This page answers frequently asked questions about Arkansas State Assessment (ACT Aspire) by Teachers, Parents and Students

What is the assessment conducted at the end of the year in Arkansas State called?
What was the earlier assessment conducted before the introduction of ACT Aspire?
Why did Arkansas adopt the ACT Aspire for assessment of grades K-12?
When did Arkansas incorporate ACT Aspire as a form of the end of the year assessment?
What is the ACT Aspire testing window for 2015-16?
How many sessions are there for each ACT Aspire test?
What is the duration of ACT Aspire test?
Is there any break in between the ACT Aspire test sessions?
What are the question types in ACT Aspire test?
How are the performance levels assessed in ACT Aspire?
What is the calculator policy for ACT Aspire test?
When will results of the ACT Aspire assessments be announced?
How will StepUp® help my child prepare for ACT Aspire test?
What are the resources available to help prepare my child for ACT Aspire Test?

What is the assessment conducted at the end of the year in Arkansas State called?

The assessment conducted at the end of the year in Arkansas State is called ACT Aspire.
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What was the earlier assessment conducted before the introduction of ACT Aspire?

Arkansas Benchmark test was used as assessment method upto 2013-14. In the year, 2014-15, the Education Department used PAARC as test method which was aligned to Common Core Standards.
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Why did Arkansas adopt the ACT Aspire for assessment of grades K-12?

• The Switch over from Benchmark to PARCC was to phase in Common Core Standards in Arkansas schools. Also, PARCC was considered to be a more rigorous exam, corresponding to the more rigorous standards represented by Common Core.
• But PARCC failed due to many reasons — some of them were, the frustration felt by teachers about the excessive time required to administer the test and logistical problems involving technology and adequate Internet access, but some districts have obtained waivers and conduct paper based assessments.

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When did Arkansas incorporate ACT Aspire as a form of the end of the year assessment?

ACT Aspire as a method of assessment started in the year 2015-16. The act went into effect on March 20, 2015.
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What is the ACT Aspire testing window for 2015-16?

Schools set their own schedules for the ACT Aspire within the following windows:
Computer-based administration: April 11-May 13 2016
Paper-based administration: April 18-April 29 2016
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How many sessions are there for each ACT Aspire test?

ELA tests are conducted in 3 sessions- One for reading, One for writing and one for Language test.

Mathematics is tested in a single session.

What is the duration of ACT Aspire test?

The duration of the ACT Aspire test is as below:

ACT Aspire ELA Language:
Grade 3 to 5: 30 minutes
Grade 6 to 8: 35 minutes
ACT Aspire Writing:
Grade 3 to 8: 30 minutes

ACT Aspire ELA Reading:
Grade 3 to 8: 60 minutes

ACT Aspire Mathematics:
Grade 3 to 5: 55 minutes
Grade 6 to 7: 60 minutes
Grade 8 : 65 minutes
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Is there any break in between the ACT Aspire test sessions?

No, there are no breaks between a single session of ACT Aspire test.
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What are the question types in ACT Aspire test?

The question types in ACT Aspire Test include

• Constructed Response Tasks that require students to explain, justify, critique, create, propose, produce, design, or otherwise demonstrate knowledge and understanding by generating a response when appropriate, context is provided to reinforce students’ practical applications of concepts, theories, principles, and processes.
• Technology enhanced items and tasks incorporate computer interfaces to ask questions and pose scenarios that are not possible in traditional paper-based formats. they also present conventional items in fresh, innovative ways that motivate students. technology-enhanced items may require students to generate their responses, or they may present students with a wider and more complex set of answer options.
• Multiple Item Types provides evidence needed to support inferences about student achievement.

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How are the performance levels assessed in ACT Aspire?

The performance levels for ACT Aspire are:

The Student assessment is done at 4 levels. These are Advanced, Proficient, Basic & Below Basic.

Advanced: Advanced students demonstrate superior performance beyond proficient grade-level performance. They can apply skills to solve complex problems and complete demanding tasks on their own. They are able to make connections between abstract and concrete ideas and provide proper explanations and arguments to support their answers.

Proficient: Proficient students demonstrate Good academic performance and are well prepared for the next level of schooling. They can use learned skills and knowledge to solve problems and complete tasks on their own.

Basic: Basic students demonstrate partial knowledge and lack skills necessary for the proficient level.

Below Basic: Below basic students fail to show sufficient skills to attain the basic level.
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What is the calculator policy for ACT Aspire test?

Students in Grade 6 and above can use calculators. (a calculator tool is available on the cBt version.) For Grades 3–5, direct evidence of students executing important computational skills, practices, and understandings is required, so calculators are not permitted.
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When will results of the ACT Aspire be announced?

The students will receive results of ACT Aspire in approximately 2-4 weeks of taking the tests.
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How will StepUp® help my child prepare for ACT Aspire test?

The Lumos StepUp® provides
(a) Online access to Full-length ACT Aspire Practice Tests .
(b) Workbooks to practice 30+ Math and 40+ ELA skills.
(c) Access to parent and student portals.
(d) Access to Teacher portal.
(e) Easy-to-use, advanced and real-time reports to help you identify areas of weakness and tailor personalized learning plans for your student.
(f) Student-centric approach, combined with instant feedback boosts student confidence and improves learning outcomes.
(g) StepUp® program can be accessed through a number of devices that include, PC, tablet and smartphones and it is available 24×7. This convenience helps enabling anywhere learning.

To access Parent/ Student portal click here

To access School / Teacher portal click here
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What are the resources available to help prepare my child for ACT Aspire Test?

In addition to the Lumos StepUp® program benefits, you can also access sample
questions on Lumos Learning site at

https://dev.lumoslearning.com/llwp/resources/act-aspire-practice-tests-and-sample-question.html

Further, you can get more information about ACT Aspire tests and view sample papers at

https://www.discoveractaspire.org/assessments/summative/
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