Interpretive Guide
for ACT Aspire
Summative Reports
Contact Information and Resources
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®
®
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Phone:
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Email:[email protected]
Resources
Website URL
act.org/content/act/en/privacy-policy.html
act.org/calculator-policy.html
aspire.act.org
success.act.org/s/topic/0TO1B000000P3VlWAK/act-aspire
act.org/aspire
https://support.assessment.pearson.com/display/TN/
TestNav+8+Online+Support
ACT Privacy Policy
ACT Privacy Policy
Accessibility and Accommodations
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Prepare Your Examinees
resources
•
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ACTAspire resource web page
Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction
Overview of the ACTAspire
Program 2
ACT Aspire Scale Scores
ACT Readiness Benchmarks for English,
Mathematics, Reading, and Science
ACT Readiness Levels for English,
Mathematics, Reading, and Science
ACT Readiness Benchmarks for ELA and
STEM
ACT Aspire Reporting Categories
Performance-Level Descriptors and College
and Career Readiness Standards
ACT Aspire Test Forms
ACT Aspire National Norms
ACT Aspire Growth Models
ACT Aspire Reporting
Off-Grade Testing
Testing with Accommodations
Understanding Published
Reports
Student Planning Guide
Student Information
ISR Page 2
One-Page ISR
Understanding Interactive
Reports
Subject Proficiency by Student Report
Current Progress Report
Supplemental Scores Report
Proficiency Summary Report 20
Skill Proficiency Report 22
Historical Student Data 22
Understanding ACTAspire
School Reports
Current Progress Report
Supplemental Scores Report
Subject Proficiency by Grade Level
Report
Subject Proficiency by Student Report
Subject Proficiency by Demographic
Report
Skill Proficiency by Subject Report
Skill Proficiency by Demographic Report
Understanding ACTAspire
District and State
Reports
Glossary
Appendix A: Subject
Assessments and Reporting
Categories
Reading
English
Writing
Science
Mathematics
Figures
Figure 1. ACT Aspire Individual Student Report, page 1
Figure 2. Student report notifications of invalid results
Figure 3. ACT Aspire Individual Student Report, page 2
Figure 4. One-Page ISR
Figure 5. Proficiency Summary Report section of the educator/group reports
Figure 6. Proficiency Summary Report section of the educator/group reports
Tables
Table 1. ACT Readiness Benchmarks
Table 2. Score Ranges for ACT Readiness Levels
Table 3. ACT Readiness Benchmarks in ELA and STEM, Grades 3–10
Table 4. Summary of ACT Aspire Summative Reports
Abbreviations
Abbreviation Denition
ACT CCRS
ACT NCRC
EHS
ELA
ISR
SEM
SGP
SPF
STEM
Introduction
This guide aims to help you understand and effectively use the ACT
®
Aspire
®
score reports
available to students, educators, schools, districts, and states. Please keep the following
cautions in mind:
•
The validity of conclusions about student groups depends, in part, on the accuracy of data
provided about students at the time of testing (gender, race/ethnicity background, and other
personal information).
•
Numerous social, economic, and instructional factors are known to contribute to
educational achievement. Relatively few of these factors are represented in these reports.
Conclusions based on student achievement about educational programs or policies at your
school should be supported by information from additional sources.
•
In making decisions or drawing conclusions based on differences among groups of students,
caution must be employed when the number of students in any group is small. ACT Aspire
also urges caution when interpreting summary results for groups with fewer than 25
students because of the instability associated with data from small samples. For example,
one very low or very high score may overly influence the average scores of 10 students
but will have much less effect when included in a group of 100 students. In addition, care
should be taken with any information from small groups in which group members can be
easily recognized and confidentiality is likely to be difficult to maintain.
•
When sharing ACT Aspire results with others, it’s important to identify the population
represented by the educator/group or school report. For example, conclusions regarding
your entire class are appropriate only if all or nearly all of your students participated in the
program or if you have determined that those who took the test are representative of the
class as a whole.
•
Scores are estimates of student knowledge and achievement. The student’s actual
achievement could be slightly higher or lower than the reported scores. For more
information about measurement error, see ACT Aspire Summative Technical Manual on the
ACT Aspire resource web page.
2
Overview of the
ACT Aspire Program
ACT Aspire is a vertically-scaled modular suite of achievement tests that measures student
growth in a longitudinal assessment system. By charting a student’s growth from the
elementary grades through early high school, ACT Aspire expands the assessment of skills in
the same five academic areas as the ACT
®
test: English, mathematics, reading, science, and
writing.
ACT Aspire measures students’ progress toward college and career readiness. The scale scores
are linked to college and career data through scores on the ACT and the ACT National Career
Readiness Certificate™ (ACT NCRC
®
) program. Empirically-based ACT Readiness Benchmarks
provide information about whether students are on target for readiness at the appropriate
grade/subject levels. To enhance score interpretation, reporting categories (also called skills)
for ACT Aspire use the same terminology as the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards
(ACT CCRS) and other standards that target college and career readiness.
The goal of assessment is to collect relevant evidence from the student as authentically as
possible while sampling enough of the construct to support inferences based on the student’s
test scores. ACT Aspire uses several item types to achieve this goal. Selected-response
(multiple-choice) items offer an efficient, reliable way to sample a wide range of content skills
and understandings. Constructed-response tasks require students to explain, justify, critique,
create, propose, produce, design, or otherwise demonstrate knowledge and understanding by
generating a response. When appropriate, context is provided to reinforce students’ practical
applications of concepts, theories, principles, and processes. Technology-enhanced items
and tasks use online interfaces to ask questions and pose scenarios that are not possible
in traditional paper tests. They also present conventional items in fresh, innovative ways
that motivate students. Technology-enhanced items may require students to generate their
responses, or they may present students with a wider and more complex set of answer options.
The multiple item types on ACT Aspire assessments yield the evidence needed to support
inferences about student achievement.
ACTAspire Scale Scores
For ACT Aspire English, mathematics, reading, and science tests, the number of points earned
on each test are counted to obtain a raw score which is then converted to a three-digit scale
score. The scale scores for each subject are measured against the ACT Readiness Benchmarks
to identify whether students are on target to meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
by the time they take the ACT in grade 11. Four Readiness Levels are used for each subject to
further identify how student performance relates to the Benchmarks: Exceeding, Ready, Close,
and In Need of Support.
In addition, for students who take the English, reading, and writing tests, these scores are
combined into a three-digit English Language Arts (ELA) score. Scores on the mathematics
and science tests are combined into a three-digit Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) score. Based on a subset of items in the reading test, the Progress with
Text Complexity indicator also identifies whether students are making sufficient progress
toward reading the complex texts they will encounter as they further their education and work
toward college and career.
For all students who test English, mathematics, reading, and science there is a three-digit
composite score. This Composite score is linked to the ACT NCRC program in order to provide
a Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator for students in grades 8–10.
For testers in grades 6–9, ACT Aspire offers predicted subject test and Composite score ranges
on the PreACT. Testers in grades 6–10 receive predicted subject test and Composite score
ranges on the ACT. This helps students understand if they are on target for college readiness.
ACT Readiness Benchmarks for English, Mathematics,
Reading, and Science
College and career readiness is the cornerstone of the ACT Aspire system. Table 1 provides
the ACT Readiness Benchmarks for English, mathematics, reading, and science at each grade
level. These benchmarks are aligned with the existing ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
Students at or above the benchmark are on target for college readiness when they take the
ACT test in grade 11. For additional information on how the benchmarks were established, see
ACT Aspire Summative Technical Manual.
Table 1.
Tested Grade English Math Reading Science
3 413 413 415 418
4 417 416 417 420
5 419 418 420 422
6 420 420 421 423
7 421 422 423 425
8 422 425 424 427
9 426 428 425 430
10 428 432 428 432
While scale scores and readiness benchmarks are not repoprted for the writing test,
performance on the writing test contributes to the English Language Arts (ELA) score. Writing
domain scores in “Ideas and Analysis”, “Development and Support”, “Organization”, and
“Language Use and Conventions” are reported on the two-page ISR.
Note for fall testers: The ACT Readiness Benchmarks were obtained using spring
performance, so scores for students who test in the fall are compared to a spring benchmark.
Therefore, performance relative to the benchmark is an indication of what a student still needs
to learn in order to be “ready” by the end of the year.
