This reportargues for the adoption of fewer but more targetedstate standards at the high school level—standardsthat focus on the essential knowledge and skills forpostsecondary success.

Ready for College and Ready for Work:Same or Different?2006www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/ReadinessBrief.pdf

In this report, ACT offers the first empiricalevidence that college readiness and workforcetraining readiness require comparable levels of skilland knowledge in mathematics and reading. Ready

for College and Ready for Work argues that all highschool students need to be educated to the samestandard, whether they ultimately intend to go on toa two-year college, a four-year college, or workforcetraining after graduation.

Reading Between the Lines:What the ACT Reveals about CollegeReadiness in Reading2006www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_report.pdf

Reading is crucial to college success, affectingperformance across the curriculum. But high schoolgraduates are not ready for the demands of college-level reading, and Reading Between the Linesshows why. The report also identifies empiricallythat student comprehension of complex text is thekey differentiator between students who are readyfor college-level reading and those who are not.Reading Between the Lines argues that progressive,targeted reading strategies must be taughtthroughout all four years of high school and acrossall subject areas.

On Course for Success:A Close Look at Selected High School CoursesThat Prepare All Students for College and Work2004www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/success_report.pdf

What differentiates schools that prepare highpercentages of their students for postsecondaryeducation from those who do not, particularly inhigh-poverty/high-minority districts? This report, acollaboration with the Education Trust, found thatthe most successful schools provide all students withrigorous, college-level content, qualified teacherswith flexible teaching styles, and extra tutorialsupport. On Course for Success also containsdetailed syllabi for rigorous core courses in English,mathematics, and science.

Crisis at the Core:Preparing All Students for College and Work2004www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/crisis_report.pdf

This groundbreaking report showed definitively thatU.S. high school students must take a corecurriculum. Crisis at the Core emphasizes theimportance of increasing the college readiness of allU.S. high school graduates. Among other findings,the report demonstrates the importance of takingChemistry in high school, as well as higher-levelmathematics courses beyond Algebra II.

Revise sentences to correct awkward and confusingarrangements of sentence elementsRevise vague nouns and pronouns that createobvious logic problems

Use conjunctive adverbs or phrases to show timerelationships in simple narrative essays (e.g., then,this time)

18

EnglishTopic Development in Terms of Purpose and Focus

13–15

16–19

20–23

24–27

28–32*

Identify the basic purpose or role of a specifiedphrase or sentenceDelete a clause or sentence because it is obviouslyirrelevant to the essay

Select the most logical place to add a sentence in aparagraph

Delete obviously synonymous and wordy material in asentenceRevise expressions that deviate from the style of anessay

Identify the central idea or main topic of astraightforward piece of writingDetermine relevancy when presented with a variety ofsentence-level details

Use conjunctive adverbs or phrases to expressstraightforward logical relationships (e.g., first,afterward, in response)Decide the most logical place to add a sentence in anessayAdd a sentence that introduces a simple paragraph

Delete redundant material when information isrepeated in different parts of speech (e.g., “alarminglystartled”)Use the word or phrase most consistent with thestyle and tone of a fairly straightforward essayDetermine the clearest and most logical conjunctionto link clauses

Identify the focus of a simple essay, applying thatknowledge to add a sentence that sharpens that focusor to determine if an essay has met a specified goalDelete material primarily because it disturbs the flowand development of the paragraphAdd a sentence to accomplish a fairly straightforwardpurpose such as illustrating a given statement

Determine the need for conjunctive adverbs orphrases to create subtle logical connections betweensentences (e.g., therefore, however, in addition)Rearrange the sentences in a fairly uncomplicatedparagraph for the sake of logicAdd a sentence to introduce or conclude the essay orto provide a transition between paragraphs when theessay is fairly straightforward

Revise a phrase that is redundant in terms of themeaning and logic of the entire sentenceIdentify and correct ambiguous pronoun referencesUse the word or phrase most appropriate in terms ofthe content of the sentence and tone of the essay

Apply an awareness of the focus and purpose of afairly involved essay to determine the rhetorical effectand suitability of an existing phrase or sentence, or todetermine the need to delete plausible but irrelevantmaterialAdd a sentence to accomplish a subtle rhetoricalpurpose such as to emphasize, to add supportingdetail, or to express meaning through connotation

