The ACT High School Assessments

Overview

The Wisconsin High School Assessments are comprised of:

• ACT Aspire™ Early High School assessment for grades 9 and 10 students
• The ACT® with writing for grade 11 students
• The ACT® WorkKeys® for grade 11 students

All students are administered these assessments except for the 1% of students with significant cognitive disabilities who are assessed with an alternate assessment, the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM). 

ACT Aspire™ Early High School

• ACT Aspire Early High School is a summative assessment that measures what students have learned in the areas of: English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing.
• ACT Aspire Early High School is an online assessment. Only a small number of students who require testing in a specialized format such as Braille or large print materials, or those students who require American Sign Language translation will be tested with a paper and pencil test.
• ACT Aspire Early High School scores predict how a student will perform on both the ACT and ACT WorkKeys when they reach 11th grade. Students who need academic interventions or challenges can be identified earlier in their high school careers.

The ACT® with writing

• The ACT tests include: Reading, Math, English, Science, Writing. The ACT with writing is a paper and pencil test.
• The ACT with writing helps students understand what they need to learn next so they can build rigorous high school course plans and identify career areas that align with their interests.
• Wisconsin high schools will be certified as ACT® state testing sites. Scores from the administration of the ACT with writing (if taken with ACT Standard Time or ACT-approved accommodations) can be used by students for a variety of purposes including college admission, scholarships, course placement, and NCAA eligibility. 

ACT WorkKeys®

• The ACT WorkKeys tests included in the state administration are: Applied Math, Graphic Literacy (formerly Locating Information), and Workplace Documents (Formerly Reading for Information).
• The ACT WorkKeys system is a paper and pencil assessment used to help students understand how they can improve their career readiness skills and helps employers determine whether individuals are qualified for positions.  
• Students can earn National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) which are recognized by business and industry nationwide. Through obtaining a National Career Readiness Certificate, students have a clear way to demonstrate their abilities to future employers.