ACT Readiness Levels for English, Mathematics, Reading,
and Science
In addition to the benchmark score for each grade in English, mathematics, reading, and
science, cut scores are created around the benchmark and can be used to classify students into
four performance levels.
•
Exceeding
•
Ready
•
Close
•
In Need of Support
Students in the Ready category have met the ACT Readiness Benchmark and are on target
for 50% or higher likelihood of college course success; students in the Exceeding category
scored substantially above the benchmark and have a much higher chance to be college
and career ready; students in the Close category scored below but near the ACT Readiness
Benchmark, considering the measurement error; and students in the In Need of Support
category performed substantially below the ACT Readiness Benchmark. ACT Aspire score
reports classify students into the four levels given above. Table 2 provides the score ranges for
the four ACT Readiness Levels for all grades in English, mathematics, reading and science.
For additional information on how the ACT Readiness Levels were established, see ACT Aspire
Summative Technical Manual.
Table 2.
Subject
ACT
Readiness Level
Grade Level Scale Score Ranges
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
English
Exceeding 418–435 423–438 426–442 427–448 429–450 429–452 433–456 435–456
Ready 413–417 417–422 419–425 420–426 421–428 422–428 426–432 428–434
Close 408–412 411–416 412–418 413–419 413–420 415–421 419–425 421–427
In Need of
Support
400–407 400–410 400–411 400–412 400–412 400–414 400–418 400–420
Math
Exceeding 417–434 421–440 424–446 426–451 428–453 431–456 434–460 438–460
Ready 413–416 416–420 418–423 420–425 422–427 425–430 428–433 432–437
Close 409–412 411–415 412–417 414–419 416–421 419–424 422–427 426–431
In Need of
Support
400–408 400–410 400–411 400–413 400–415 400–418 400–421 400–425
Reading
Exceeding 419–429 422–431 425–434 426–436 429–438 430–440 431–442 434–442
Ready 415–418 417–421 420–424 421–425 423–428 424–429 425–430 428–433
Close 411–414 412–416 415–419 416–420 417–422 418–423 419–424 422–427
In Need of
Support
400–410 400–411 400–414 400–415 400–416 400–417 400–418 400–421
Science
Exceeding 422–433 425–436 427–438 428–440 430–443 432–446 436–449 438–449
Ready 418–421 420–424 422–426 423–427 425–429 427–431 430–435 432–437
Close 414–417 415–419 417–421 418–422 420–424 422–426 424–429 426–431
In Need of
Support
400–413 400–414 400–416 400–417 400–419 400–421 400–423 400–425
ACT Readiness Benchmarks for ELA and STEM
From fall 2017, the ACT Readiness Benchmarks for ELA and STEM were updated to better align
with the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. Table 3 presents the updated ACT Readiness
Benchmarks for ELA and STEM across grade levels. Please refer to ACT Aspire Summative
Technical Manual for additional information.
Table 3.
Grade ELA STEM
3 419 420
4 422 422
5 424 425
6 426 428
7 426 430
8 427 433
9 428 435
10 430 437
ACTAspire Reporting Categories
To provide instructionally insightful and actionable results, student performance is also
described in terms of the ACT Aspire reporting categories (found in Appendix A). Score
reports show the percent and number of points students earn out of the total number of points
possible in each reporting category. For English, mathematics, reading, and science, student
performance in each category is compared to the ACT Readiness Range which shows where
a student who has met the ACT Readiness Benchmark in a particular subject area would
typically perform on the reporting category. In this way, students can compare the percent
correct in each category to the percent correct attained by a typical student who is on target to
be “Ready”. Students who score below the ACT Readiness Range may be in need of additional
support. Reporting student performance in this way provides meaningful insights into
students’ areas of strength as well as areas that may need additional attention. Descriptions of
what each subject test and reporting category measures for each grade are included in Appendix A.
Performance-Level Descriptors and College and Career
Readiness Standards
ACT Aspire assessments are aligned with leading frameworks of content standards that target
college and career readiness. ACT Aspire Performance-Level Descriptors (PLDs) have been
created to provide specific descriptions of student performance within and across grades.
The PLDs were developed in a 2016 study run by an independent facilitator; over 90 subject-
matter experts (SMEs) from 14 states drafted the PLD statements. The PLDs at each grade are
organized by ACT Readiness Level: In Need of Support; Close; Ready; and Exceeding. In the
2016 PLD study, SMEs reviewed ACT Aspire materials, performance data, and administered
test items to generate statements that describe what students know and are able to do
within each category in each subject and grade. PLDs are found at: https://success.act.org/s/
topic/0TO4v000000DUzYGAW/act-aspire-data-reporting.
In addition, ACT Aspire assessments for grade 8 and EHS are aligned with the ACT College
and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). The ACT CCRS, developed for each subject test,
are descriptions of the skills and knowledge that ACT has empirically linked to readiness in
postsecondary education and the world of work. Different groups of SMEs developed the ACT
CCRS by synthesizing the domain-specific knowledge and skills demonstrated by students
in particular score bands across thousands of students’ scores. Within each content area, the
CCRS are organized by strand, which mirrors the reporting categories featured in ACT Aspire,
and by score band.
ACTAspire Test Forms
Multiple ACT Aspire test forms are administered each year. Despite being constructed to follow
the same content and statistical specifications, test forms may differ slightly in difficulty.
Equating—the process of making statistical adjustments to maintain score interchangeability
across test forms—is used to control for these differences so that scale scores represent the
same level of achievement regardless of form.
ACTAspire National Norms
Each year, ACT conducts a norming study to update the national percentile ranks that are
included on score reports. The norming data, composed of test data from multiple years, are
statistically weighted to more closely match the national population in terms of selected school
and student characteristics and academic achievement.
The following normative information is included in ACT Aspire Summative reporting:
•
National Percentile Ranks
•
National Averages
•
Percentage of students who performed at or above the Ready level
The national percentile ranks and averages are included on student reports. Tables showing
the national percentile ranks, national score averages, and percentages of students who
performed at or above the Ready level can be found in ACT Aspire Summative Technical
Manual.
ACTAspire Growth Models
ACT Aspire reports allow educators to understand how students are performing and growing
over time. These features provide valuable insight into students’ current and predicted
academic achievement.
•
Longitudinal reporting. ACT Aspire provides longitudinal reporting for English, reading,
science, and math, from grade 3 through grade 10. Scores are plotted over time and viewed
alongside grade-level-specific ACT Readiness Benchmarks indicating whether students are
on target to meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks when they take the ACT test in
grade 11.
•
Student growth percentiles (SGPs). ACT Aspire SGPs describe how a student performed
compared to students with the same prior-year score history. The SGPs range from 1 to 100
and growth is categorized as low (SGP < 25), average (25 ≤ SGP ≤ 75), or high (SGP > 75). SGPs
are included in the Student Performance File (SPF) and are summarized in educator/group
reports. For students who take the ACT in grade 11 after having taken ACT Aspire in grade
10, resources for calculating SGPs are provided at ACT Growth Modeling Resources. The
SGPs are developed using quantile regression methods. The reference groups for calculating
the SGPs include the nationally-tested population. SGPs measure growth over one-year
time intervals (e.g., spring grade 5 to spring grade 6 or fall grade 8 to fall grade 9). Like other
measures of student growth, SGPs are subject to measurement error. Users should not rely
solely on SGPs when assessing how much a student has learned in a subject.
•
Score Predictions. Predicted paths forecast ACT Aspire score ranges over the next two
years. Because the ACT Aspire assessment system ends in 10th grade, predicted paths for
9th-grade reports only cover one year, and 10th-grade reports do not include predicted
paths. Predicted paths are a range, reflecting uncertainty in how a student will perform
in the future. The predicted paths assume typical growth and are reported for English,
mathematics, reading, and science. Predicted 10th-grade PreACT score ranges are reported
for students in grades 6–9, and predicted 11th-grade ACT score ranges are reported for
students in grades 6–10. The PreACT and ACT score predictions also assume typical growth.
Predicted mean scores are used to form predicted paths for classrooms, schools, districts,
states, and other user-defined groups. The aggregate predicted paths are drawn as lines
connecting the current year’s mean score to next year’s predicted mean score. While
the predicted paths for student score reports show a range of scores over two years, the
predicted paths for groups only predict one year.