Make sophisticated distinctions concerning the logicaluse of conjunctive adverbs or phrases, particularlywhen signaling a shift between paragraphsRearrange sentences to improve the logic andcoherence of a complex paragraphAdd a sentence to introduce or conclude a fairlycomplex paragraph

Correct redundant material that involves sophisticatedvocabulary and sounds acceptable as conversationalEnglish (e.g., “an aesthetic viewpoint” versus “theoutlook of an aesthetic viewpoint”)Correct vague and wordy or clumsy and confusingwriting containing sophisticated language

Organization, Unity, and Coherence Word Choice in Terms of Style, Tone, Clarity, andEconomy

33–36† Determine whether a complex essay hasaccomplished a specific purposeAdd a phrase or sentence to accomplish a complexpurpose, often expressed in terms of the main focusof the essay

Consider the need for introductory sentences ortransitions, basing decisions on a thoroughunderstanding of both the logic and rhetorical effectof the paragraph and essay

Delete redundant material that involves subtleconcepts or that is redundant in terms of theparagraph as a whole

ACT COLLEGE REA

* Applies to PLAN and the ACT only† Applies to the ACT only

ACTBenchmark

for CollegeEnglish

Composition:

18

The Standards shaded in yellow show the level(s) of knowledge and skills students need toreach by 12th grade if they are to be considered ready for college. (The areas shaded in bluerepresent advanced levels of preparation.)

Delete commas that create basic sense problems (e.g.,between verb and direct object)

Solve such basic grammatical problems as how to formthe past and past participle of irregular but commonlyused verbs and how to form comparative and superlativeadjectives

Use conjunctions or punctuation to join simple clausesRevise shifts in verb tense between simple clauses in asentence or between simple adjoining sentences

Recognize and correct marked disturbances of sentenceflow and structure (e.g., participial phrase fragments,missing or incorrect relative pronouns, dangling ormisplaced modifiers)

Use idiomatically appropriate prepositions, especially incombination with verbs (e.g., long for, appeal to)Ensure that a verb agrees with its subject when there issome text between the two

Use commas to set off simple parenthetical phrasesDelete unnecessary commas when an incorrect reading ofthe sentence suggests a pause that should be punctuated(e.g., between verb and direct object clause)

Revise to avoid faulty placement of phrases and faultycoordination and subordination of clauses in sentenceswith subtle structural problemsMaintain consistent verb tense and pronoun person onthe basis of the preceding clause or sentence

Ensure that a pronoun agrees with its antecedent whenthe two occur in separate clauses or sentencesIdentify the correct past and past participle forms ofirregular and infrequently used verbs and form present-perfect verbs by using have rather than of

Use punctuation to set off complex parenthetical phrasesRecognize and delete unnecessary commas based on acareful reading of a complicated sentence (e.g., betweenthe elements of a compound subject or compound verbjoined by and)Use apostrophes to indicate simple possessive nounsRecognize inappropriate uses of colons and semicolons

Use sentence-combining techniques, effectively avoidingproblematic comma splices, run-on sentences, andsentence fragments, especially in sentences containingcompound subjects or verbsMaintain a consistent and logical use of verb tense andpronoun person on the basis of information in theparagraph or essay as a whole

Correctly use reflexive pronouns, the possessivepronouns its and your, and the relative pronouns who andwhomEnsure that a verb agrees with its subject in unusualsituations (e.g., when the subject-verb order is inverted orwhen the subject is an indefinite pronoun)

Use commas to set off a nonessential/nonrestrictiveappositive or clauseDeal with multiple punctuation problems (e.g., compoundsentences containing unnecessary commas and phrasesthat may or may not be parenthetical)Use an apostrophe to show possession, especially withirregular plural nounsUse a semicolon to indicate a relationship between closelyrelated independent clauses

Work comfortably with long sentences and complexclausal relationships within sentences, avoiding weakconjunctions between independent clauses andmaintaining parallel structure between clauses

Provide idiomatically and contextually appropriateprepositions following verbs in situations involvingsophisticated language or ideasEnsure that a verb agrees with its subject when a phraseor clause between the two suggests a different numberfor the verb

