EPAS: A System that Works

Oct 9, 2026

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EPAS (Educational Planning and Assessment System) is presented as an integrated, longitudinal, data-driven approach to improve students’ readiness for life after high school. It addresses pressures from the No Child Left Behind Act and international achievement comparisons by coordinating assessment, instructional support, evaluation, and guidance across school, district, and state levels. EPAS is delivered through EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT components, producing a single-score scale report that informs stakeholders early and during high school, with benefits including higher achievement and improved college readiness and persistence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

EPAS: A System that Works

EPAS Components and Purpose

How EPAS Works

Benefits of EPAS

EPAS: A System that Works Four years after passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), most schools are struggling to meet its requirements. Educators, administrators, and policymakers alike are seeking effective solutions to increase achievement levels while closing achievement gaps. At the same time, a growing number of policymakers are calling for a major overhaul of U.S. high schools. As a nation, we are also facing challenges competing in a global economy. According to a recent report, while future American economic growth rests in part on the educational opportunities available to the current generation of youth, American elementary schools and high school students routinely fall somewhere in the middle on international assessments of academic proficiency (Committee for Economic Development, 2005) . About three-quarters of high school students enroll in postsecondary education within two years of graduation. Yet only 56 percent of ACT-tested 2005 highschool graduates take the college-preparatory core curriculum in high school (ACT, 2005a) . Even among those taking a core curriculum, only about 75 percent are ready for college English Composition, while fewer than 50 percent are ready for college Algebra, fewer than 55 percent are ready for college social sciences courses, and fewer than 35 percent are ready for college Biology. The problems are clear and well documented. The time has come for solutions. ACT data strongly support the need for an integrated, longitudinal data-driven system to provide order and continuity to school, district, and state efforts. All students must have systematic guidance and feedback—early and often. Our high schools must provide rigorous college-preparatory courses that are aligned with both state standards and college entrance expectations, and more students must take these core courses. ACT’s EPAS® (Educational Planning and Assessment System) is designed to guide and support schools, districts, and states in their efforts to improve students’ readiness for life after high school. EPAS provides a longitudinal approach to educational and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation. EPAS components are coordinated in a unified, comprehensive system for measuring and monitoring student achievement over time. EPAS results, which are reported on a single score scale, are designed to inform students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, and policymakers about students’ strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, this information is provided prior to and during students’ high school experience, while there is still time to address these strengths and weaknesses. EPAS consists of EXPLORE® (for eighth and ninth graders), PLAN® (for tenth and eleventh graders), and the ACT® (for eleventh and twelfth graders) . Each is designed to help students plan for further education and explore career options based on their own skills, interests, and aspirations. EPAS gives high schools and districts a way to get students engaged in planning their own © 2006 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. IC 0402WA060 futures. When students know what colleges expect, in terms they can understand, students can use their own information to help make a smooth transition to postsecondary education or training. All three components of EPAS measure achievement because each is firmly based in the curriculum of the grade level for which it is intended. Every 3 to 4 years, we conduct the ACT National Curriculum Survey®, in which we ask more than 20,000 educators nationwide in grades 7–14 to identify the knowledge and skills that are important for students to know to be ready for college-level work. We examine the objectives for instruction for grades 7 through 12 for all states that have published such objectives. We also review textbooks on state-approved lists for courses at these grade levels. We then analyze the information to refine the scope and sequence for each section of each EPA

FAQs

What is EPAS and what problem does it aim to address?

EPAS is an Educational Planning and Assessment System designed to guide schools, districts, and states in improving student readiness after high school. It responds to documented challenges meeting academic requirements and closing achievement gaps.

How do EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT fit into EPAS?

EPAS includes EXPLORE for eighth and ninth graders, PLAN for tenth and eleventh graders, and the ACT for eleventh and twelfth graders. Each component helps students plan further education and explore career options based on skills and interests.

What benefits does EPAS claim for students and schools?

The document states that using EPAS increases educational achievement and college readiness, encourages more college-preparatory coursework, and supports underrepresented minority students. It also reports higher average scores and stronger gains over time for schools using the programs.

Oct 9, 2026

Upload by Bulrr