ACTAspire Reporting
ACT Aspire offers different levels of score reports tailored to the needs of individual students,
teachers, and school administrators. Score reports contain information about individual
students and groups on various subject-centered skills that reflect readiness for future success.
ACT Aspire reports display both numerical and graphical representations supported by
descriptive text. The following table summarizes the reports that ACT Aspire provides.
Instructions for how to access reports within the ACT Aspire administration platform are
posted on the ACT Aspire resource web page.
Table 4.
Report Type Report Name
State
District
School
Educator*
CSV
PDF
Interactive
Published
Current Progress
Supplemental Scores
Subject Prociency by Student
Subject Prociency by Demographic
Subject Prociency by Grade
Subject Prociency by School
Subject Prociency by District
Skill Prociency by Demographic
Skill Prociency by Subject
Skill Prociency by School
Skill Prociency by District
Individual Student Report (ISR)
y
One-page ISR
y
Two-page ISR
Student Performance File
Historical Historical Student Data
On-Demand
Student Performance List
Student Performance by Subject
Prociency
Subject Prociency by Student or Group
Subject Prociency by Grade
Subject Prociency by Demographic
Skill Prociency by Student or Group
Current Progress
Current Progress
Supplemental Scores
Prociency Summary
* Educator will only see students assigned to that educator through reporting groups
Score reports are available as downloadable PDFs or in online dynamic formats within the
ACT Aspire administration platform. Online dynamic reports provide the ability to filter and
generate new views of the results.
Off-Grade Testing
ACT Aspire score reports also take into account students who may be testing “off grade” (such
as a fifth grader testing at the fourth-grade level). If, year-to-year, students consistently tested
off grade, you’d see the connected longitudinal line on the ISR’s longitudinal progress graph.
Similarly, if students tested both on and off grade over a period of years, you’d see two different
student reports, one with on-grade and another with off-grade results.
Scores from off-grade testing are reported on the ACT Aspire scale just like any ACT Aspire
score. However, when interpreting off-grade scores, one should keep in mind that the
grade level indicated on a test form only contains content targeted at that grade, and the
appropriateness of a test form for a student at a different grade level should be justified. In
addition, the score range associated with the test at a particular grade level is linked to the
ACT Aspire scale and only covers a particular range of the scale. Students who test off grade
are included in aggregate scores and reports for the grade level tested. A group can be created
within the ACT Aspire administration platform that includes off-grade students, and these
students can then be excluded from aggregate scores in the online dynamic reports.
Testing with Accommodations
Students who used any accessibility features or accommodations are included in the educator/
group and school, district, and state reports. As with students who tested off grade, students
who tested with accommodations can be grouped together in the ACT Aspire administration
platform and excluded from online dynamic reports. A Personal Needs Profile (PNP) report for
student tests can be created based on accessibilities and specific tests.
Understanding
Published Reports
Student score reports are primarily intended to facilitate a conversation between a parent,
student, and educator around the student’s academic achievement. Schools may distribute to
students and parents the following reports:
•
ISR (two-page colored report)
•
One-Page ISR
Student Planning Guide
Along with their score reports, each student who participates in ACT Aspire will have online
access (ACT Aspire resource web page) to Understanding Your ACT Aspire Summative Results,
which provides interpretive information about the test results and suggestions for improving
academic skills and making plans for further education and career training.
Student Information
The student information section shows the student’s name, grade, school, and student ID
number. The grade listed is the grade in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing.
Page 1 of the two-page ISR, (see Figure 1) includes the student’s current and predicted
subject performance, Composite Score, ACT Readiness Benchmarks, ACT Readiness Levels,
national averages, ELA and STEM Scores, Progress With Text Complexity Indicator, Progress
Toward Career Readiness Indicator, national percentile ranks, and Scale Score Ranges. The
longitudinal progress graph shows the student’s three-digit score in relation to the ACT
Readiness Benchmark for each subject and in relation to the four ACT Readiness Levels—
Exceeding, Ready, Close, and In Need of Support.
All measurements, including test scores, contain uncertainty. Scores under the readiness level
and shown in the graph on this report indicate how well a student performed on the actual test
day. The Scale Score Range shows the scores a student would likely obtain if they took the test
again without additional coursework.
Page 1 of 2
STUDENT NAME (ID#: XXXXX)
Assessed: Sep 30, 2019 - Nov 22, 2019
HIGH SCHOOL (Code: XXX)
Grade: 9
Your ACT Aspire Composite Score is 428
(Composite score is the average of your English, Reading, Science, and Math scores)
Summative Student Report
SCALE SCORE RANGE SUBJECT RANGE
Composite 426 - 430
English 432 - 440
Reading 422 - 428
ELA 428 - 432
Science 420 - 426
Math 424 - 430
STEM 423 - 427
Test scores are estimates
of your educational
development. Think of
your true achievement on
this test as being likely
within the Score Range.
PROGRESS WITH TEXT COMPLEXITY
Students must read and understand
increasingly complex texts to prepare for
the reading demands of college and
career. Examples of factors that contribute
to text complexity are vocabulary level,
sentence structure, and rhetorical
structure. The reading test measures
progress with text complexity by assessing
understanding of texts from a range of
complexity levels.
YOUR NATIONAL
PERCENTILE RANK
Composite 61
st
English 75
th
Reading 61
st
ELA 67
th
Science 42
nd
Math 62
nd
STEM 51
st
Below Proficient Proficient
ü
ACT Readiness Benchmark: Students who score at or
above the benchmark are on target to meet ACT College
Readiness Benchmark when they are in 11th grade.
Predicted Path: A projection
of where scores will fall based
upon expected growth rates.
National Average: The
mean score of all students
in the norm group.
Exceeding
Ready
Close
In Need of Support
*
Your ELA score represents your overall performance on the English, Reading, and W riting Tests.
Your STEM score represents your overall perf ormance on the Science and Math Tests.
Your Predicted PreACT Composite Score Range is 17-21
The prediction assumes you take the PreACT in 10th grade and assumes typical growth in achievement.
17-21
COMPOSITE
17-23
ENGLISH
17-23
READING
14-20
SCIENCE
16-20
MATH
Your Predicted ACT Composite Score Range is 19-22
The prediction assumes you take the ACT in 11th grade and assumes typical growth in achievement.
19-22
COMPOSITE
20-25
ENGLISH
18-23
READING
15-20
SCIENCE
17-21
MATH
PROGRESS TOWARD CAREER READINESS
Progress Toward Career Readiness is an early indicator of your
future level of achievement on the ACT National Career Readiness
Certificate (NCRC). The ACT NCRC is an assessment-based
credential that documents foundational work skills important for job
success across industries and occupations.
Students with this ACT Aspire Composite score are likely to obtain
a Silver level on the ACT NCRC in 11th grade.
400 452
428
430
425
Ready
Below
Ready
Ready
Below
Ready
ENGLISH
436
READING
425
ELA
430*
SCIENCE
423
MATH
427
STEM
425*
EXCEEDING READY READY IN NEED OF SUPPORT CLOSE BELOW READY
Grade
345678910 345678910 9 345678910 345678910 9
ACT Readiness
Benchmark
426 425 428 430 428 435
National
Average
429 422 426 425
Bronze Silver Gold Platinum
460
450
440
430
420
410
400
436
425
423
427
Figure 1.
Student information Report title
ACT Aspire
Composite Score
Longitudinal
progress graph
Subject, scale score,
and readiness level
ELA info
STEM info
Report key and
definitions
Predicted score
ranges
Scale Score Range
Progress Toward
Career Readiness
Progress with Text
Complexity
National Percentile
Rank
A predicted path for each subject is also shown. The blue cone on the Grade 9 report in Figure
1, page 12 shows a one-year projection (two-year projection in lower grades) of where scores
may fall based upon expected growth. Sometimes the predicted path can be negatively sloped,
although a test score may be high. A student’s test score is an estimate of the student’s true
achievement level, and students who scored very high are more likely than others to have
scored above their true achievement level. When these students test again, they tend to score
closer to the average. For this same reason, it is not uncommon for students who score very
low one year to score much higher the next year. The ACT Aspire predicted paths reflect this
complexity, and are consistent with what ACT has observed in other testing programs. For
some subjects and grade levels, negatively sloped predicted paths will be more likely because
of differences in growth across subjects and grade levels that ACT has observed with previously
tested students.