Use a colon to introduce an example or an elaboration

19

Determine the need for punctuation and conjunctions toavoid awkward-sounding sentence fragments and fusedsentencesDecide the appropriate verb tense and voice byconsidering the meaning of the entire sentence

Solve such grammatical problems as whether to use anadverb or adjective form, how to ensure straightforwardsubject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement, andwhich preposition to use in simple contextsRecognize and use the appropriate word in frequentlyconfused pairs such as there and their, past and passed,and led and lead

Provide appropriate punctuation in straightforwardsituations (e.g., items in a series)Delete commas that disturb the sentence flow (e.g.,between modifier and modified element)

Sentence Structure and Formation Conventions of Usage Conventions of Punctuation

ADINESS STANDARDS

Substitute whole numbers for unknownquantities to evaluate expressionsSolve one-step equations havinginteger or decimal answersCombine like terms (e.g., 2x + 5x)

Recognize one-digit factors of anumberIdentify a digit’s place value

Calculate the average of a list ofnumbersCalculate the average, given the numberof data values and the sum of the datavaluesRead tables and graphsPerform computations on data fromtables and graphsUse the relationship between theprobability of an event and theprobability of its complement

Solve routine one-step arithmeticproblems (using whole numbers,fractions, and decimals) such as single-step percentSolve some routine two-step arithmeticproblems

20

MathematicsBasic Operations & Applications

13–15 Perform one-operation computationwith whole numbers and decimalsSolve problems in one or two stepsusing whole numbersPerform common conversions (e.g.,inches to feet or hours to minutes)

20–23

24–27

28–32*

Calculate the average of a list ofpositive whole numbersPerform a single computation usinginformation from a table or chart

Recognize equivalent fractions andfractions in lowest terms

Solve routine two-step or three-steparithmetic problems involving conceptssuch as rate and proportion, tax added,percentage off, and computing with agiven average

Calculate the missing data value, giventhe average and all data values but oneTranslate from one representation ofdata to another (e.g., a bar graph to acircle graph)Determine the probability of a simpleeventExhibit knowledge of simple countingtechniques*

Exhibit knowledge of elementarynumber concepts including rounding,the ordering of decimals, patternidentification, absolute value, primes,and greatest common factor

Solve multistep arithmetic problemsthat involve planning or convertingunits of measure (e.g., feet per secondto miles per hour)

Calculate the average, given thefrequency counts of all the data valuesManipulate data from tables and graphsCompute straightforward probabilitiesfor common situationsUse Venn diagrams in counting*

Find and use the least commonmultipleOrder fractionsWork with numerical factorsWork with scientific notationWork with squares and square roots ofnumbersWork problems involving positiveinteger exponents*Work with cubes and cube roots ofnumbers*Determine when an expression isundefined*Exhibit some knowledge of the complexnumbers†

Solve word problems containingseveral rates, proportions, orpercentages

Calculate or use a weighted averageInterpret and use information fromfigures, tables, and graphsApply counting techniquesCompute a probability when the eventand/or sample space are not given orobvious

Apply number properties involvingprime factorizationApply number properties involvingeven/odd numbers andfactors/multiplesApply number properties involvingpositive/negative numbersApply rules of exponentsMultiply two complex numbers†

Probability, Statistics, & Data Analysis Numbers: Concepts & Properties

33–36† Solve complex arithmetic problemsinvolving percent of increase ordecrease and problems requiringintegration of several concepts frompre-algebra and/or pre-geometry (e.g.,comparing percentages or averages,using several ratios, and finding ratiosin geometry settings)

Distinguish between mean, median, andmode for a list of numbersAnalyze and draw conclusions based oninformation from figures, tables, andgraphsExhibit knowledge of conditional andjoint probability

Draw conclusions based on numberconcepts, algebraic properties, and/orrelationships between expressions andnumbersExhibit knowledge of logarithms andgeometric sequencesApply properties of complex numbers

Exhibit knowledge of basic expressions(e.g., identify an expression for a totalas b + g)Solve equations in the form x + a = b,where a and b are whole numbers ordecimals

