Overview | FAQ | Cautions |Scoring | Definitions | Using the Performance Dashboards | Useful Links
Overview
PreACT® Secure data includes test records for students who tested on the state-mandated administration dates during grades 9 and 10. PreACT Secure assesses student readiness in English, mathematics, reading, and science through a series of multiple-choice questions. PreACT Secure is administered online except for students who require accommodations through Braille, Large Print or Human Reader who will take the PreACT Secure in a paper and pencil format.
The PreACT Secure dashboards contain data for both PreACT Secure and Dynamic Learning Maps. Users can filter by “Test Type” to select which exam type is displayed on the performance dashboards. The average score dashboards only provide data for the PreACT Secure. The “No Test” category representing non tested students is included with the PreACT Secure dashboards. Students may not have been tested because they were opted out of testing by a parent, were absent on the test administration date, or for another reason.
| School Years | WISEdash | WINSS Historical Data Files |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning with 2022-23 | X | -- |
WISEdash is DPI's primary data analysis portal and contains the most current and complete range of data about PreACT Secure.
Frequently Asked Questions about PreACT® Secure Data
1. Is FAY (Full Academic Year) used in the PreACT® Secure dashboards? If so, where can I find FAY and non-FAY?
School level reporting is FAY in the School, District is FAY in the District, Statewide is combined FAY and non-FAY. See Glossary for the definition of FAY.
2. Why is FAY used?
Including only FAY students in district and school summaries provides one indicator of how successful a district or school community has been in meeting the academic needs of students in tested grades up to the time of testing. Students in grade 9 or 10 who have been enrolled for a FAY are students who were enrolled in the same district or school since the beginning of the school year.
3. How are student group associations assigned for the certified data?
- Student group associations (e.g. race/ethnicity etc.) are assigned based on a static snapshot of student attributes from the data warehouse taken at about the time of testing. District/school assignments are based on the district/school accountable for each student’s education.
Cautions
Scoring
Student performance on the PreACT Secure is reported in terms of four performance levels (Advanced, Meeting, Approaching and Developing) for English Language Arts (ELA) and math. The performance categories and their corresponding scale score ranges reflect student mastery of the Wisconsin Academic Standards. The performance level descriptions for the PreACT Secure assessment for ELA and math are:
- Advanced – The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills described in the Wisconsin Academic Standards for their grade level and is on-track for future learning.
- Meeting– The student is meeting the knowledge and skill expectations described in the Wisconsin Academic Standards for their grade-level and is on-track for future learning.
- Approaching– The student is approaching the knowledge and skill expectations described in the Wisconsin Academic Standards for their grade-level needed to be on-track for future learning.
- Developing – The student is at the beginning stages of developing the knowledge and skills described in the Wisconsin Academic Standards at their grade-level needed to be on-track for future learning.
The PreACT Secure is measured on a 1-36 scale, with 35 being the highest score possible and is linked to ACT® College Readiness Benchmarks. ACT provides a PreACT Secure Composite score, STEM score, individual subject scores and predicted ACT score range.
- Composite Score - average of all four subject scores.
- STEM Score – average of mathematics and science scores.
- English Language Arts (ELA) Score – ACT does not provide an ELA score for the PreACT Secure. DPI produces an ELA score by calculating the average of the English and reading score.
- Predicted ACT Score Range - reports the predicted score range for the ACT English, mathematics, reading and science tests. If all four PreACT Secure subject tests were taken, then a predicted ACT composite score range will also be provided.
Dashboards
Two PreACT Secure dashboards are available in WISEdash Public. Each dashboard allows users to compare the performance of students from their school/district against performance from all students across the state. The following information is available on each dashboard:
PreACT Secure – DPI Performance Level
This dashboard includes two metrics. The first metric provides performance level information (Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic) for 9th and 10th grade performance on PreACT Secure for the subject areas of English Language Arts (English and reading scores) and mathematics. The second metric provides average score information for each PreACT Secure subject area. Scores required to achieve basic, proficient and advanced performance levels on the PreACT Secure are:
| Content Area | Developing | Approaching | Meeting | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELA | 1-11 | 12-14 | 15-23 | 24-35 |
| Mathematics | 1-14 | 15 | 16-22 | 23-35 |
| Content Area | Developing | Approaching | Meeting | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELA |
1-11 |
12-16 |
17-25 |
26-35 |
| Mathematics |
1-14 |
15-16 |
17-24 |
25-35 |
PreACT Secure Comparison Dashboard
The PreACT Secure Comparison graphs allow users to compare the percentage of students at each performance level (Advanced, Meeting, Approaching, and Developing) and the average scores of students across a school, a district or statewide. Comparing performance across schools, districts or the state provides one indicator of school and/or district success. If, for any group, the percentage of students tested is low, users should not use the performance level percentages or scale score information to reach conclusions about the performance of that group.
Definitions
Using the Performance Dashboards to Improve Learning
Timely and meaningful assessment information about student performance allows:
- teachers to target instruction to individual student needs,
- students to better target their own efforts,
- administrators to more fully understand what students know and are able to do, and to guide curriculum and professional development decisions, and
- parents to understand what their child knows and is able to do in ELA, mathematics and science.
When used in combination with multiple measures of achievement, such as classroom observations and teacher-developed tests, the PreACT® Secure provides information about the progress of groups of students as well as the effectiveness of educational programs. No single test can tell us whether students have learned everything that is important to learn.
The DPI performance level graphs allow users to compare the percentage of students who are performing at each DPI performance level within a school, district or statewide. Similarly, using the available grouping, users can compare the percentage of students in a specific demographic group who are performing at the Meeting or Advanced levels in each school within the district. If, for any group, the percentage of students tested is low, users should not use the DPI performance level percentages to reach conclusions about the performance of that group.
The scale score graphs provide information about the distribution of average scale scores within and across student groups. By using the filters, educators can compare the average scale scores for student groups between schools. Wide score distributions or low scores provide evidence of wide achievement gaps and/or low achievement.