In the middle of the report, there are definitions offered for key terms (see Figure 1). For a list of
terms used on ACT Aspire reports, see the Glossary in this guide.
An ACT Aspire Composite Score, Predicted ACT Composite Score Range (provided for grades
6–10), and Predicted PreACT Composite Score Range (provided for grades 6–9) are shown on
the report if the student took the ACT Aspire English, mathematics, reading, and science tests
(see Figure 1). Predicted ACT and PreACT subject score ranges are also given for each subject
test. The predicted score ranges for the ACT English, mathematics, reading, and science are
reported on a 1–36 scale; predicted score ranges for the PreACT are on a 1–35 scale.
ACT Aspire also reports the student’s national percentile ranks, ELA Score, Progress With Text
Complexity Indicator, STEM Score, and Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator. These
additional measures of student performance are only available if specific subjects and grade
levels are assessed.
•
National Percentile Rank. Student national percentile ranks are given for English,
mathematics, reading, science, ELA, STEM, and Composite. A national percentile rank
shows the percentage of other students in the nation who received a score equal to or lower
than the student’s score for the grade and subject tested. For example, a national percentile
rank of 93 implies that 93% of students included in the norm group scored at or below
this student’s score. Percentile ranks have a maximum value of 100, with higher values
indicating better performance. When interpreting percentile ranks, keep in mind the norm
group against which the student is being compared.
•
English Language Arts (ELA). For students who take the English, reading, and writing
assessments, an ELA score is the rounded average of the English, reading, and writing test
scale scores and represents a measure of the student’s overall literacy skills. To calculate the
ELA score, the student’s writing raw score (4–20 in grades 3–5 and 4–24 in grades 6–EHS) is
converted to a three-digit scale. This three-digit writing scale score is only used for the ELA
score calculation. The ELA score represents the overall performance on these assessments
and is compared against the ACT Readiness Benchmark in ELA, which is aligned to the ACT
College Readiness Benchmark for ELA. A student score that falls below the ELA Benchmark
is indicated as “Below Ready.” A student score that is at or above the ELA Benchmark is
indicated as “Ready.”
•
Progress with Text Complexity. A Progress with Text Complexity Indicator is shown for
students who take the reading test. This is an indication of how well students are able to
demonstrate understanding of the central meanings and purposes of increasingly complex
texts. Questions that contribute to the score require connecting information across a whole
text, or substantial sections of text, to demonstrate an understanding of key information—a
skill sometimes referred to as “global comprehension.” Such questions include:
–
What is the main idea?
–
For what purpose did the author write this text?
–
What caused the main character’s actions?
–
How is the information structured in this text? (e.g., chronologically, by concept)
Student performance on the Progress with Text Complexity measure is compared to a
readiness range empirically derived from the performance of students who meet the ACT
Readiness Benchmarks in Reading. Students who perform within the readiness range will
receive an indication that they are making sufficient progress toward reading the complex
texts they will encounter in college and career. Students who perform below the readiness
range receive recommendations for improvement, or “insights,” such as to practice reading
increasingly complex texts from a variety of genres, checking for understanding, and
using problem-solving strategies with challenging texts. Students who perform better on
the overall reading test than they do on the Progress with Text Complexity measure have
demonstrated relative strengths in analyzing words and sentences as well as evaluating
particular techniques used by authors. They have demonstrated lower ability with tasks
that require an understanding of the overall meaning, or the big picture, expressed in a text.
Students fitting this profile might benefit from practicing skills that help build accurate
mental representations of whole texts, such as pausing to reflect on key ideas during reading
and summarizing afterward.
•
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). For students who take the
science and mathematics tests, a STEM score is calculated by taking the average of the two
scale scores achieved in those subjects. The STEM score represents the overall performance
in these subjects and is compared against the ACT Readiness Benchmark in STEM, which is
aligned to the ACT College Readiness Benchmark for STEM. A student score that falls below
the STEM Benchmark is indicated as “Below Ready.” A student score that is at or above the
STEM Benchmark is indicated as “Ready.”
•
Progress Toward Career Readiness. Students who receive scale scores on English,
mathematics, reading, and science tests taken in grades 8, 9, or 10 are given a Progress
Toward Career Readiness Indicator. This indicator links the student’s ACT Aspire Composite
Score (given on the report) with predicted performance on the ACT NCRC. The report
indicates visually whether a student is making progress toward a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or
Platinum level ACT NCRC. If the student is not making progress toward any of these levels,
the report indicates that improvement is needed.
If a room supervisor observes a student engaging in any prohibited behaviors during testing,
the student’s test must be marked Do Not Report (DNR). When a test is DNR, the score for that
test will not be reported on the ISR. Instead, for each subject test that was DNR, a message
will be displayed indicating that a score was not earned. See Figure 2 for an example of this
message. A list of prohibited behaviors that may prompt invalidation can be found in the Test
Coordinator Manual.
Figure 2.
ISR Page 2
Page 2 of the ISR (Figure 3) shows the student’s performance on reporting categories, the ACT
Readiness Range, and the improvement ideas (available for English, mathematics, reading
and science), as well as the score point description for the writing test. Reporting category
performance is given as the number of points earned out of the total points possible and as the
percentage of points earned. For reporting categories in English, mathematics, reading, and
science, scores can be compared to the ACT Readiness Range. Scores within the ACT Readiness
Range are consistent with scores at or above the ACT Readiness Benchmark on the overall
subject test.
For each reporting category, an improvement idea is given. The improvement ideas vary,
depending on whether students scored within the ACT Readiness Range.
Improvement Ideas
Your Detailed ACT Aspire Results
The scores below represent your performance on reporting categories measured by the test. Reporting category designations are provided to help you to start to focus
on strengths and weaknesses. Categories with only a few items may be less representative of your overall achievement in that category.
©
2019 by ACT Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 2 of 2
READING
Key Ideas & Details
10
of
14
71%
Craft & Structure
6
of
11
55%
Integration of Knowledge &
Ideas
4
of
5
80%
WRITING
Ideas & Analysis
3
of
6
50%
Development & Support
3
of
6
50%
Organization
3
of
6
50%
Language Use & Conventions
3
of
6
50%
ACT Readiness Range: Shows where a student who has met the ACT Readiness Benchmark on this assessment would typically perform.
*
Math test questions can map to multiple reporting categories, so totals will exceed the number of questions on test.
SCIENCE
Percent Correct
Interpretation of Data
9
of
18
50%
Scientific Investigation
4
of
10
40%
Evaluation of Models,
Inferences, & Experimental
Results
4
of
12
33%
ENGLISH
Percent Correct
Production of Writing
11
of
13
85%
Knowledge of Language 4
of
6
67%
Conventions of Standard
English
20
of
31
65%
SCIENCE
Interpretation of Data: Generate and interpret a greater number and variety
of data presentations (scientific tables, line graphs, diagrams). Use trends to
extend data in data presentations (interpolation, extrapolation).
Scientific Investigation: Generate questions that can be investigated and
then design and perform controlled experiments to validly test the questions.
Examine complex scientific experiments involving multiple variables.
Evaluation of Models, Inferences, & Experimental Results: Compare and
evaluate the results of scientific experiments and compare and evaluate
competing scientific explanations. Examine ways to improve on scientific
experiments and explanations.
MATH
Grade Level Progress: Try completing the "challenge" questions in your
textbook for your current math work.
• Number & Quantity: W ork on applying properties of exponents and
rewriting radical expressions in terms of rational exponents. Do the
properties of exponents make sense to you? If you make sense of them,
they will be easier to use.
• Algebra: W ork on performing operations on polynomials, solving linear
equations and inequalities, and solving quadratic equations. Do algebraic
expressions have meaning for you? Interpret expressions as they apply to
the real world.
• Functions: Practice working with piecewise-defined functions; describe
what the graph means in terms of a real-world situation.
• Geometry: W ork on explaining geometric reasoning related to lines and
angles. Derive the formula for the volume of a pyramid.
• Statistics & Probability: W hat could you do if you gave a survey but
some people didn’t answer the question? Would it matter?
Integrating Essential Skills: Continue to strengthen your skills by applying
and integrating the mathematics you learned in previous grades.