Evaluate algebraic expressions bysubstituting integers for unknownquantitiesAdd and subtract simple algebraicexpressionsSolve routine first-degree equationsPerform straightforward word-to-symbol translationsMultiply two binomials*

Solve real-world problems using first-degree equationsWrite expressions, equations, orinequalities with a single variable forcommon pre-algebra settings (e.g., rateand distance problems and problemsthat can be solved by usingproportions)Identify solutions to simple quadraticequationsAdd, subtract, and multiplypolynomials*Factor simple quadratics (e.g., thedifference of squares and perfectsquare trinomials)*Solve first-degree inequalities that donot require reversing the inequalitysign*

Manipulate expressions and equationsWrite expressions, equations, andinequalities for common algebrasettingsSolve linear inequalities that requirereversing the inequality signSolve absolute value equationsSolve quadratic equationsFind solutions to systems of linearequations

Write expressions that require planningand/or manipulating to accuratelymodel a situationWrite equations and inequalities thatrequire planning, manipulating, and/orsolvingSolve simple absolute value inequalities

Expressions, Equations, & Inequalities

* Applies to PLAN and the ACT only† Applies to the ACT only

16–19

ACTBenchmark

for CollegeAlgebra:

22

ACT COLLEGE REA

Locate points on the number line and inthe first quadrant

Exhibit some knowledge of the anglesassociated with parallel lines

Compute the perimeter of polygons whenall side lengths are givenCompute the area of rectangles whenwhole number dimensions are given

21

Graphical Representations Properties of Plane Figures Measurement

Identify the location of a point with apositive coordinate on the number line

Estimate or calculate the length of a linesegment based on other lengths given on ageometric figure

Locate points in the coordinate planeComprehend the concept of length on thenumber line*Exhibit knowledge of slope*

Find the measure of an angle usingproperties of parallel linesExhibit knowledge of basic angleproperties and special sums of anglemeasures (e.g., 90°, 180°, and 360°)

Compute the area and perimeter oftriangles and rectangles in simpleproblemsUse geometric formulas when allnecessary information is given

Identify the graph of a linear inequality onthe number line*Determine the slope of a line from pointsor equations*Match linear graphs with their equations*Find the midpoint of a line segment*

Use several angle properties to find anunknown angle measureRecognize Pythagorean triples*Use properties of isosceles triangles*

Compute the area of triangles andrectangles when one or more additionalsimple steps are requiredCompute the area and circumference ofcircles after identifying necessaryinformationCompute the perimeter of simplecomposite geometric figures withunknown side lengths*

Interpret and use information from graphsin the coordinate planeMatch number line graphs with solutionsets of linear inequalitiesUse the distance formulaUse properties of parallel andperpendicular lines to determine anequation of a line or coordinates of a pointRecognize special characteristics ofparabolas and circles (e.g., the vertex of aparabola and the center or radius of acircle)†

Apply properties of 30°-60°-90°, 45°-45°-90°, similar, and congruent trianglesUse the Pythagorean theorem

Use relationships involving area, perimeter,and volume of geometric figures tocompute another measure

Match number line graphs with solutionsets of simple quadratic inequalitiesIdentify characteristics of graphs based ona set of conditions or on a generalequation such as y = ax 2 + cSolve problems integrating multiplealgebraic and/or geometric conceptsAnalyze and draw conclusions based oninformation from graphs in the coordinateplane

Draw conclusions based on a set ofconditionsSolve multistep geometry problems thatinvolve integrating concepts, planning,visualization, and/or making connectionswith other content areasUse relationships among angles, arcs,and distances in a circle

Use scale factors to determine themagnitude of a size changeCompute the area of composite geometricfigures when planning or visualization isrequired

Evaluate quadratic functions, expressed infunction notation, at integer values†

Evaluate polynomial functions, expressed infunction notation, at integer values†Express the sine, cosine, and tangent of anangle in a right triangle as a ratio of givenside lengths†

Evaluate composite functions at integervalues†Apply basic trigonometric ratios to solveright-triangle problems†

Write an expression for the composite of twosimple functions†Use trigonometric concepts and basicidentities to solve problems†Exhibit knowledge of unit circletrigonometry†Match graphs of basic trigonometricfunctions with their equations†

