Fall 2008 EPAS Professional Development Workshop Information and Online Registration
Oklahoma EPAS (OK EPAS) is based on ACT's Educational
Planning and Assessment System, an integrated series of assessments and
reporting services that supports educators as they help students set and
reach goals for life after high school. The components of OK EPAS are EXPLORE,
PLAN and the ACT Assessment. EPAS assessments provide information about
academic progress at crucial points in a student's educational career --
eighth grade, tenth grade, and at the completion of high school. Information
provided by EPAS assessments is linked longitudinally to provide an academic
information management system. These linkage reports can be used to monitor
student progress over time, detect trends and evaluate instructional outcomes
in support of school improvement efforts.
- EXPLORE, the eighth grade assessment, is the entry point to EPAS. EXPLORE
includes objective assessments in English, math, reading, and science
reasoning. It also includes activities that help young students begin
the process of career and educational exploration. EXPLORE provides baseline
data for monitoring student progress through the high school years.
- PLAN, the tenth grade assessment, includes objective assessments in
English, math, reading, and science reasoning. Its educational and career
planning activities are tailored to the needs of students who are preparing
to make decisions about life after high school. PLAN provides a midpoint
review of tenth-grade students' progress toward their educational and
career goals -- at a point when there is still time to make changes.
- The ACT Assessment measures the overall outcomes of a student's high
school education. Colleges use ACT Assessment results to make admissions,
guidance and placement decisions.
Oklahoma EPAS helps teachers, counselors, and school administrators do
their jobs effectively. The system provides services in four interrelated
areas: student planning, instructional support, assessment and program evaluation.
- In support of student planning, EPAS provides comprehensive information
about the relationships among students' interests, academic skills and
career choices. This information allows students to make informed decisions
as they set their goals.
- EPAS provides workshops and other training programs that help teachers,
counselors and administrators make the most effective use of EPAS data.
- The assessments that form the core of EPAS provide a wealth of information
about students' educational development over time. They are specially
designed to determine how effectively students are acquiring the higher-order
thinking skills necessary for successful transitions to postsecondary
education or the workplace.
- EPAS reports provide useful evaluation that can help school officials
determine how well their programs are helping individual students reach
their educational goals. Linkage reports also allow officials to monitor
school progress toward goals and standards set by policymakers at the
school, district or state level.
For more information on EPAS and the ACT Assessment, visit the ACT
Web site.
