Language Arts Guide FinalSept30 - ACT
COMPASS Guide toEffective StudentPlacement and Retentionin Language ArtsSetting the Right Course for College Success
CONTENTSSection 1: Introduction. 1Section 2: How to Select Which Test(s) to Use . 2COMPASS Placement Tests Overview . 2COMPASS Writing Skills Placement Test . 2COMPASS e-Write Tests . 3COMPASS Reading Placement Test. 5COMPASS Diagnostic Tests Overview. 6COMPASS Writing Skills Diagnostic Tests. 6COMPASS Reading Diagnostic Tests . 6How to Determine Which Test(s) to Administer . 8Test Selection & Content Alignment Overview . 8Align Course Content with COMPASS Placement Tests: Selection & Configuration . 9Align Course Content with COMPASS Diagnostic Tests: Selection & Configuration. 17Section 3: COMPASS Placement Tests Setup & Routing Rules . 18COMPASS Reading Routing Rules. 18COMPASS Writing Skills & e-Write Routing Rules . 20Section 4: COMPASS Placement Tests & Multiple Measures. 23Best Practice Focus on Multiple Measures for Writing Courses . 23Best Practice Focus on Multiple Measures for English Language Arts Courses . 25Section 5: COMPASS Placement Test Cutoff Scores. 27Setting Cutoff Scores for COMPASS Placement Tests. 27Set Stage 1 Cutoff Scores Using National Data. 27Set Stage 1 Cutoff Scores Using Local Content Alignment & Local Data . 28Evaluate & Adjust Stage 1: Stage 2 Cutoff Scores . 28Cutoff Scores for COMPASS Diagnostic Tests. 29i
CONTENTS (continued)Section 6: Effective Retention in English Language Arts . 30Connecting Students to the Campus Resources . 30Better Advising through COMPASS Demographics: Survey Options . 30Section 7: Improving Student Performance in English Language Arts . 33Section 8: English Language Arts Program Evaluation with COMPASS ResearchReports. 34References . 35Appendix A: How to Select Which Test(s) to Use . 36Appendix B: Setting COMPASS Placement Test Stage 1 Cutoff Scores . 39Step 1—Align Course Expectations with COMPASS Tests . 39Step 2—Review Course Alignment with COMPASS Tests & Local Test Results. 42Step 3—Develop Placement Messages Based on Cutoff Scores . 54Step 4—Validate Stage 1 Cutoff Scores . 60ii
Section 1: IntroductionA recent survey* of educators at two-year public institutions nationwide identified the deliveryof course placement services, academic advising, and learning support services as critical tohelping students persist in their studies and achieve academic success. Recognizing thisneed for strong course placement and advising support services, ACT developed theComputer-adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) to assist withthe delivery of these services.COMPASS is a comprehensive, computer-adaptive testing program that quickly andaccurately assesses students’ skill levels in reading, writing skills, writing production,mathematics, and ESL; provides the information you need to place students in appropriatecourses; and connects students to the campus resources they need to achieve theiracademic goals.The COMPASS system provides English language arts placement tests in reading,writing skills, and writing production. In addition, the system includes three (3) readingdiagnostics tests covering key concepts in the areas of reading comprehension,vocabulary, and reading habits. The COMPASS system also includes eight (8) writingskills diagnostic tests covering critical concepts related to punctuation, verb formation andagreement, usage, relationships of clauses, shifts in construction, organization, spelling,and capitalization. Lastly, the COMPASS system offers routing across placement tests(e.g., from COMPASS Writing Skills to COMPASS e-Write) and from placement tests todiagnostic tests (e.g., from the COMPASS Writing Skills Placement Test to COMPASSWriting Skills Diagnostic Tests) to allow significant performance evaluation capabilities.Over 1,000 postsecondary institutions use COMPASS to help their students start theirEnglish language arts studies on a solid footing.This document provides an overview of the COMPASS Reading, COMPASS Writing Skills,and COMPASS e-Write Placement Tests, along with suggestions on how to align COMPASStest scores with the prerequisites you have established for your English language artscourses. The goal of the COMPASS placement system is to assist you in ensuring thatstudents are placed appropriately, increasing the likelihood of student success. Thisdocument also provides suggestions regarding developing placement messages and usingCOMPASS to connect students with appropriate courses and additional campus resources.* What Works In Student Retention? – Two-Year Public s/pdf/TwoYearPublic.pdf1