Functions

ADINESS STANDARDS

22

ReadingMain Ideas and Author’s Approach

13–15 Recognize a clear intent of an author or narrator in uncomplicated literarynarratives

16–19

20–23

24–27

28–32*

Locate basic facts (e.g., names, dates, events) clearly stated in a passage

Identify a clear main idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs inuncomplicated literary narratives

Locate simple details at the sentence and paragraph level in uncomplicatedpassagesRecognize a clear function of a part of an uncomplicated passage

Infer the main idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs in uncomplicatedliterary narrativesUnderstand the overall approach taken by an author or narrator (e.g., point ofview, kinds of evidence used) in uncomplicated passages

Locate important details in uncomplicated passagesMake simple inferences about how details are used in passages

Identify a clear main idea or purpose of any paragraph or paragraphs inuncomplicated passagesInfer the main idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs in more challengingpassagesSummarize basic events and ideas in more challenging passagesUnderstand the overall approach taken by an author or narrator (e.g., point ofview, kinds of evidence used) in more challenging passages

Locate important details in more challenging passagesLocate and interpret minor or subtly stated details in uncomplicated passagesDiscern which details, though they may appear in different sections throughout apassage, support important points in more challenging passages

Infer the main idea or purpose of more challenging passages or their paragraphsSummarize events and ideas in virtually any passageUnderstand the overall approach taken by an author or narrator (e.g., point ofview, kinds of evidence used) in virtually any passage

Locate and interpret minor or subtly stated details in more challenging passagesUse details from different sections of some complex informational passages tosupport a specific point or argument

Supporting Details

33–36† Identify clear main ideas or purposes of complex passages or their paragraphs Locate and interpret details in complex passagesUnderstand the function of a part of a passage when the function is subtle orcomplex

Uncomplicated Literary Narratives refers toexcerpts from essays, short stories, and novels thattend to use simple language and structure, have aclear purpose and a familiar style, presentstraightforward interactions between characters, andemploy only a limited number of literary devicessuch as metaphor, simile, or hyperbole.

More Challenging Literary Narratives refers toexcerpts from essays, short stories, and novels thattend to make moderate use of figurative language,have a more intricate structure and messagesconveyed with some subtlety, and may featuresomewhat complex interactions between characters.

Complex Literary Narratives refers to excerpts fromessays, short stories, and novels that tend to makegenerous use of ambiguous language and literarydevices, feature complex and subtle interactionsbetween characters, often contain challengingcontext-dependent vocabulary, and typically containmessages and/or meanings that are not explicit butare embedded in the passage.

Descriptions of the EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT Reading Passages

Uncomplicated Informational Passages refers tomaterials that tend to contain a limited amount ofdata, address basic concepts using familiar languageand conventional organizational patterns, have aclear purpose, and are written to be accessible.

More Challenging Informational Passages refers tomaterials that tend to present concepts that are notalways stated explicitly and that are accompanied orillustrated by more—and more detailed—supportingdata, include some difficult context-dependentwords, and are written in a somewhat moredemanding and less accessible style.

Complex Informational Passages refers to materialsthat tend to include a sizable amount of data, presentdifficult concepts that are embedded (not explicit) inthe text, use demanding words and phrases whosemeaning must be determined from context, and arelikely to include intricate explanations of processesor events.

* Applies to PLAN and the ACT only† Applies to the ACT only

ACTBenchmark

forIntroductory

CollegeSocial

ScienceCourses:

21

ACT COLLEGE REA

23

Determine when (e.g., first, last, before, after) or if anevent occurred in uncomplicated passagesRecognize clear cause-effect relationships describedwithin a single sentence in a passage

Understand the implication of a familiar word or phraseand of simple descriptive language

Draw simple generalizations and conclusions about themain characters in uncomplicated literary narratives

Identify relationships between main characters inuncomplicated literary narrativesRecognize clear cause-effect relationships within a singleparagraph in uncomplicated literary narratives

Use context to understand basic figurative language Draw simple generalizations and conclusions aboutpeople, ideas, and so on in uncomplicated passages

