EXPLORE, PLAN Results Help Texas Schools Lead the Way

Recently passed legislation calls for administration of an established, valid, reliable, and nationally norm-referenced preliminary college preparation assessment instrument. Results will be used to diagnose the academic strengths and deficiencies of eighth graders before entrance into high school. Legislation was signed for tenth graders for the establishment of a valid, reliable, and nationally norm-referenced preliminary college preparation instrument for the purpose of measuring a student’s progress toward readiness for college and the workplace. Legislation also passed for students to take a college entrance exam at grade 11 or 12.

Senate Bill 1031 changes the landscape of statewide assessment and accountability in Texas, calls for a review of the accountability system, and implements an overhaul of the statewide high school testing system. It also repeals the current exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), starting with students who enter ninth grade in the 2011–2012 school year.

Several school districts in Texas are already taking steps toward this new goal. They’ve implemented EXPLORE and PLAN and are using the data collected from the exams to help students prepare for college and careers. Here are their stories.

Helping Students Create a Vision

Imagine earning a college degree before you’ve even graduated from high school. For students in the Frenship Independent School District in Wolfforth, Texas, that opportunity is part of “creating a vision” for their future.

From using EXPLORE and PLAN to help students prepare for high school to partnering with a local community college for a dual-credit program, Frenship is focused on helping students look ahead.

“We want all students to look at postsecondary opportunities, so we test all students with EXPLORE and PLAN,” said Superintendent John Thomas.

The district is so intent on preparing students that it hired a college readiness coordinator. Bonnie Stennett meets one-on-one with students and their parents to explain the necessity of the EXPLORE and PLAN tests and the impact the results can have on students’ future success.

“We relate the results in terms of college readiness. We focus on a student’s strengths and weaknesses and what they can do to improve their skill level before they leave high school,” said Stennett.

The district also uses EXPLORE and PLAN results for curriculum mapping. The data help the district identify core skills and content taught, objectives met, and assessments completed for each subject area and grade level. The curriculum map serves as a tool for teachers, helping them keep track of what has been taught and plan what will be taught. ACT representatives are working with the district’s department heads to incorporate College Readiness Standards into the curriculum map, based on ACT assessment objectives.

“Our goal is to create a curriculum that better prepares our students for college entrance assessments,” said Thomas.

The district offers many opportunities for students to plan their futures:

Create a Vision program: Incoming seventh-grade through tenth-grade students can visit Texas Tech University and South Plains College campuses to learn about expectations and requirements, meet with admissions representatives, and tour facilities.

Dual credit: Through a partnership with South Plains College in Levelland, Frenship High School offers more than 100 hours of dual credit. Students take courses taught by FHS teachers in FHS classrooms, receiving both high school and college credit for the same course. Students can begin taking dual-credit classes in sophomore year. Approximately 400 students take advantage of this opportunity each year; many take more than one dual-credit class.

Early College Program: Frenship students can earn an associate of arts or an associate of science degree from South Plains College by completing 60 hours of specified courses. Students can begin high school course selections as early as eighth grade. FISD is the only district in Texas that offers a college associate degree program in which all dual-credit courses are taught on the high school campus.

Test prep: At no cost to students, the district provides opportunities for test prep for EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT. This year, students attending a full week of ACT prep—known as the Summer Scholars Program—were reimbursed for their registration fee for the June test. Twenty-five middle school students who took the ACT recently received state recognition for their achievements through the Duke Talent Identification Program, which identifies gifted students and provides resources to nurture the development of these exceptionally bright young people.

College/career fair: High school students and their parents can attend a college and career fair every fall semester. Approximately 50 colleges and universities participate.

College Transitions course: Seniors can enroll in a college transitions class that offers opportunities to complete applications for admission, scholarship, housing, and more.

Online courses: Incoming ninth-grade and tenth-grade students can take online courses over the summer to learn how the system works. Courses include career connections, keyboarding, and business computer information systems.

“We strive to offer a comprehensive program,” said Thomas. “We believe by starting early, students can begin to envision their futures. ACT’s programs help lay the groundwork.”