Section 2: How to Select Which Test(s) to UseCOMPASS Placement Tests OverviewCOMPASS Writing Skills Placement TestThe COMPASS Writing Skills Placement Test is designed to help determine whether astudent possesses the writing skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a typical entry-levelcollege composition course. Examinees are presented with a passage on-screen and areasked to read it while looking for problems in grammar, usage, and style. Upon finding anerror, students can replace the portion of text with one of five answer options presented.Writing Skills Test passages are presented to the examinee as an unbroken whole, with noindication of where errors are located. To accommodate the task for computer-based testing,the test passages are divided into a series of segments. Because examinees can choose toedit any portion of the passage, every part of the text is included within these segments, andno part of the text is contained in more than one segment. There is a test item for eachsegment of the text so that an item with five answer options will appear no matter where anexaminee chooses to revise the text. Of the five answer options, option “A” alwaysreproduces the original text segment. If the segment selected by the examinee contains noerror, then the correct alternative would be option “A.” Allowing students to select and correctany part of the passage broadens the task from simple recognition of the most plausiblealternative to a more generative error-identification exercise.In addition to the items that correspond to passage segments, the COMPASS Writing SkillsPlacement Test has one or two multiple-choice items that appear after the examinee isfinished revising the passage. These items pose global questions related to the passage.COMPASS Writing Skills Placement Test items are of two general categories:usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills. Each of these general categories is composed of thesubcategories listed below. Usage/Mechanic Items Items in this category are directed at the surface-levelcharacteristics of writing, as exemplified in three major subcategories: punctuation,basic grammar and usage, and sentence structure. Rhetorical Skills Items Items in this category deal with misplaced, omitted, orsuperfluous commas; colons; semicolons; dashes; parentheses; apostrophes;question marks; periods; and exclamation points.Additional Information Additional detailed information regarding the COMPASS WritingSkills Placement Test content can be found in Chapter 7 of the COMPASS ReferenceManual, which is available within “Welcome” screen of the online COMPASS system Helpfeature. Detailed technical information regarding COMPASS Writing Skills (e.g., reliabilities,standard errors of measurement) can be found in Chapter 12 of the COMPASS ReferenceManual. Sample COMPASS Writing Skills Placement Test items are available from the ACTwebsite at http://www.act.org/compass/sample/pdf/writing.pdf. In addition, COMPASSPlacement Test Sample Item Review Sets include specifics on content and sample items forCOMPASS tests. Review sets are secure materials and are available by contacting ACTEducational Services at 319/337-1054 or emailing Educational Services atcompass@act.org.2
COMPASS e-Write TestsFor the COMPASS e-Write 2–8 and 2–12 direct writing assessments, examinees areprovided with a writing task (prompt) that is framed within a familiar context. This might be acommunity or school setting where a problem or issue related to that setting is presented.Overall, the structure of the COMPASS e-Write prompts is a single-paragraph format thatincludes: Sentence 1: Initial presentation of the setting, an issue or problem, and the person orthe group considering how to address the issue or problem. Sentence 2: Additional information about the setting, the issue or problem, and theoutcome the person or group wants to achieve. Sentences 3 and 4: Two different proposals for addressing the issue or problem. Sentence 5: Instructions asking the writer to argue for one of the two proposals byproviding a rationale for why the alternative they have chosen will be more likely toachieve the desired outcome.This type of prompt requires that the examinee take a position and offer a solution that issupported with specific examples or evidence regarding the position taken. The COMPASSe-Write prompts were developed to ensure that the format of the prompt is accessible andfamiliar to all levels of English-speaking students.COMPASS e-Write Scoring The purpose of the COMPASS e-Write scoring system is toassess a student’s performance given a first-draft