Order simple sequences of events in uncomplicatedliterary narrativesIdentify clear relationships between people, ideas, and soon in uncomplicated passagesIdentify clear cause-effect relationships in uncomplicatedpassages

Use context to determine the appropriate meaning ofsome figurative and nonfigurative words, phrases, andstatements in uncomplicated passages

Draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas,and so on in uncomplicated passagesDraw simple generalizations and conclusions using detailsthat support the main points of more challengingpassages

Order sequences of events in uncomplicated passagesUnderstand relationships between people, ideas, and soon in uncomplicated passagesIdentify clear relationships between characters, ideas, andso on in more challenging literary narrativesUnderstand implied or subtly stated cause-effectrelationships in uncomplicated passagesIdentify clear cause-effect relationships in morechallenging passages

Use context to determine the appropriate meaning ofvirtually any word, phrase, or statement in uncomplicatedpassagesUse context to determine the appropriate meaning ofsome figurative and nonfigurative words, phrases, andstatements in more challenging passages

Draw subtle generalizations and conclusions aboutcharacters, ideas, and so on in uncomplicated literarynarrativesDraw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas,and so on in more challenging passages

Order sequences of events in more challenging passagesUnderstand the dynamics between people, ideas, and soon in more challenging passagesUnderstand implied or subtly stated cause-effectrelationships in more challenging passages

Determine the appropriate meaning of words, phrases, orstatements from figurative or somewhat technicalcontexts

Use information from one or more sections of a morechallenging passage to draw generalizations andconclusions about people, ideas, and so on

Sequential, Comparative, and Cause-Effect Relationships Meanings of Words Generalizations and Conclusions

Order sequences of events in complex passagesUnderstand the subtleties in relationships between people,ideas, and so on in virtually any passageUnderstand implied, subtle, or complex cause-effectrelationships in virtually any passage

Determine, even when the language is richly figurativeand the vocabulary is difficult, the appropriate meaning ofcontext-dependent words, phrases, or statements invirtually any passage

Draw complex or subtle generalizations and conclusionsabout people, ideas, and so on, often by synthesizinginformation from different portions of the passageUnderstand and generalize about portions of a complexliterary narrative

ADINESS STANDARDS

20–23 Select a simple hypothesis, prediction, or conclusionthat is supported by a data presentation or a modelIdentify key issues or assumptions in a model

Understand the methods and tools used in amoderately complex experimentUnderstand a simple experimental designIdentify a control in an experimentIdentify similarities and differences betweenexperiments

Select data from a complex data presentation (e.g., atable or graph with more than three variables; aphase diagram)Compare or combine data from a simple datapresentation (e.g., order or sum data from a table)Translate information into a table, graph, or diagram

24

ScienceInterpretation of Data

13–15 Select a single piece of data (numerical ornonnumerical) from a simple data presentation (e.g.,a table or graph with two or three variables; a foodweb diagram)Identify basic features of a table, graph, or diagram(e.g., headings, units of measurement, axis labels)

16–19

24–27

28–32*

Select two or more pieces of data from a simple datapresentationUnderstand basic scientific terminologyFind basic information in a brief body of textDetermine how the value of one variable changes asthe value of another variable changes in a simple datapresentation

Understand the methods and tools used in a simpleexperiment

Compare or combine data from two or more simpledata presentations (e.g., categorize data from a tableusing a scale from another table)Compare or combine data from a complex datapresentationInterpolate between data points in a table or graphDetermine how the value of one variable changes asthe value of another variable changes in a complexdata presentationIdentify and/or use a simple (e.g., linear)mathematical relationship between dataAnalyze given information when presented with new,simple information

Understand the methods and tools used in a complexexperimentUnderstand a complex experimental designPredict the results of an additional trial ormeasurement in an experimentDetermine the experimental conditions that wouldproduce specified results

Select a simple hypothesis, prediction, or conclusionthat is supported by two or more data presentationsor modelsDetermine whether given information supports orcontradicts a simple hypothesis or conclusion, andwhyIdentify strengths and weaknesses in one or moremodelsIdentify similarities and differences between modelsDetermine which model(s) is(are) supported orweakened by new informationSelect a data presentation or a model that supports orcontradicts a hypothesis, prediction, or conclusion