Justification & Explanation: Understand mathematical derivations and
justification in your textbooks. Know the concepts behind math terms and why
procedures work.
Modeling: Find some real-world situations and create models to describe and
predict information.
MATH*
Grade Level Progress 15
of
31
48%
• Number & Quantity 1
of
3
33%
• Algebra 3
of
7
43%
• Functions 4
of
6
67%
• Geometry 3
of
7
43%
• Statistics & Probability 3
of
4
75%
Integrating Essential Skills 8
of
20
40%
Justification & Explanation 3
of
12
25%
Modeling 13
of
21
62%
ENGLISH
Production of Writing: Practice writing for a variety of purposes. Continue working
on developing topics effectively, organizing ideas in logical, cohesive ways, and
expressing ideas in a stylistically consistent manner.
Knowledge of Language: In your writing, experiment with how word choices affect
meaning and how language functions differently in different contexts.
Conventions of Standard English: Challenge yourself to write complex sentences,
avoiding all errors in sentence construction and using parts of speech and punctuation
correctly.
READING
Key Ideas & Details: Read increasingly complex texts from a variety of genres. W ork
on making and supporting reasonable inferences and on identifying and inferring main
ideas, themes, sequences, and relationships.
Craft & Structure: As you read, consider the purpose of texts and parts of texts. Also
analyze how texts are organized, how authors use point of view, and how authors use
words and phrases.
Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Read complex texts from a variety of genres.
Analyze how authors present arguments, focusing on strengths and weaknesses.
Also, look for connections between and among related texts.
WRITING SCORE POINT DESCRIPTORS
Use the following rubric descriptions of your writing scores to identify your
strengths and areas for improvement.
Ideas & Analysis: The response is somewhat appropriate to the task, with an
analysis that is oversimplified or imprecise. Implications or complications are only
somewhat clear or relevant. Specific details and generalized ideas are somewhat
connected.
Development & Support: Explanations of ideas are limited, but include some use of
supporting reasons and/or relevant examples.
Organization: The response exhibits some evidence of organizational structure.
Some ideas are logically grouped. Transitions between and within paragraphs
sometimes clarify the relationships among ideas.
Language Use & Conventions: The response demonstrates some developing ability
to convey meaning. W ord choice is general and occasionally imprecise. Sentence
structures show little variety and are sometimes unclear. Voice and tone are somewhat
appropriate for the analytical purpose but are inconsistently maintained. Distracting
errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics are present, and they sometimes impede
understanding.
Figure 3.
One-Page ISR
The One-Page ISR on Figure 4 provides students, parents, and educators with a summary
of student performance in a simplified format that lends itself to “at-a-glance”-level
interpretation and easy printing. The One-Page ISR includes scale scores of subject tests
(only English, mathematics, science, and reading), readiness level, national percentile rank,
Predicted PreACT Score (for students in grades 6–9), and Predicted ACT Score (for students
in grades 6–10). An ELA Score, STEM Score, Progress With Text Complexity Indicator, and
Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator (for grades 8–10) is also included.
MAIN SCORES
Subject ACT Readiness
Level
Score
Score Range
Your National
Percentile Rank
Predicted
PreACT Score
Predicted
ACT Score
English Exceeding
436
432 - 440
75th 17 - 23 20 - 25
Reading Ready
425
422 - 428
61st 17 - 23 18 - 23
Writing Scoreable
Science In Need of Support
423
420 - 426
42nd 14 - 20 15 - 20
Math Close
427
424 - 430
62nd 16 - 20 17 - 21
Composite
428
426 - 430
61st 17 - 21 19 - 22
SUPPLEMENTAL SCORES
Readiness Score
Score Range
ELA Ready
430
428 - 432
STEM Below Ready
425
423 - 427
Progress with Text Complexity
Sufficient Progress: Yes
Progress Toward Career Readiness
You are likely to obtain a Silver level on the ACT NCRC in the 11th grade.
©2019 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
Student Report
Summative
Assessed Sep 30, 2019 - Nov 22, 2019
STUDENT
Grade: 9
HIGH SCHOOL, School ID: XXX
Student ID: XXXXXX
ACT Readiness Level: Based on the test score and performance level cut scores, your performance
can be classified into one of these levels: Exceeding, Ready, Close, In Need of Support.
Score Range: T est scores are estimates of your educational development. Think of your true
achievement on this test as being likely within the Score Range.
National Percentile Rank: The percentage of other grade 9 students in the nation who received a score
that is the same as or lower than yours.
Unders tand subject skill expectations for each ACT Readiness Level by reviewing the Performance
Level Descriptors: www.act.org/aspire
Figure 4.
Understanding
Interactive Reports
These reports are interactive:
•
Historical Student Data
•
Student Performance List
•
Student Performance by Subject
•
Subject Proficiency by Student or Group
•
Subject Proficiency by Grade*
•
Subject Proficiency by Demographic*
•
Skill Proficiency by Student or Group
•
Current Progress
•
Supplemental Scores
•
Proficiency Summary
* These reports are not available at the Educator level
Subject Prociency by Student Report
How can students be grouped by subject to inform teaching?
The Subject Proficiency by Student Report provides educators with a summary view of their
classroom’s performance in all assessed subjects except writing and helps them understand
each student’s overall performance versus ACT Readiness Benchmarks. This report also
identifies which students are struggling (falling below the benchmark in the Close or In
Need of Support readiness levels) in a subject as well as those who are excelling (meeting or
exceeding the benchmark in the Ready or Exceeding levels) in a subject.
Current Progress Report
How are students progressing toward unlocking their potential and preparing for
college and career?
The Current Progress Report provides educators with an overall view of their classroom’s
performance and their students’ predicted path in all assessed subjects except writing. It
supports an educator’s understanding of the class’s growth over the prior year (if prior-year
scores are available) and quickly identifies the areas where a group of students are meeting (or
not meeting) the benchmarks. It includes the same student cohort performance over the prior
year, the classroom/group current and predicted performance, and the national average for the
grade level assessed in each subject.
Supplemental Scores Report
How can additional performance measures inform decisions?
The Supplemental Scores Report aggregates the classroom/group additional measures
of performance, including National Percentile Ranks, ELA, STEM, Progress With Text
Complexity, and Progress Toward Career Readiness. The latter two measures of student
performance are only available if specific subjects and grade level tests are assessed.
•
National Percentile Rank. The median national percentile rank for the group is given
for each subject tested. This is to compare the typical performance in the group to the
performance of all students included in the national norm group. The numbered ranks show
the percentage of students in the nation who received a score equal to or lower than the
group’s median score for the grade and subject tested.
•
English Language Arts (ELA). The classroom/group average ELA Score is presented (English,
reading, and writing assessments must be tested in order to receive an ELA Score). The ACT
Readiness Range Distribution chart represents the overall performance on ELA relative to
the ACT Readiness Benchmark in ELA. The percentage and n-count of students that scored
in the “Ready” Range are shown first, followed by the percentage and n-count of students
that scored below the range.
•
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). A classroom/group average
STEM Score is calculated by taking the average of all individual student STEM Scores
(mathematics and science must be tested in order to receive a STEM Score). The ACT
Readiness Range Distribution chart represents the overall performance on STEM relative
to the ACT Readiness Benchmark in STEM. The percentage and n-count of students who
scored in the “Ready” Range are shown first, followed by the percentage and n-count of
students who scored below the range.
•
Progress With Text Complexity. A Progress With Text Complexity Indicator is shown if the
reading test was administered. Student performance on the Progress With Text Complexity
measure is compared to a readiness range empirically derived from the ACT Readiness
Benchmarks in reading. Performance is categorized as either making “sufficient progress”
or “insufficient progress.” The educator/group report shows the percentage and number of
students who made sufficient progress with text complexity and the percentage and number
of students who made insufficient progress.
•
Progress Toward Career Readiness. Students who receive scale scores on English,
mathematics, reading, and science tests taken in grades 8, 9, or 10 are given a Progress
Toward Career Readiness Indicator. The Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator links
the student’s ACT Aspire Composite Score with predicted performance toward an ACT
NCRC. The educator/group report shows the group’s average Composite Score and score
range (i.e., lowest and highest obtainable scores). It also categorizes the percentage and
number of students who are making progress toward a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum
level ACT NCRC and students who are not making progress toward any of these levels
(indicated as “none”).
