Overview
Start preparing your students for college and career early and often. ACT Explore is designed to help 8th and 9th graders explore a broad range of options for their future. It prepares students not only for their high school coursework but for their post–high school choices as well. ACT Explore can serve as an independent program or as the entry point into ACT's College and Career Readiness System.
Benefits
ACT Explore data gives educators, students, and families early insight into a student's level of preparedness for college and career by high school graduation. Access to ACT Explore data will:
- Provide the first step toward longitudinal student monitoring starting in 8th grade through high school.
- Identify areas of academic risk and allow for early intervention.
- Provide teachers with insights into student understanding, to better inform instructional practices and areas needing improvement.
ACT has reviewed the factors impacting student readiness and achievement. The Forgotten Middle, a study conducted in 2008, shows that under current conditions, the level of academic achievement that students attain by 8th grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than anything that happens academically in high school. The report also reveals that, on average, 8th-grade students who are not on target for college and career readiness are much less likely to be ready for college and career by high school graduation than those who are on target.
For Students
Taking ACT EXPLORE as an 8th or 9th grader tells you things you need to know to plan your high school courses, prepare for the ACT Test, think about college, or choose a career direction. ACT Explore includes four multiple-choice tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Your skills in these subjects will make a big difference—in school and, eventually, in your career. Your ACT Explore score report will help identify your strengths and areas where you need improvement.
| Subject | Number of Questions | How Long It Takes |
|---|---|---|
| English | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Math | 30 | 30 minutes |
| Reading | 30 | 30 minutes |
| Science | 28 | 30 minutes |
Timeline
Following is the process for administering ACT Explore. Questions? Call Customer Services at 1.877.789.2925.
- Order test materials at least four weeks before testing.
- Communicate with parents and students about the benefits of ACT Explore.
- Review the ACT Explore Test Supervisor's Manual and share test administration details with school staff.
- Prepare your students for test day.
- Administer the ACT Explore test as scheduled by school.
- Return answer folders to ACT for scoring. Answer folders must be received at ACT by June 13th in order to be scored.
- Districts will receive district-level reports and copies of school-level reports after the answer document return deadline stated on the online order form.
- Distribute and review student score reports with students and families.
- Share and discuss aggregate data results with staff.
- Develop intervention plans for identified areas of need based on reported data.