writing situation. COMPASS e-Write 2–8and 2–12 tests are scored using “holistic” scoring. Holistic scoring is based on reviewingfeatures of writing and providing a score based on a general or holistic impression of theresponse. The primary scores assigned for COMPASS e-Write 2–8 and e-Write 2–12 areholistic scores.For COMPASS e-Write 2–8, holistic scores are reported on a scale of 2–8. For COMPASS eWrite 2–12, holistic scores are reported on a scale of 2–12. Each score point reflects astudent’s ability to perform the skills identified in the respective COMPASS e-Write holisticscoring guides. Responses are evaluated according to how well a student: Formulates a clear and focused position on the issue defined in the prompt Supports that position with reasons and evidence appropriate to the position takenand the specified concerns of the audience Develops the argument in a coherent and logical manner Expresses ideas using clear, effective languageA student obtains lower scores for not taking a position on the specified issue, not supportingthat position with reasons and evidence, not developing the argument, or not expressingthose ideas using clear, effective language. A student who does not respond to the prompt isassigned an “unscoreable” code rather than a score.3
Secondary COMPASS e-Write scores are subscores. Subscores are based on assigning ascore associated with a specific feature of writing. Subscores provide users with someadditional information regarding direct writing performance; subscores may be used tosupport instruction. COMPASS e-Write 2–8 and 2–12 subscores align with the followingscoring rubric scales: subscores of 1–4 for COMPASS e-Write 2–8 and subscores of 1–6 forCOMPASS e-Write 2–12. The five subscores for both COMPASS e-Write 2–8 and 2–12components are: Focus Content Organization Style ConventionsPlease note that the primary holistic scores and the secondary subscores are assignedindependently based on the respective holistic scoring rubrics and the respective subscorerubrics. That is, while there is a relationship between the holistic scores and the subscores interms of general features of writing, subscores for the COMPASS e-Write components arenot used to derive the holistic score. Separate scoring occurs for the holistic score versus thesubscores.Additional Information Additional detailed information regarding the COMPASS e-Writecomponents (i.e., 2–8 and 2–12 score scales) content can be found in Chapter 8 of theCOMPASS Reference Manual, which is available within “Welcome” screen of the onlineCOMPASS system Help feature. Detailed information regarding COMPASS e-Writedevelopment and scoring reliability can be found in Chapter 16 of the COMPASS ReferenceManual. In addition, the COMPASS/ESL e-Write Answers to Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) offers in-depth information specific to the direct writing components. This FAQ isavailable through an ACT Educational Services regional office near you:http://www.act.org/contacts/field.html.In addition, the COMPASS e-Write 2–12 Sample Essay Responses include specifics oncontent for COMPASS e-Write tests, with detailed information related to the COMPASS eWrite 2–12 holistic scoring rubric (i.e., the content specifics related to this test) and sampleessays with scoring explanations. This document is available through an ACT EducationalServices regional office near you: http://www.act.org/contacts/field.html.COMPASS e-Write scoring information is also available from the ACT website ml.4
COMPASS Reading Placement TestThe COMPASS Reading Placement Test emphasizes an examinee’s ability to constructmeaning from what is read, focusing on items that assess reading comprehension.COMPASS Reading passages are of five types: Prose Fiction passages emphasize the narration of events and revelation ofcharacter. Humanities passages describe or analyze ideas or works of art and craft. Social Sciences passages present information gathered by research. Natural Sciences passages present a science topic along with an explanation of itssignificance. Practical Reading passages present information relevant to vocational or technicalcourses.The majority of the COMPASS Reading passages are excerpts from copyrighted material,and the remaining passages are original works written by contracted item writers. Thereading level of all passages is approximately equal to what a student encounters in the firstyear of college; much of the excerpted passage material comes from books, essays,journals, and magazines commonly used in entry-level college courses. The average lengthof the passages is approximately 