20
Prociency Summary Report
How can students be grouped by subject proficiency and growth to inform teaching?
This report details a group’s performance in a given subject. It supports an educator’s ability
to quickly understand the overall performance of the class and each individual student’s
performance and growth rate. It also aggregates the classroom/group performance in assessed
skill areas for that subject.
The readiness graph (see Figure 5) shows the number and percentage of students whose scores
fell into each of the ACT Readiness Levels: Exceeding, Ready, Close, and In Need of Support.
The total number of students assessed is identified in the report header. This is the number
of students who received valid scale scores for the subject. This total may not reflect the total
number of students in the particular class (group) if, for example, some students were absent
on test day or if student scores were marked Do Not Report due to testing irregularities.
Figure 5.
The growth distribution graph (see Figure 5) shows how the classroom distribution looks
in terms of student growth percentiles and subject scale scores. The x-axis plots SGPs on
the range 1–100. (See the section “ACT Aspire Growth Models” for more information on the
meaning and calculation of student growth percentiles.) The SGPs are categorized into low,
average, and high ranges, and the percentage of students that fell into each of these categories
is given at the top of the graph. If a student does not have prior-year scale score data available,
an SGP cannot be calculated, and the student data will not be plotted on the graph. A note that
indicates the number of students without growth history data is given below the graph. The
y-axis plots student scale scores. It ranges from the lowest achievable scale score to the highest
achievable scale score for the tested grade. The student scale scores are further broken out into
the ACT Readiness Levels.
The skills distribution chart (see Figure 5) summarizes classroom performance in each
reporting category assessed for the subject. The percentage and student n-count that fell
within and below the ACT Readiness Range are depicted for each skill.
Figure 6.
The printed version of this report lists each student and their growth and scale score. The
section header includes a breakdown of the scale score benchmark for each of the readiness
levels. The students are sorted highest to lowest scale score. Growth is indicated by color and
length of bar and includes the student’s growth percentage.
This Proficiency Summary shows educators where their students are in relation to subject
performance and growth. For example, a student who is slightly below the benchmark with a
high-growth indicator may not be of as much concern as a student who is slightly above the
benchmark with a low-growth indicator.
22
Skill Prociency Report
How can students be grouped by skill proficiency to inform teaching?
The Skill Proficiency Report assists educators in quickly identifying students in need of extra
support in a particular subject as well as students who might benefit from additional rigor. It
also pinpoints skill areas where curriculum adjustments or professional development might
be needed. The report indicates if the student met or was below the benchmark for each
reporting category. Clicking the ‘i’ next to the student name provides additional student test
information, such as previous scores, scale score, readiness benchmark, ELA, STEM, Progress
Toward Career Readiness, and detailed information for each reporting category.
Data is available for groups by clicking on the Group tab. The group information includes the
average score and the percent of student who met or were below the readiness benchmark for
each reporting category.
Historical Student Data
How can teachers prepare to meet the needs of his/her incoming students?
The Historical Data Report provides classroom teachers with subject test scores and ACT
Readiness Level information from the previous year’s administration for each student who
will be entering his/her class in the upcoming school year. The report provides teachers
with insights into each incoming student’s current level of skill and knowledge to inform
instruction and meet the needs of individual students.
Understanding
ACT Aspire School
Reports
These reports are available to individuals with an ACT Aspire administrator or test coordinator
role.
•
Current Progress
•
Supplemental Scores
•
Subject Proficiency by Grade Level
•
Subject Proficiency by Student
•
Subject Proficiency by Demographic
•
Skill Proficiency by Subject
•
Skill Proficiency by Demographic
Current Progress Report
How are students progressing toward unlocking their potential and preparing for
college and a career?
The Current Progress Report provides an overall view of school performance and students’
predicted path in all assessed subjects except writing. It supports the ability to understand
the school’s growth over the prior year (if prior-year scores are available) and to identify areas
where students in the school are meeting (or not meeting) the benchmarks. It includes the
same student cohort performance over the prior year, the school’s current and predicted
performance, and the national average for the grade level assessed in each subject.
An ACT Aspire average Composite score (all grades) and predicted average ACT Composite
score (computed for grades 6–10) are shown on the report if the ACT Aspire English,
mathematics, reading, and science tests are taken. Predicted average ACT subject scores are
also given for each subject test. The predicted score ranges for the ACT English, mathematics,
reading, and science tests are reported on a 1–36 scale.
The “About Progress” section of the report explains the different points plotted on the
longitudinal graphs. The prior year data is represented with a blue triangle and encompasses
any test score from the previous academic year. Keep in mind that the time of testing during an
academic year (fall or spring) can impact a student’s scores (students tested in spring should
score higher with more instructional time).
Supplemental Scores Report
How can additional performance measures inform decisions?
The Supplemental Scores Report summarizes additional measures of performance, including
National Percentile Ranks, ELA, STEM, Progress With Text Complexity, and Progress Toward
Career Readiness. These additional measures of performance are only available if specific
subjects and grade level tests are assessed.
•
National Percentile Rank. National percentile rank for the median group performance is
given for each subject (English, reading, science, and math) tested. This is to compare the
median school performance to the performance of all students included in the national
norm group. The numbered ranks show the percentage of students in the nation who
received a score equal to or lower than the school’s median score for the grade and subject
tested.
•
English Language Arts (ELA). A school’s average ELA Score is calculated by taking the
average of all individual student ELA Scores (English, reading, and writing must be tested
in order to receive an ELA Score). The ACT Readiness Range Distribution chart represents
the overall performance on ELA relative to the ACT Readiness Benchmark in ELA. The
percentage and n-count of students that scored in the “Ready” (Meets) Range are shown
first, followed by the percentage and n-count of students that scored below the range.
•
Progress With Text Complexity. A Progress With Text Complexity Indicator is shown if the
reading test was administered. Student performance on the Progress With Text Complexity
measure is compared to an ACT Readiness Range empirically derived from the ACT
Readiness Benchmarks in reading. Performance is categorized as either making “sufficient
progress” or “insufficient progress.” The school report shows the percentage and number of
students who made sufficient progress with text complexity and the percentage and number
of students who made insufficient progress.
•
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). A school’s average STEM Score
is calculated by taking the average of all individual student STEM Scores (mathematics
and science must be tested in order to receive a STEM Score). The ACT Readiness Range
distribution chart represents the overall performance on STEM relative to the ACT
Readiness Benchmark in STEM. The percentage and n-count of students who scored in the
“Ready” (Meets) range are shown first, followed by the percentage and n-count of students
who scored below the range.
•
Progress Toward Career Readiness. Students who receive scale scores on English,
mathematics, reading, and science tests taken in grades 8, 9, or 10 are given a Progress
Toward Career Readiness Indicator. The Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator
links the student’s ACT Aspire Composite Score with predicted performance toward an
ACT NCRC. The Supplemental Scores Report shows the school average Composite Score
and score range and categorizes the percentage and number of students who are making
progress toward a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level ACT NCRC and those students who
are not making progress toward any of these levels (indicated as “none”).
Subject Prociency by Grade Level Report
How can decisions be informed based upon grade level subject proficiency?
The Subject Proficiency by Grade Level Report summarizes the school’s performance in all
assessed grade levels and subjects except writing. It supports the ability to quickly grasp how
each grade level is performing relative to the ACT Readiness Benchmarks, the ACT Readiness
Levels, and the national norms. It also provides the percentages of students scoring in each
readiness level: Exceeding, Ready, Close, and In Need of Support. The percentage of students
in the national norm group who performed in the Ready or Exceeding levels is also graphically
represented.
Subject Prociency by Student Report
How can students be grouped by subject to inform teaching?
The Subject Proficiency by Student Report indicates the number of students in the school who
are at the Exceeding or Ready level and the Close or In Need of Support level. It also provides a
roster of students indicating the test score for each subject except writing.
Subject Prociency by Demographic Report
How can decisions be informed based upon demographics’ subject proficiencies?
The Subject Proficiency by Demographic Report summarizes students’ performance by
demographic group in all assessed subjects except writing. It supports the ability to quickly
grasp how each demographic group is performing relative to the ACT Readiness Benchmarks,
the ACT Readiness Levels, and the national norms. It also provides the percentage of students
at the school who performed in each readiness level: Exceeding, Ready, Close, and In Need of
Support.
