GET
COLLEGE &
CAREER
READY
Students in Alabama can now graduate better prepared
for college and the workplace than ever before thanks to
comprehensive ACT programs recently adopted by the state that
start in the 8th grade. Called EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT and WORKKEYS,
these programs get you and your teens thinking about their
future before they even enter high school, and public school
students take these assessment tests for free. Discover how each
piece of this program can benefit your student. BY JASMINE YORK
C
8-9TH GRADERS
EXPLORE
is a shortened version of the ACT that helps 8th and
9th graders get ready for high school, college and
their future careers. The test allots 30 minutes for
each of the following sections:
English 40 questions
Math 30 questions
Reading 30 questions
Science 28 questions
u start
“The earlier yo
d
king about an
thin
r the future
planning fo
students], the
[parents and
u are to reach
more likely yo
ur goals.”
yo
Ed Colby,
r ACT
spokesman fo
The results help to evaluate each student’s strengths and weaknesses while suggesting
ways of improving different areas. It also offers a “World-of-Work Map” that is a personalized report based on scores from the assessment with ideas for careers each child may be
interested in as well as high school coursework suggestions. Scores are compared to other
students across the nation who took EXPLORE, which will help students see where they
rank percentage-wise. Results also predict what each child would make on PLAN if they
continue the same academic progress.
30
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