Testing ~ 6th-11th

Author:		Barb Casper
Posted:		2/18/05; 3:24:56 PM
Topic:		Testing ~ 6th-11th
Msg #:		31 (top msg in thread)
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Reads:		740

JUNIORS ~ In the fall, the PSAT is offered to all juniors, who wish to take this test.   This is a precursor to the SAT college entrance exam.  They do not have to take the PSAT, but it is good practice if they plan to take the SAT.  The SAT measures verbal (English) and math skills, as opposed to the ACT which measures English, math, reading, and science reasoning.   This test also ties in with the National Merit Scholarship Program, which not only offers national Merit Scholarships, but opens the door to other scholarshps.  A number of corporations, etc. offer scholarships based on this score.  Some colleges and universities also do early recruitment based on this score.  When the results come back, I meet with the juniors to go over their results, and at that time their test booklet is handed back to them.  The score report tells them which questions they missed as well as the correct answer.  They are advised to go over these results, see their mistakes, and hopefully prepare themselves so as not to make the same mistakes on the SAT college enrance exam.  (Students pay the fee for this test.)

The ASVAB is given to all of the juniors in the fall.  ASVAB stand for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, and this test is administered by the military at no cost to the school.  This test is valuable for what it accomplishes after the test has been taken.  When the score reports are returned, I have a military representative walk the students through an exercise that helps them tie their interests, personality, values, skills, and educational goals to possible occupations/careers.

The ACRE test is given to the juniors in the early part of 2nd semester.  This stands for Assessment of Catholic Religion Education.  This test not only measures the students' understanding of Catholic Religion Education, but it gives a measurement of how they feel about social issues and the school environment.   

The ACT and the SAT are college entrance exams, and the juniors are encouraged to begin taking at least one of these tests in the spring of their junior year.  They may begin this process earlier, but I emphasize to them that they may not know all of the material, especially in the area of math.  They also may take these tests more than once, and they are encouraged to do so.  Most post-secondary institutions will consider the highest score.   In addition, most of the Midwest institutions will consider either of these tests for admission purposes, but it is up to the student to check with those institutions they are interested in to find out the admissions requirements, including which test, if any, is required.    Some of the community colleges or tech schools may require that an ASSET or Compass test be taken for admission.  Again, the student needs to check what institutions they are interested in to find out what the admission requirements are.  The dates of the ACT/SAT tests, and deadlines for registration, are always posted on the hallway bulletin board, as well as our school code.  I have paper registrations in my office, which students may pick up, and/or they may register online at www.act.org or www.collegeboard.com.  There are practice tests online, and I have practice booklets in my office as well.  I encourage the students to do the practice tests ~ the questions won't be the same, but they will get used to the types of questions, the instructions, the formulas that might be used, etc.   The practice booklet also has the answers in the back, and if a student misses questions and doesn't understand why, they should go to that particular teacher and get some help prior to the test.  I also have computer disks they may check out that has practice tests and helpful hints.

In the spring, the juniors take the CTBS/Terra Nova test, which is an achievement test that measures a multitude of areas, including English, math, science, social studies, spelling, and vocabulary.  This test not only satisfies the Rule #10 requirement for the State of Nebraska, but it gives us a measurement for possible necessary improvement in any given area.  The score report for this test is valuable to the student and parents as well, in that it tells both the strong points as well as the weaknesses in each area of the test.  This can be an indicator for the student as to what areas he or she needs to improve.   

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SOPHOMORES ~ In October, the PLAN test is taken by ALL sophomores.  This test is the forerunner to the ACT College Entrance Exam, and somewhat of a practice test for the ACT, thus part of our reason for having all of the sophomores take it.  We also use this test as a measurement of achievement to saisfy the requirements under Rule #10 for the State of Nebraska.  When the results come back, I meet with the sophomores to go over the results, and at that time their test booklet is given back to them.  The score report tells them which questions they missed, as well as the correct answer.  They are encouraged to go over these results, see their mistakes, and hopefully prepare themselves so as not to make the same mistakes on a college entrance exam.  The score report also includes information that guides the students to think about possible careers, and this is discussed at our meeting as well.  (KCHS pays the fees for this test.) 

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8th GRADE ~  These students will be taking the ACRE test in the early part of 2nd semester and the CTBS/Terra Nova test in the spring.  Please see above for a description of these two tests.

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6th GRADE ~ These students will be taking the CTBS/Terra Nova test in the spring.  Please see above for a description of this test.