Effective Use of EPAS Helps Those Students Who Need Help the Most

Oct 9, 2026

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Schools that apply ACT’s EPAS effectively enable students at lower achievement levels to gain substantially. By monitoring strengths and weaknesses through standardized test results, districts can guide curriculum choices and provide feedback that expands learning opportunities. EPAS includes EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT test across grades, and effective-use schools show stronger-than-expected longitudinal gains, especially for students with the lowest initial scores.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Results for Effective-Use Schools

Effective Use of EPAS

Summary

Effective Use of EPAS® Helps Those Students Who Need Help the Most Students at lower achievement levels gain substantially when their schools use ACT’s EPAS effectively. ACT maintains that monitoring academic strengths and weaknesses through the effective use of results from standardized tests can promote learning and intellectual growth. When schools use achievement test scores to guide curriculum choices and to provide feedback to students, opportunities for learning increase. The ACT Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS®) consists of three testing programs: EXPLORE® for eighth and ninth grades, PLAN® for tenth grade, and the ACT® test for eleventh and twelfth grades. When used together, the three EPAS tests function as an interrelated sequence of instruments for monitoring students’ educational development throughout their high school careers. This study examined the scores of students who participated in all three of the EPAS testing programs and who attended schools identified as making effective use of EPAS. Our criteria for effective use are stringent, including discussion of scores with students and parents, use of student achievement data to inform curriculum decisions, and incorporation of the ACT College Readiness Standards™ into teaching plans. Schools were identified as having showed either greater-than-expected average longitudinal score gains or greater-than-expected average longitudinal score losses. We then surveyed these schools to see how and to what extent they use their EPAS test results. According to our criteria, the schools that had shown score gains demonstrated substantially more effective use of EPAS results than the schools that had shown score losses. For example, schools with score gains were more likely to use students’ EXPLORE and PLAN scores to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses, help them decide what courses to take in the future, and assist them in making long-term educational plans. Results for Effective-Use Schools We ranked the schools by their level of EPAS usage and examined those in the upper one-third, the group we identified as effective-use schools. We then assigned each student in these schools a numerical index based on his or her performance relative to the growth expected from one EPAS program to the next. For example, a student with an EXPLORE Composite score of 13 in eighth grade is expected to score in the range of 13 to 17 on PLAN in tenth grade, and a student with a PLAN Composite score of 13 is expected to score in the range of 12 to 15 on the ACT. These expected ranges are based on all © 2007 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., in the U. S.A. and other countries. EXPLORE® , PLAN®, and EPAS® are registered trademarks ofACT, Inc. College Readiness Standards™ is a trademark of ACT, Inc. IC 050805560 students who have taken EXPLORE and PLAN, or PLAN and the ACT, respectively, and so represent baselines (or “control groups”) against which individual student performance can be compared. Students who score above the expected range can be thought of as outperforming their peers, while students who score below the expected range can be thought of as falling behind their peers. The students’ indices of performance were then plotted against their scores on the lower grade-level test. The results appear in Figure 1 (performance on PLAN) and Figure 2 (performance on the ACT) . Figure 1 Relationship Between EXPLORE Composite Score and Performance on PLAN Composite Score Relative to Expectations EXPLORE Composite Score 0 = PLAN score fell below predicted range 1 = PLAN score fell within predicted range 2 = PLAN score exceeded predicted range 2 Effective Use of EPAS Schools that use EPAS effectively engage in the following activities: Discuss test results with students and parents, including the meaning of scores and aligning students’career goals with their course-taking plans. Use stu

FAQs

What is EPAS and which testing programs does it include?

EPAS (Educational Planning and Assessment System) includes EXPLORE for eighth and ninth grades, PLAN for tenth grade, and the ACT test for eleventh and twelfth grades. Used together, the three programs form an interrelated sequence to monitor students’ educational development.

How do effective-use schools apply EPAS results?

They discuss test results with students and parents, use student achievement levels to inform curriculum decisions, and incorporate test goals and objectives into teaching plans. They also align students’ course-taking plans and long-term educational plans with their scores.

Which students benefit most from effective EPAS use?

Students who start with the lowest initial scores show the largest score gains. Lower EXPLORE scores tend to lead to greater gains on PLAN, and lower PLAN scores tend to lead to greater gains on the ACT.

Oct 9, 2026

Upload by Bulrr