240 standard words.All operational passages are accompanied by up to five reading comprehension items.These reading comprehension items are of two general categories: referring items andreasoning items. Referring Items Items in this category pose questions about material explicitlystated in a passage (e.g., recognizing the explicitly stated main idea of a passage,recognizing the explicitly stated main idea of a paragraph, recognizing explicitevidence presented in support of a claim). Reasoning Items Items in this category assess readers’ proficiencies at makingappropriate inferences, developing a critical understanding of the text, anddetermining the specific meanings of difficult, unfamiliar, or ambiguous words basedon context (e.g., inferring the main idea of a passage, inferring the main idea of aparagraph, recognizing logical fallacies, recognizing various points of view).Additional Information Additional detailed information regarding the COMPASS ReadingPlacement Test can be found in Chapter 6 of the COMPASS Reference Manual, which isavailable within “Welcome” screen of the online COMPASS system Help feature. Detailedinformation regarding COMPASS Writing Skills technical characteristics (e.g., reliabilities,standard errors of measurement) can be found in Chapter 12 of the COMPASS ReferenceManual. Sample COMPASS Reading Placement Test items are available from the ACTwebsite at http://www.act.org/compass/sample/pdf/reading.pdf. In addition, COMPASSPlacement Test Sample Item Review Sets include specifics on content and sample items forCOMPASS tests. Review sets are secure materials and are available by contacting ACTEducational Services at 319/337-1054 or emailing Educational Services atcompass@act.org.5
COMPASS Diagnostic Tests OverviewCOMPASS Writing Skills Diagnostic TestsCOMPASS Writing Skills Diagnostic Tests are designed to assess students’ relativestrengths and weaknesses in eight writing skills areas. When used with developmentalwriters, the Writing Skills Diagnostic Tests provide specific information about students’ writingskills in these eight areas with separate scores for each domain. The eight diagnosticdomains are: Punctuation Verb Formation and Agreement Usage Relationships of Clauses Shifts in Construction Organization Spelling CapitalizationEach domain consists of an item pool from which items are adaptively selected andpresented. The Writing Skills Diagnostic Tests use a variety of item types, including Cloze,multiple choice, sentence recombination, and capitalization. All items are discrete (i.e., asingle item) and consist of one or more sentences that focus on one writing skill.Additional Information Additional detailed information regarding the COMPASS WritingSkills Diagnostic Tests can be found in Chapter 7 of the COMPASS Reference Manual,which is available within “Welcome” screen of the online COMPASS system Help feature.COMPASS Reading Diagnostic TestsThe COMPASS Reading Diagnostic Tests evaluate students' skill levels and provide studentlevel feedback in three areas:Reading Comprehension Diagnostic Test—This test is designed for developmentalreaders and provides teachers and students with specific information about students’ readingcomprehension skills. The test adaptively selects passages and items from passages acrossthree content areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Each passage isaccompanied by four to seven test items. Two levels of reading comprehension skills areassessed: (1) locating information that is explicitly presented in text (Explicit Detail) and (2)drawing conclusions from information implicit in the passage (Implicit Information).Vocabulary Diagnostic Test—This test provides instructors and students with specificinformation about students’ abilities to determine the meaning of vocabulary words incontext. The test is composed of one- or two-sentence items adaptively selected from theitem pool. Each item has one word missing, and students are asked to select the vocabularyword that
The COMPASS system provides English language arts placement tests in reading, writing skills, and writing production. In addition, the system includes three (3) reading
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English Language Arts Curriculum (1998) and in this curriculum guide, English Language Arts Curriculum: Grade 5 (2013), has been planned and developed collaboratively by a provincial working group tasked with elementary curriculum renewal for English Language Arts. The English language arts curriculum has been developed with the intent of:
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