Predicting ACT scores on achievement testing

[Keniki]

Is there anyway to convert an achievement test score (8th grade going into high school) to an approximate ACT score? Weird question I know. IOW, if a child scored 90th percentile in math (for example), is there a way to convert that to how they would do on the ACT math test? I realize the higher the achievement test scores, the better they will most likely do on an ACT test, but anything more specific?

[abbeyej]

Not *really*, but you could convert your child's percentiles on their achievement tests to percentiles on the ACT and you could come up with a *guess*. So if you assume that your child will remain roughly in the 90th percentile for math when s/he takes the ACT, that would be about a 27-28.

 

It doesn't work exactly because the math on the ACT is obviously different from the math covered on an 8th grade achievement test. But if you've seen consistency all along in your child's testing history, I don't think it would be a bad way to guesstimate future scores.

 

Here's the chart for ACT percentiles:

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

[Keniki]

Not *really*, but you could convert your child's percentiles on their achievement tests to percentiles on the ACT and you could come up with a *guess*. So if you assume that your child will remain roughly in the 90th percentile for math when s/he takes the ACT, that would be about a 27-28.

 

It doesn't work exactly because the math on the ACT is obviously different from the math covered on an 8th grade achievement test. But if you've seen consistency all along in your child's testing history, I don't think it would be a bad way to guesstimate future scores.

 

Here's the chart for ACT percentiles:

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

 

Thanks! That looks interesting! :)

[mom31257]

:lurk5:

I've wondered the same thing. I've given dd the ITBS every other year, and she has consistently scored high and even higher each time.

[abbeyej]

BTW, here's a similar chart for SAT percentiles:

 

http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/highered/ra/sat/CR_M_%20W_PercentileRanksGenderEthnicGroups.pdf

[EKS]

Not *really*, but you could convert your child's percentiles on their achievement tests to percentiles on the ACT and you could come up with a *guess*. So if you assume that your child will remain roughly in the 90th percentile for math when s/he takes the ACT, that would be about a 27-28.

 

It doesn't work exactly because the math on the ACT is obviously different from the math covered on an 8th grade achievement test. But if you've seen consistency all along in your child's testing history, I don't think it would be a bad way to guesstimate future scores.

 

Here's the chart for ACT percentiles:

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

 

Being in the 90th percentile on a nationally normed achievement test like the ITBS will *not* equate to being in the 90th percentile on the ACT. A 90th percentile on the ITBS says that the kid is in the 90th percentile of the full range of 8th graders, whereas the ACT is testing *college bound* kids. There is a huge difference.

 

I know on the ITBS (actually the ITED, which is the high school version of the ITBS) that you can get a ACT/SAT score conversion reported, so there is a way to do it. My son's composite ITED score from last year on the 9th grade test was at the 98th percentile and the predicted ACT score was about a standard deviation lower at around the 84th percentile. This is what you might expect as the average IQ of successful colleges students is about a standard deviation above that of the general population.

 

So using this logic, one standard deviation below the 90th percentile is about the 60th percentile which corresponds roughly to a 22 on the ACT.

[Keniki]

Being in the 90th percentile on a nationally normed achievement test like the ITBS will *not* equate to being in the 90th percentile on the ACT. A 90th percentile on the ITBS says that the kid is in the 90th percentile of the full range of 8th graders, whereas the ACT is testing *college bound* kids. There is a huge difference.

 

 

 

I'm thinking there would also be differences depending on which achievement test you use. Not all achievement tests are created equal.

[mom31257]

BTW, here's a similar chart for SAT percentiles:

 

http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/highered/ra/sat/CR_M_%20W_PercentileRanksGenderEthnicGroups.pdf

 

 

Okay, probably dumb question here, but when dd takes the SAT, does this mean her scores and percentiles will be based on her being a female or how she actually did on the test?

[Keniki]

I think your best shot is to have your kid take a practice exam and see how they do, and then take an ACT prep class if there's one available. Back in the day when I took it, taking the prep class bounced my score up three points when I retook the test.

 

Is there a place online I can get a practice exam?

[obsidian]

http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test

Free SAT practice test.