Township High School District 211 coordinates district wide assessment programs for high school students. The State of Illinois Assessment Program that complies with the requirements of the State Board of Education and College-Bound Assessments aid students in making decisions with regards to their college plans. These are assessments such as the National ACT and SAT where students register for the test online.
ACT is a State Testing is a state-funded ACT assessment administered to all high school juniors and is a graduation requirement. This in school administration will include the essay.
This guide includes instructions for taking online practice tests, as well as highlighted features and navigation of the secure web application in which they will take the test.
Contains a full-length practice ACT with Writing test, test details, test-taking strategies, what to expect on test day, and a link to a Spanish versionof this guide.
ACCESS for ELLs – Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to State for English Language Learners is a standard-based English Language Proficiency Test that tests students in the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
DLM are assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities for whom general state assessments are not appropriate, even with accommodations. DLM assessments offer students a way to show what they know and can do in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
Illinois Fitness Assessment – All Illinois public schools are required to administer a physical fitness assessment to students in grades 3-12. The four required areas of the fitness assessment are aerobic capacity, muscular capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility.
AP – Advanced Placement Tests are offered for students who have pursued college-level AP courses while in high school. Students who earn a 3, 4, or 5 on an exam may receive early college credits from a college or university. Registration/payment for AP Exams are required in the fall.
ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. An optional writing test measures skills in planning and writing a short essay. ACT determines the locations of the tests.
PSAT/NMSQT – Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test measures the reading, writing and language, and math skills needed for college and career. Scores from the PSAT/NMSQT may qualify 11th grade students to be National Merit Scholars and enables students who score at the highest levels to qualify for college scholarships. It allows students to compare their academic skills with those of other college-bound students. The PSAT/NMSQT is administered during the school day and is an optional exam. Registration/payment will be available in the fall.
SAT is an assessment designed to assess a student’s academic readiness for college. The SAT assesses student knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. Most students take the SAT during their junior or senior year of high school, and colleges and universities may use the SAT to make admission or scholarship decisions. The assessment is composed of Evidence Based Reading and Writing and Math. College Board determines the locations of the tests. All test dates are Saturdays.
ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is a powerful artificial intelligence based assessment instrument covering material from Basic Math through Precalculus. It will take approximately 90 minutes to complete the 30 question test. ALEKS is an untimed and individualized adaptive assessment designed to determine a student’s knowledge base in mathematics. Many college and universities use the ALEKS college mathematics placement test. The ALEKS assessment is an option for sophomores and juniors to complete to place into dual credit courses while in high school.
District Benchmark Assessments (DBA) are common assessments administered to all students across the district. Each course has a teacher created DBA aligned to course critical learning standards. The DBA results are used to guide instructional decisions to improve student learning in preparation for post-high school success.
Test Preparation Programs – District 211 implements a multi-tiered approach to preparing students for the ACT assessments. Each school offers a free test-prep program. For specific information, contact your child’s guidance counselor.
Testing Accommodations – If your student requires accommodations for testing under an IEP or 504 plan and will register for one of the optional assessments, please contact the counselor or case manager in your school at the beginning of the school year to learn how to apply for accommodations for the specific tests.