Skill Prociency by Subject Report
How can students be grouped by skill proficiency to inform learning?
The Skill Proficiency by Subject Report provides a roster of students (organized by readiness
level) along with their subject score. The report also indicates whether or not each student is
within or below the ACT Readiness Range in each reporting category for that subject. A level of
growth (high, average, or low) is also indicated for those students who have taken ACT Aspire
in consecutive years.
Skill Prociency by Demographic Report
How can students be grouped by demographic to inform learning?
The Skill Proficiency by Demographic Report is organized by demographics and indicates
whether or not each demographic is within or below the ACT Readiness Range in each
reporting category for that subject.
Understanding
ACT Aspire District and
State Reports
More reports are available to individuals with an ACT Aspire administrator or test coordinator
role at the district and state level:
•
Subject Proficiency by Grade Level
•
Current Progress
•
Supplemental Scores
•
Subject Proficiency by Demographic
•
Skill Proficiency by Demographic
•
Skill Proficiency by School (for districts only)
•
Skill Proficiency by District (for states only)
•
Subject Proficiency by School (for districts only)
•
Subject Proficiency by District (for states only)
See “Understanding Your ACT Aspire School Reports” for information about the individual
reports. District and state reports include the same reports as the school reports (with different
aggregate data), with the addition of: Subject Proficiency by School Report, Skill Proficiency
by School Report, Subject Proficiency by District Report, and Skill Proficiency by District
Report. Instead of reporting Skill Proficiency by Subject, as is done in the school reports, Skill
Proficiency data is reported only for demographics, districts, and schools. This allows for a
more manageable number of report pages, the identification of exceptional or problematic
areas of interest, and the option to drill down for more information in other reports (like the
school report).
Glossary
ACT Readiness Benchmark. A score value which, when met or exceeded, indicates a student
is on target for college and career readiness when they take the ACT test in grade 11.
ACT Readiness Level. These levels are defined as Exceeding, Ready, Close, and In Need of
Support. Each level corresponds to a score range that varies by subject and grade and indicates
the level of performance students achieved on a particular assessment.
ACT Readiness Range. A score range provided for each reporting category to show where
a student who has met the ACT Readiness Benchmark in the corresponding subject would
typically perform in that reporting category.
Composite Score. ACT Aspire Composite Score—the average of the English, mathematics,
reading, and science test scores.
National Percentile Rank (NPR). A number used to describe the standing of an individual
relative to the national norm group. If an examinee with a score of 420 has a NPR of 73, it
means that 73% of the examinees in the norm group received a score of 420 or lower, or that the
student scored the same as or better than 73% of the students in the norm group.
Mean (Average). The arithmetic sum of a set of scores divided by the total number of scores.
Median. The middle score value of a range of values.
National Average. The mean score of all students in the norm group.
Percent. The number of students who gave a certain response, or who obtained a certain scale
score, divided by the total number of students and multiplied by 100.
Predicted Path. A projection of where scores will fall based upon expected growth.
Scale Score. Scores equated across test forms to adjust for slight differences in test difficulty
and to ensure comparability of scores across different ACT Aspire test forms. An examinee’s
raw score is obtained by summing over the scores the examinees earned on each item that
contributes to the scoring. The raw score is then converted to a scale score.
Text Complexity. How challenging the reading material is at a specific grade level.
Appendix A: Subject
Assessments and
Reporting Categories
Reading
ACT Aspire reading assessments determine whether students can understand what
increasingly challenging texts say explicitly and what can reasonably be inferred from these
texts, understand general academic and domain-specific language in the context in which it is
used, and integrate knowledge and ideas from multiple texts.
Key Ideas and Details. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to read texts closely; to determine central ideas and themes and summarize information and
ideas accurately; and to understand sequential, comparative, and cause-effect relationships.
Craft and Structure. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
determine word and phrase meanings and analyze an author’s word choice rhetorically as well
as influences on the English language, to analyze text structure, and to understand purpose
and point of view in texts.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to understand how arguments are constructed, to make connections to prior
knowledge, and to make connections between and among texts.
English
ACT Aspire English assessments evaluate students’ ability to revise and edit texts; to
understand the rhetorical purpose and focus of a piece of writing in order to develop a topic
effectively; to use strategies for logical organization, topical unity, and general cohesion; and
to employ knowledge of language to ensure that writing is precise, concise, and stylistically
consistent.
Production of Writing. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to understand the rhetorical purpose and focus of a piece of writing in order to develop a
topic effectively; to use strategies to achieve logical organization, topical unity, and general
cohesion; and to ensure that writing is precise, concise, and stylistically consistent.
Knowledge of Language. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to demonstrate effective language use through ensuring precision and concision in
word choice and maintaining consistency in style and tone.
Conventions of Standard English. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and
mechanics to revise and edit text.
Writing
ACT Aspire writing assessments are designed to provide a strong indication of whether
students have the writing skills they will need to succeed as they begin work at their next grade
level. Student responses are evaluated according to analytic rubrics that assess the generation,
development, organization, and communication of ideas in standard written English.
Ideas and Analysis. This skill category assesses students’ ability to generate ideas in response
to a given writing task. The ideas are assessed based on the extent to which they lead to critical
and complex argument, analysis, or reflection.
Development and Support. This skill category assesses students’ ability to explore and
explain their ideas. Skillful writers provide persuasive support for their claims, illustrate their
ideas with well-chosen examples, or convey meaning through effective narration.
Organization. This skill category assesses students’ ability to shape their ideas into a cohesive
body of writing. Through effective organization, a writer builds a logical argument, provides a
clearly sequenced explanation, or relays a coherent narrative.
Language Use and Conventions. This skill category assesses students’ ability to
communicate ideas in standard written English. Strong writers demonstrate command-of-
language conventions and make purposeful stylistic choices to clarify and guide the reader’s
understanding.
Science
ACT Aspire science assessments assess students’ science practices using real-world
scientific scenarios. Scenarios in upper-grade assessments include student investigations,
formal scientific research, formal scientific data from references, and students or scientists
providing competing explanations for real scientific phenomena. At the earlier grades, topics
generally focus on everyday student discovery rather than formal science.
Grades 3–5
Interpretation of Data. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to manipulate and analyze student-gathered data presented in simple tables, graphs, and
diagrams (e.g., select and compare data, find trends in data, convert a table into a simple
graph, and extend from trends in data).
Scientific Investigation. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to understand experimental tools, procedures, and design (e.g., identify the factor the students
changed during an investigation) and compare and extend investigations (e.g., describe
differences between two student investigations).
Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results. The questions and tasks in
this skill category assess students’ ability to judge the validity of simple scientific information
and make conclusions and predictions based on that information (e.g., determine which set of
data supports or weakens a student’s claim).
Grades 6–Early High School
Interpretation of Data. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to manipulate and analyze scientific data presented in tables, graphs, and diagrams (e.g.,
recognize trends in data, translate tabular data into graphs, interpolate and extrapolate, and
reason mathematically).
Scientific Investigation. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to understand experimental tools, procedures, and design (e.g., identify variables and controls)
and compare, extend, and modify experiments (e.g., predict the results of additional trials).
Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results. The questions and tasks
in this skill category assess students’ ability to judge the validity of scientific information
and formulate conclusions and predictions based on that information (e.g., determine which
explanation for a scientific phenomenon is supported by new findings).
Mathematics
ACT Aspire mathematics assessments assess students’ ability to solve problems, explain and
justify, and model with the mathematics up through the given grade.
Grade 3
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 3 and include Operations and
Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base 10, Number and Operations—Fractions,
Measurement and Data, and Geometry.
•
Operations and Algebraic Thinking. The questions and tasks in this skill category
assess students’ ability to understand multiplying as finding the total number in equal-
sized groups, and dividing as sharing equally; multiply and divide within 100; and write
expressions using multiplication and division.
•
Number and Operations in Base 10. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to use place value to add and subtract within 1,000; to round to 10s and
100s; and to multiply 1-digit numbers by multiples of 10 that are 2-digit numbers.
•
Number and Operations—Fractions. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to understand fractions, especially unit fractions, as numbers and as
parts of a whole; understand that different-looking fractions can be the same number; and
compare two fractions based on the size of numerators or denominators.
