Instruments
ACT
The ACT is a standardized college admission exam. It measures high school students’ readiness for college and career success by focusing on key content areas such as English, math, reading, and science (with the optional writing section). Multiple-choice questions are used in the English, math, reading, and science sections, and scores are converted into a composite score between 1 and 36.
ACT also provides score interpretations based on its College and Career Readiness Standards, which can provide secondary schools with information to improve instruction. Furthermore, ACT scores can be compared against College Readiness Benchmarks to determine whether students meet the minimum requirements for college success.
Year developed: 1959.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 11th Grade, 12th Grade
ACT Engage
ACT’s Engage assessments measure motivational, skill, social engagement, and self-regulatory constructs related to academic performance in college.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
CampusReady
CampusReady is an instrument that examines schools’ strengths and weaknesses in preparing students for college. Originally known as the CollegeCareerReady School Diagnostic when it was first introduced in 2009, CampusReady utilizes David Conley’s Four Keys to College and Career Readiness, which comprise cognitive strategies, content knowledge, academic behaviors, and contextual skills and awareness. CampusReady target respondents are students in grades 6-12, teachers, counselors, and administrators.
CampusReady generates four comprehensive reports: the Participant Information Report, which gathers data on participants; the Aspirations Report, which focuses on students’ future plans; the Four Keys to College and Career Readiness Report, which evaluates college readiness across the four dimensions of David Conley’s model; and the Targeted Recommendations Report, which provides customized recommendations for the school or district that utilized CampusReady. These reports serve as valuable resources for schools and districts seeking to improve their college readiness strategies by fostering students’ knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Additionally, schools gain access to a database of effective interventions targeting college readiness.
Year developed: 2013 in its current version, 2009 as CollegeCareerReady School Diagnostic.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Florida Civics EOC Assessment
The Florida Civics End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment is required for all Florida public school students taking the required civics course in the middle grades, mostly commonly in Grade 7. The test assesses students' understanding of the origins and purposes of the U.S. political system and government, responsibilitiies of the U.S. citizen, functions and organization of the government, and contemporary issues in world affairs.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: Civics
Grades: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) Civics Assessment
The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is the only international, large-scale study of civic and citizenship education.ICCS investigates the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change. ICCS reports on students’ knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship, as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to this domain. For country enrollment, those interested are directed to contact IEA Amsterdam Director Dr. Andrea Netten.
ICCS 2022 participants include: Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein as benchmarking entities), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: Civics
Grades: 8th Grade, 9th Grade
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - Civics
NAEP Civics measures civic knowledge and skills related to the responsibilities of citizenship. It is congressionally mandated and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Currently, NAEP Civics is administered only to Grade 8 students. In the past, the assessment was also administered to Grade 4 and Grade 12 students.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: Civics
Grades: 8th Grade
Perceptions, Expectations, Emotions, and Knowledge about College (PEEK)
Perceptions, Expectations, Emotions, and Knowledge about College (PEEK) is a diagnostic instrument focused on student ideas, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations of college. PEEK’s 30 items use a 5-point rating scale (from “not at all likely” to “extremely likely”) to assess students’ academic, personal, and social expectations. Such measurement could potentially assist students in forming more precise perceptions of their college surroundings and potentially prevent disengagement and dropout from college.
Year developed: 1995.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 12th Grade, Post secondary