Guiding Students’ Choices

About four years ago, school administrators in the Wimberley Independent School District in Wimberley, Texas, noticed that student test scores weren’t getting any better. The district’s ACT scores indicated that only one out of four test-takers were ready for college biology and fewer than half were ready for college algebra.

School officials decided the time had come to improve college readiness in the district. They turned to ACT for help.

“The EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT data we received really jump-started curriculum changes in our district,” said Dwain York, principal of Wimberley High School. “It was real, workable information that helped us evaluate our curriculum and begin addressing College Readiness Standards.”

For York, the PLAN data in particular have proven valuable. Elements of PLAN align well with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) test. But TEKS measures knowledge and skills, not college readiness.

District administrators drew on the PLAN data to redesign the high school curriculum to include a fourth year of mathematics and science, which placed the district ahead of state requirements. The new curriculum also ties in better with the current state test, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The math sequence is now algebra I, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus, and calculus. The science sequence is biology, chemistry, physics, advanced physics, advanced chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and aquatic science.

In addition to using the results of EXPLORE and PLAN to enhance the high school curriculum, the district also is relying on the assessments to help students learn about their education and career options. Staff members spend about two hours with students reviewing the results from PLAN and the ACT Interest Inventory, which is a first step in career exploration and planning. Using personalized results from ACT’s World-of-Work Map, the staff helps students narrow their career possibilities.

“The Interest Inventory really gets the discussion started,” said York. “Students begin to think about careers and which classes they may need to take for specific careers. We also strongly encourage them to get their parents involved in the dialogue.”

Ninth-grade students complete a “career pathway.” They meet with guidance counselors and explore career possibilities, and the counselors help them select high school courses that align with their interests and abilities.

Students are encouraged to take their first ACT during the second semester of junior year. The district uses data from the test to prepare students for their final year. “That’s when we really begin to push students to take specific classes so they stay on track with their future plans. We help guide them to make the right choices,” said York.

Helping students realize they have choices is a big part of the school’s mission. As more and more students are looking at options other than the typical four-year college degree, it’s more important than ever to ensure they are prepared for life after high school.

This shift in postsecondary options has prompted the district to provide more opportunities for students, including:

• Innovative classes. Project Lead the Way, a series of introductory engineering classes, will be offered at WHS starting in the 2008–09 school year.
• Collaborations with area high schools. Next year, WHS will begin sharing classes in subject areas such as technology, computer science, and health education, and hosting a career day fair with Dripping Springs High School, about 15 miles north of Wimberley.
• College courses. More than 200 WHS students took COMPASS™ at Austin Community College this past year. Of those, 160 passed the major areas of the test—reading, writing, and mathematics—and qualified to enroll in ACC’s Early College Start program, which allows high school students to take up to two college classes per semester. Nearly 3,000 high school juniors and seniors earn college credits through the program each year.

“The whole point of all of this is to make high school relevant to students. If they can see how high school is relevant to their careers, they’re more likely to take their test results and classes seriously,” said York.

Ensuring Students Go to College

One high school senior at Edinburg High School in Edinburg, Texas, dreamed of playing college football. He didn’t care about the division or the school, but he knew he needed at least an 18 on his ACT to be eligible to play.

When he took the ACT as a junior, he got a 14. He was disappointed but not discouraged. He went back to the ACT Online Prep™ program, studied harder, and took the ACT again. This time, he scored a 19. He’s now earned admission to a major Texas university—and a $40,000 scholarship.

His experience captures the mission of EHS faculty and staff: to increase the numbers of students who take the ACT, receive scholarships, and attend college. For many EHS students, the road to success is long and challenging. EHS is an urban high school located about 10 miles from the Mexican border in one of the lowest-income metropolitan areas in the country.

But hard work pays off. This is a school where 85 percent of the senior class takes the ACT. Five years ago, 20 students earned an ACT score of at least 20 and now 100 students do so. When they start college this fall, 174 graduating seniors will share $2.2 million in scholarships.

EHS Principal Maria Luisa Guerra credits much of the school’s success to the way staff and teachers put data collected from EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT’s College Readiness Standards to good use. For example, incoming freshmen with high scores in English, mathematics, science, and reading on EXPLORE tests are placed into accelerated classes. Staff members review PLAN scores with sophomores to help them prepare for the ACT.

