High School Testing

Aside from required state assessments, CHS administers several tests to current freshman sophomore and junior students.  These include the Project ACT, EXPLORE, PLAN and PSAT tests. 

EXPLORE

The EXPLORE® program is designed to help 8th and 9th graders explore a broad range of options for their future. EXPLORE prepares students not only for their high school coursework, but for their post–high school choices as well. It marks an important beginning for a student's future academic and career success.

EXPLORE can serve as an independent program or as the entry point into ACT's EPAS® Educational Planning and Assessment System.

Both 8th- and 9th-grade norms are available for EXPLORE.   - from ACT.org

 

PLAN

The PLAN® program helps 10th graders build a solid foundation for future academic and career success and provides information needed to address school districts' high-priority issues. It is a comprehensive guidance resource that helps students measure their current academic development, explore career/training options, and make plans for the remaining years of high school and post-graduation years.

PLAN can help all students—those who are college-bound as well as those who are likely to enter the workforce directly after high school.

As a "pre-ACT" test, PLAN is a powerful predictor of success on the ACT. At the same time, many schools recognize the importance of PLAN testing for all students, as it focuses attention on both career preparation and improving academic achievement.

Typically, PLAN is administered in the fall of the sophomore year -from ACT.org

 

Practice ACT

ACT offers the Practice ACT to provide a gauge of students' achievement in high school coursework and to help students prepare for taking the ACT assessment.  The Practice ACT can also help to measure progress since taking the PLAN tests.  -from ACT

 

PSAT/NMSQT

The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

  • critical reading skills
  • math problem-solving skills
  • writing skills

You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes.

The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:

  • to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
  • to see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
  • to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).
  • to help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
  • to receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.

                                                                           -from collegeboard.com