ACT Advantage - EXPLORE / PLAN

If you are looking for tools to help you determine your student's college readiness, ACT Advantage might be of interest. This review is for two of their products: EXPLORE and PLAN. I previously wrote a review of their college and career planner DISCOVER. ACT Advantage also provides ACT Test Preparation materials.

 

EXPLORE 

The ACT EXPLORE Test is given to 8th grade students to assess their skills and knowledge and to prepare them for the ACT test. Students are tested in the core subjects of English, mathematics, reading, and science.

The EXPLORE packet from ACT Advantage ($22.95) includes a sample test booklet, an explanation of the test results, and a booklet  showing college readiness standards as well as ideas for progress for different test score ranges.

 

PLAN

The ACT PLAN Test is given to 10th grade students to provide a midpoint review of their college and career readiness while there is still time to make adjustments. Students are tested in the same core subjects as the EXPLORE test.

The PLAN packet from ACT Advantage ($22.95) includes a sample test booklet, an explanation of the test results, and a booklet  showing college readiness standards as well as ideas for progress for different test score ranges.

 
OUR EXPERIENCE

These sample tests are similar in layout to other national standardized tests we have taken. I found the tests to be quite easy. I ended up having my 7th grader take the EXPLORE test designed for 8th graders. And I had my 9th grader take the PLAN test designed for 10th graders. Even with those changes, they did extremely well.

Once you have scored the tests, you can check the included charts to see how your student compares to the national norms for his/her grade. As usual, these percentiles did not give me an accurate picture of how my students are doing. I do not like to measure them against their peers but rather against their potential. What was beneficial, however, was to use the College Readiness Standards booklet to see in what areas my students need to improve based on their actual scores. Specific activity suggestions are given for each subject.

Even though I found the tests quite easy, the ACT Advantage sample tests can be an inexpensive way to determine your students' strengths and weaknesses.

You can read here what other Crew Member's found with the ACT Advantage Products.

Disclosure:This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. No further compensation was received. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.