201 4l2015 TAKING THE ACT State and District Testing This information booklet is for all students taking the AC T ® college readiness assessment through ACT State and District Testing. Where to Find It What You Need to Know to 4 At the Test Site Take the ACT • Testing begins after all students are checked in and continues for about 3 1/2 Calculators .....................................................2 hours for the ACT (No Writing) or 4 hours General Information for the ACT Plus Writing. A short break is Checklist for Taking the ACT .........................2 This booklet gives you the information you scheduled after the first two tests. If you need to take the ACT. You will complete the are taking the ACT Plus Writing, you will College and Scholarship Codes ................14 non-test portions of your answer document have time after Test 4 to relax and during a scheduled, supervised session at sharpen your pencils. school before the test date. On test day, you • Terms and Conditions: Testing Rules Completing Your Answer Document ............6 will record your responses to the tests on your and Policies (starting on page 3) apply answer document. After testing is completed, to all test sessions. High School Course/Grade your Test Supervisor (or Test • DO NOT take any of the following items Information ....................................................7 Accommodations Coordinator) will send your into the test room: answer document to ACT. Score reports will — Books, dictionaries, notes, scratch Interest Inventory ..........................................8 normally be mailed about 2–8 weeks after we paper, or any unapproved testing aids receive your answer document. — Highlight pens, colored pens or pencils, or correction fluid Scores ..........................................................27 Test Accommodations — Any electronic device other than a If you receive test accommodations in permitted calculator (examples Student Profile Section .................................9 school as part of your Individualized include cell phone, media player, Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 headphones, iPad) Plan, ask your counselor whether — Reading material Read the information in this booklet accommodations have been requested for you — Tobacco in any form carefully and keep it for reference. for the ACT. Do not return it to ACT or the school. Checklist for Taking the ACT Calculators Why Take the ACT? Before Test Day The ACT calculator policy is designed to The ACT ® college readiness assessment is 4 Prepare for the tests by reviewing ensure fairness for all examinees, avoid a curriculum-based examination that matches Preparing for the ACT, which can be disturbances in the testing room, and well with the education standards in your downloaded from www.actstudent.org if protect the security of the test materials. state. Taking the ACT can provide helpful your school does not have a copy. This Testing staff will check your calculator to information for all students, not just those who free booklet includes information about verify it is permitted, and they will monitor are planning to attend college. the tests, test-taking strategies, and your use of your calculator to ensure that Taking the AC T can give every student a complete practice tests for both the you: measure of his or her academic strengths and multiple-choice tests and the ACT Writing • A permitted calculator may be used weaknesses. You can use your results to Test. Instructions on how to score your on the ACT Mathematics Test only. recognize your academic strengths and areas practice tests are also included. where you need to improve, whether you • It is your responsibility to know Complete the non-test portions of your intend to go to college or enter the workplace 4 whether your calculator is permitted. answer document during the scheduled, after high school. • For the most current information on in-school session. (See instructions If you are not considering college now, you the ACT calculator policy, visit beginning on page 5.) Do not return the may decide to make college part of your www.actstudent.org or call answer document to ACT. Follow plans later. Your ACT results can help you 800.498.6481 for a recorded instructions from your school. begin the career exploration and planning message. process. It is likely that nearly everyone who 4 If you do not have acceptable photo • If your calculator has characters one graduates from high school will eventually identification and the testing staff do not inch high or larger, or a raised display, have to continue their education to achieve know you personally, ask a school official testing staff may seat you where no their career or life goals. for the ACT Student Identification Letter other examinee can see your The ACT includes multiple-choice tests in with Photo. calculator. English, mathematics, reading, and science. The tests measure your educational 4 Review the information about permitted development in those areas and are based on and prohibited calculators. what you have learned—they are not aptitude or IQ tests. On Test Day If your state or district is administering the ACT Plus Writing, you will also take a Writing 4 Report for testing at the time designated Test, for which you will write an essay in by your school. You will not be admitted English in response to a prompt that defines to test if you are late. an issue and presents two opposing points of view on that issue. The ACT Writing Test 4 Take the following items with you: measures the writing skills you have acquired • Acceptable Photo Identification. Unless in your high school English courses and the testing staff can personally complements the multiple-choice ACT English recognize you, you will not be Test. Many colleges use ACT Writing Test admitted to test without acceptable results as a guide for placing incoming photo identification. students into first-year composition courses. • Sharpened soft lead No. 2 pencils with good erasers (no mechanical pencils or ink pens). • A watch to pace yourself. Your supervisor will announce when 5 minutes remain on each test. • A permitted calculator. • Snacks to eat outside the test room during break. 2 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: TESTING RULES AND POLICIES FOR ACT STATE AND DISTRICT TESTING These Terms and Conditions are the terms of an agreement between the person who will take the ACT assessment (“you”) and ACT, Inc. Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully. By registering for and/or taking the ACT assessment, you are agreeing to these Terms and Conditions. TEST SECURITY PROCEDURES All items brought into the test center, such as hats, purses, backpacks, cell ACT’s test security procedures are designed to ensure that you have an phones, calculators, and other electronic devices may be searched at the equal opportunity to demonstrate your academic achievement and skills, discretion of ACT and its testing staff. ACT and its testing staff may that you do your own work, and that scores reported for you are valid. confiscate and retain for a reasonable period of time any item suspected of having been used, or being capable of being used, in violation of this list ACT may prohibit you from taking the ACT, even if you have already of prohibited behaviors. ACT may also provide such items to third parties registered for the exam, if ACT reasonably believes (1) you may have in connection with ACT’s investigation or the investigation of others. ACT engaged in prohibited behavior in connection with a prior ACT test and its testing staff shall not be responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged administration, (2) you may intend to engage in prohibited behaviors in the items. future, (3) you may have provided false or misleading information to ACT, or (4) you may be working for test preparation providers. NON-SCORING AND CANCELLING SCORES The ACT test is intended to be delivered under standardized conditions. If By registering for and/or taking the exam, you represent and warrant to any irregularity is encountered before, during, or after the administration of ACT that the information you have provided to ACT is true; that you agree the test (that is, in the course of the testing process), ACT will examine the to be bound by, and will comply with, these Terms and Conditions and situation and determine whether action is warranted. If ACT determines ACT’s policies for the ACT assessment; that you will not do anything on that any testing irregularity has happened, it may choose not to score the the list of prohibited behaviors; that you will cooperate with any test answer documents of the affected test taker(s), or it may choose to cancel security investigation; and that you are not working for any test preparation the scores of the affected test taker(s). Testing irregularities include, but provider(s). are not limited to: (1) evidence of prohibited behavior on test day, (2) evidence that a test taker may have falsified his or her identity, (3) USE OF IMAGES impersonation, (4) unusual similarities in the answers of test taker(s) at the ACT may capture images of you at test centers. ACT may retain and same test center, (5) evidence of possible advance access to test content, analyze all images of you for the purpose of protecting the integrity and (6) other indicators that the test scores may not accurately reflect a test security of the testing process, regardless of the source of the photo. taker’s level of educational achievement, (7) errors in handling or processing registration records, (8) errors in preparing, handling, shipping, ACCEPTABLE IDENTIFICATION or scoring test materials or answer documents, (9) errors in reporting For State and District Testing, ACT generally requires that you show scores, or (10) evidence of other disruptions or compromises in the testing acceptable identification to be admitted to a testing center unless testing process.