•
Measurement and Data. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to understand measuring, show a set of measurements on a bar graph, find area
using unit squares, connect multiplication to the area of a rectangle in terms of unit squares,
and solve problems about perimeter and area.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
understand how sets of shapes (like rectangles and rhombuses) can be part of a larger set of
shapes (like quadrilaterals) and how to divide shapes into parts with equal areas.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued use and strengthening of mathematics learned in earlier grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain mathematical reasons for why things work the way they do.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to connect
problems to mathematical drawings and expressions that can help them understand the
problem and figure out what to do.
Grade 4
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 4 and include Operations and
Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base 10, Number and Operations—Fractions,
Measurement and Data, and Geometry.
•
Operations and Algebraic Thinking. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to understand how to solve multistep word problems using operations with
whole numbers, find factors and multiples of whole numbers within 1–100, and generate
and analyze patterns that follow a given rule.
•
Number and Operations in Base 10. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to understand place value for multidigit whole numbers and use this
understanding to perform multidigit arithmetic.
•
Number and Operations—Fractions. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to explain fraction equivalence, compare two fractions, add and subtract
fractions (including mixed numbers) with like denominators, multiply a fraction by a whole
number, and use decimal notation for fractions.
•
Measurement and Data. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from
a larger unit to a smaller unit in the same measurement system and to understand angle
concepts and measure angles.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to draw
and identify lines and angles, classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles, and
understand a line of symmetry in terms of folding along the line.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued use and strengthening of mathematics learned in earlier grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain mathematical reasons for why things work the way they do.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to connect
problems to mathematical drawings and expressions that can help them understand the
problem and figure out what to do.
Grade 5
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 5 and include Operations and
Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base 10, Number and Operations—Fractions,
Measurement and Data, and Geometry.
•
Operations and Algebraic Thinking. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to write expressions to record calculations; interpret numerical expressions
without finding the value; and, for two rules, generate patterns, compare corresponding
terms, and graph ordered pairs of corresponding terms.
•
Number and Operations in Base 10. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess
students’ ability to understand how the value of a digit changes if it shifts one place;
explain patterns when multiplying by a power of 10; and add, subtract, multiply, and divide
decimals to hundredths and explain the calculation strategy.
•
Number and Operations—Fractions. The questions and tasks in this skill category
assess students’ ability to use equivalent fractions to add and subtract fractions with
unlike denominators, interpret fractions as division, interpret multiplication as scaling,
multiply fractions, divide unit fractions by whole numbers and vice versa, and divide 4-digit
numbers by 2-digit factors.
•
Measurement and Data. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to convert within a given measurement system, understand volume in terms of unit
cubes, and relate volume to multiplication and addition.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to graph
points in the first quadrant to solve problems, classify two-dimensional figures into
categories that have a hierarchy, and understand that properties of all figures in a category
also apply to all figures in a subcategory.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued use and strengthening of mathematics learned in earlier grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain mathematical reasons for why things work the way they do.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to connect
problems to mathematical drawings and expressions that can help them understand the
problem and figure out what to do.
Grade 6
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 6 and include Ratios and
Proportional Relationships, The Number System, Expressions and Equations, Geometry, and
Statistics and Probability.
•
Ratios and Proportional Relationships. The questions and tasks in this skill category
assess students’ ability to understand ratio concepts, including unit rate; connect rate
relationships to multiplication and division and to equivalent fractions; and use ratio
reasoning to solve problems.
•
The Number System. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to divide fractions by fractions and explain why procedures make sense, explain and use
relationships between a positive whole number or fraction and its negative counterpart, and
understand absolute value as distance from zero.
•
Expressions and Equations. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to apply arithmetic understandings to algebraic expressions, understand what
solving an equation means, solve one-variable equations and inequalities, write an equation
to represent a quantity in terms of a related quantity and analyze the relationship, and
assess numerical expressions with whole-number exponents.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
rearrange parts of triangles and special quadrilaterals to form rectangles and connect to area
formulas; decompose shapes, including nets, into triangles and rectangles to find area and
surface area; understand why the volume formula works for right rectangular prisms with
fractional dimensions; and draw polygons in the coordinate plane.
•
Statistics and Probability. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to recognize statistical questions as expecting variability across a population, display
data in plots on the number line, and summarize data in relation to context.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued integration, strengthening, and application of mathematics learned in earlier
grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain reasons behind mathematical statements, results, and procedures.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
demonstrate their modeling skills by creating, interpreting, evaluating, and improving
mathematical models.
Grade 7
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 7 and include Ratios and
Proportional Relationships, The Number System, Expressions and Equations, Geometry, and
Statistics and Probability.
•
Ratios and Proportional Relationships. The questions and tasks in this skill category
assess students’ ability to recognize, represent, and analyze proportional relationships
between quantities and solve multistep ratio and percent problems and to compute unit
rates from ratios of fractions.
•
The Number System. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to understand how addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division extend to negative
integers and fractions and to convert a fraction to decimal form and know it must terminate
in zeroes or eventually repeat.
•
Expressions and Equations. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to use properties of operations to create equivalent expressions, solve problems
using numerical and algebraic expressions and simple equations, and compare solving
algebraically to solving arithmetically.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to describe
geometric relationships, for example, about scale drawings; construct triangles with given
angle measures or side lengths; solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume;
and describe how circumference and area are related for a circle.
•
Statistics and Probability. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to understand that random sampling produces samples that tend to represent the
population, compare populations based on random samples, interpret probability in terms
of likelihood, and find probability using organized lists or drawings.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued integration, strengthening, and application of mathematics learned in earlier
grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain reasons behind mathematical statements, results, and procedures.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
demonstrate their modeling skills by creating, interpreting, evaluating, and improving
mathematical models.
Grade 8
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to grade 8 and include The Number System,
Expressions and Equations, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.
•
The Number System. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability
to recognize decimal expansion of numbers, understand rational numbers as those whose
decimal expansions eventually repeat, approximate irrational numbers, and convert the
form of rational numbers.
•
Expressions and Equations. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to work with integer exponents, scientific notation, square roots, and cube roots;
connect proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations; and solve linear equations
and pairs of linear equations.
•
Functions. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
understand functions in terms of input-output using rules, tables, graphs, and descriptions;
understand y = mx + b as a linear function with constant rate of change; and model with
linear functions.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
understand congruence and similarity in terms of rotations, reflections, translations, and
dilations; understand the Pythagorean Theorem; and find volumes of cylinders, cones, and
spheres.
•
Statistics and Probability. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to use patterns of association between 2 quantities as seen in scatterplots and in
2-way frequency tables, and, for appropriate scatterplots, model with a linear function and
interpret slope and intercept.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued integration, strengthening, and application of mathematics learned in earlier
grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain reasons behind mathematical statements, results, and procedures.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
demonstrate their modeling skills by creating, interpreting, evaluating, and improving
mathematical models.
Early High School
Grade Level Progress. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
understanding of and fluency in mathematics new to the early high school grades (grades 9
and 10) and include Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and
Probability.
•
Number and Quantity. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to understand how properties of exponents extend to all rational numbers, rewrite
radical expressions in terms of rational exponents, use units to solve problems, and
understand numbers in terms of decimal expansion.
•
Algebra. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to see
structure in expressions; perform operations on polynomials; create equations; understand
and explain solving as a reasoning process; and solve linear equations and inequalities, or
pairs of these, and quadratic equations.
•
Functions. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to interpret
functions in different representations; understand average rate of change; and build and
model with functions; all with a focus on linear, exponential, quadratic, square-root,
absolute value, and piecewise-defined functions.
•
Geometry. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to apply
and derive geometric relationships and explain geometric reasoning related to congruence,
similarity, lines, angles, triangles, parallelograms, circles, and distance; and to model with
geometric objects.
•
Statistics and Probability. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
ability to compare distributions and interpret differences, interpret 2-way frequency tables
and conditional probability in context, fit models to scatterplots and examine residuals,
understand randomization in surveys and experiments, and find probability for sampling
with and without replacement.
Integrating Essential Skills. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’
continued integration, strengthening, and application of mathematics learned in earlier
grades.
Justification and Explanation. The tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
explain reasons behind mathematical statements, results, and procedures.
Modeling. The questions and tasks in this skill category assess students’ ability to
demonstrate their modeling skills by creating, interpreting, evaluating, and improving
mathematical models.