In addition, teachers know each student’s score-band ranges and monitor instruction accordingly. Their goal is to raise each student’s ACT score by one range. All teachers are very familiar with ACT’s College Readiness Standards and adjust their curricula to ensure they are challenging students academically, said Guerra.

“We work very hard to get students to a 20 or better on their ACT by continuously challenging them with rigorous courses and monitoring their progress. We know with at least a 20, they have a wider choice of colleges,” said Guerra.

To help students raise their scores, EHS holds an eight-week ACT Academy prior to each test date. Offered at no cost to students, the Academy is held before and after school and on Saturdays. A financial aid workshop is also offered to juniors, during which they can register for the ACT.

As a result of all this preparation, the numbers of students taking the ACT and their scores on the test have “skyrocketed” over the past few years, said Guerra. All juniors take the ACT, and many students take the test more than once. The school recently received an award based on gains in college preparedness. And it is ranked by Newsweek as a top high school.

All this success at EHS has not gone unnoticed. Susan Dell of Dell Computers visited the school in April to meet the five EHS Dell Scholars. EHS holds the distinction of having the most Dell Scholars in the nation. Recipients receive a $20,000 scholarship and a laptop computer. The Dell Scholars Program is a need-based scholarship that recognizes academic potential in underserved and low-income students. Since 2004, Dell has provided $9 million in college scholarships; 250 scholarships are awarded annually.

“We are very proud of our students’ achievements,” said Guerra. “We all—including the students—take the information from EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT to heart.”

Connecting Students with Their Futures

Nan Poe understands that kids need to be kids—to be carefree before taking on the major responsibilities of adulthood. Yet, she also believes that they must prepare for their futures early or risk falling behind.

As Career and Technology Education (CTE) consultant for the Birdville Independent School District in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, Poe uses EXPLORE and PLAN results to help students prepare for the next step. Career assessments have always been required for eighth and tenth graders at Birdville, so implementation of the EXPLORE and PLAN assessments was a natural fit for the district. CTE is an educational program that connects academic learning with real-world work experiences.

EXPLORE and PLAN results help the district:

• Identify economically disadvantaged students for the talented and gifted program
• Plan CTE and academic classes for special education students
• Determine improvements for particular areas of the curriculum
• Counsel students about which advanced and CTE courses they should take
• Select students for classes in Advancement Via Instructional Determination (AVID), a program designed to help underachieving middle and high school students prepare for and succeed in college

“EXPLORE and PLAN bring technology and academics together,” said Poe. “It’s all about connecting everything.”

Poe knows a lot about connections—she coordinates a semester-long Careers Connections class for the district. The district recommends that eighth-grade students take the course to create a four-year plan for high school and to register for ninth grade. In this class, students:

• Learn about personal finances. Poe calls this the “real game,” as students learn how to set budgets and how their career choices may affect their quality of life as adults.
• Use career planning software to conduct database searches that help them discover career areas that may interest them. Each student selects a particular career and receives information via visual presentations and video interviews with professionals in their chosen field. Students can even craft their “dream jobs” and see if any current jobs meet the criteria they set. They also set up individual career profiles.
• Build electronic portfolios that contain information about two careers that interest them, two colleges they’ve looked into attending, their four-year high school plan, a resume, their volunteer projects, and their EXPLORE results. Students can add to the portfolio throughout their high school years, to track their academic and extracurricular progress.
• Learn about the various academic degrees— associate of arts, bachelor of arts, and others—and the differences between them. “We strive to show students that their high school diploma is only a ticket to the next level,” said Poe.

As part of the course, Poe meets individually with each eighth grader—some 1,500 students— to interpret EXPLORE results and review what they mean.

“I love EXPLORE and PLAN because they put the responsibility on the student; they serve as a documented guide to high school. They spell out what the student needs to do to improve strengths and to overcome weaknesses. Students ‘get it.’ They understand what they need to do to be successful,” said Poe.

“I’m adamant with kids. I tell them that no matter where they are academically, they have to work to improve, because how they perform now in school affects their future,” she added. “I also tell them that all of the information they get from EXPLORE and PLAN will help them if they take advantage of it.”