Compare or combine data from a simple datapresentation with data from a complex datapresentationIdentify and/or use a complex (e.g., nonlinear)mathematical relationship between dataExtrapolate from data points in a table or graph

Determine the hypothesis for an experimentIdentify an alternate method for testing a hypothesis

Select a complex hypothesis, prediction, orconclusion that is supported by a data presentation ormodelDetermine whether new information supports orweakens a model, and whyUse new information to make a prediction based on amodel

Scientific Investigation Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and ExperimentalResults

33–36† Compare or combine data from two or more complexdata presentationsAnalyze given information when presented with new,complex information

Understand precision and accuracy issuesPredict how modifying the design or methods of anexperiment will affect resultsIdentify an additional trial or experiment that could beperformed to enhance or evaluate experimentalresults

Select a complex hypothesis, prediction, orconclusion that is supported by two or more datapresentations or modelsDetermine whether given information supports orcontradicts a complex hypothesis or conclusion, andwhy

Life Science/BiologyAnimal behaviorAnimal development and growthBody systemsCell structure and processesEcologyEvolutionGeneticsHomeostasisLife cyclesMolecular basis of heredityOrigin of lifePhotosynthesisPlant development, growth, structurePopulationsTaxonomy

Physical Science/Chemistry, PhysicsAtomic structureChemical bonding, equations, nomenclature,reactionsElectrical circuitsElements, compounds, mixturesForce and motionsGravitationHeat and workKinetic and potential energyMagnetismMomentumThe Periodic TableProperties of solutionsSound and lightStates, classes, and properties of matterWaves

Earth & Space ScienceEarthquakes and volcanoesEarth’s atmosphereEarth’s resourcesFossils and geological timeGeochemical cyclesGroundwaterLakes, rivers, oceansMass movementsPlate tectonicsRocks, mineralsSolar systemStars, galaxies, and the universeWater cycleWeather and climateWeathering and erosion

Science College Readiness Standards are measured in the context of science topics students encounter in science courses. These topics may include:

* Applies to PLAN and the ACT only† Applies to the ACT only

ACTBenchmark

for CollegeBiology:

24

ACT COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS

25

National Headquarters500 ACT DriveP.O. Box 168Iowa City, Iowa 52243-0168Telephone: 319/337-1000

Washington, DC OfficeOne Dupont Circle NWSuite 340Washington, DC 20036-1170Telephone: 202/223-2318

Hunt Valley OfficeExecutive Plaza ISuite 20011350 McCormick RoadHunt Valley, Maryland 21031-1002Telephone: 410/584-8000

Olathe Office1365 North Winchester StreetOlathe, Kansas 66061-5880Telephone: 913/768-1696

National Center for Educational Achievement4030-2 West Braker LaneSuite 200Austin, Texas 78759-5329Telephone: 512/320-1800

West

Denver Office3131 South Vaughn WaySuite 218Aurora, Colorado 80014-3507Telephone: 303/337-3273

Sacramento Office2880 Sunrise Boulevard Suite 214Rancho Cordova, California

95742-6549Telephone: 916/631-9200

Southwest

Austin Office8303 MoPac Expressway NorthSuite A-110Austin, Texas 78759-8369Telephone: 512/345-1949

Midwest

Chicago Office300 Knightsbridge Parkway Suite 300Lincolnshire, Illinois 60069-9498Telephone: 847/634-2560

Michigan Office1001 Centennial WaySuite 400Lansing, Michigan 48917-8249Telephone: 517/327-5919

Ohio Office700 Taylor RoadSuite 210Gahanna, Ohio 43230-3318Telephone: 614/470-9828

East

Albany Office4 Pine West PlazaSuite 403Albany, New York 12205-5564Telephone: 518/869-7378

Atlanta Office3355 Lenox Road NESuite 320Atlanta, Georgia 30326-1332Telephone: 404/231-1952

Florida Office1315 East Lafayette StreetSuite A Tallahassee, Florida 32301-4757Telephone: 850/878-2729

ACT Offices

500 ACT DriveP.O. Box 168Iowa City, IA 52243-0168USA

319/337-1000

www.act.org

*0508A7070*