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A. When does the high school placement exam take place?

Saturday, October 26, 2024: 8:00 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Make-up date Saturday, November 2, 2024: 8:00 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. 

Plan to arrive at 7:45 a.m. End times may vary depending on how quickly each room starts testing.

Students should only attend one of the test dates listed above. Students with specific testing accommodations based on an IEP or 504 will end at different times. See section H for more details.

B. Where does my student go for the placement exam?

On both Saturdays the placement exam will be offered at all 6 District 214 high Schools. Your student should test at the high school based on your address boundaries. Visit https://www.d214.org/Page/3649 to look at the high school boundaries map.

Students should be picked up and dropped off at the following locations for each high school: Placement Exam High School Locations

C. How do I reserve a spot for my student for the placement exam?

You will have a chance to reserve a spot by picking the test date when you complete the high school pre-registration. If you do not pre-register by the October 17 deadline, you may still send your student to the high school for the exam. If your student misses the initial exam date, they can still attend testing on the makeup date without notifying the school.

D. What should my student bring to the exam?

• Two No. 2 pencils with erasers (not mechanical pencils)
• A scientific or graphing calculator. Students can use a calculator for the math section, however, all questions can be answered without a calculator. 
• Students must use their official birth name when testing. 
• Please label all belongings. No portable electronics should be brought into the testing rooms. Cell phones are allowed, but must be turned off during testing. 

E. What is the high school placement exam?

The PreACT 8/9 is a paper test used for placement and students will bubble their answers on a separate answer sheet. The PreACT 8/9 includes sections in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. This exam will prepare students for the state required ACT suite of assessments that they will take while in high school. Students will also complete a quick survey after the exam to help give District 214 more information about placing your student in high school. PreACT 8/9 Overview (PDF)

F. Why is it important to attend the placement exam?

The exam, along with grades, helps make sure students are placed in high school classes where they can succeed. The results from this exam are used to assist with classroom placement and will help determine if students require summer school instruction prior to entering District 214. Please emphasize the seriousness of the exam. If a student is too disruptive during testing, you will receive a call to pick up your student.

G. Will I receive placement exam test results?

Yes, in January or February you will receive information on your student's performance. These scores are used for placement and are not part of the student's permanent record.

H. What testing accommodations are available if my student has an IEP or 504 designation?

District 214 receives a list of students who receive testing accommodations from the middle/junior high schools.

We offer the following accommodations for the placement exam sessions on October 26 and November 2:

• Extended time - Students may finish closer to 12:35 p.m. (An extra break is also built into the extended time schedule.)
• Test read on a computer with headsets - Students may finish closer to 1:40 p.m.
  Students with “test read” accommodations may finish in one Saturday testing session or may need to finish on the makeup test date. More information will be emailed to parents of students with this accommodation. 
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If your student has accommodations that require one-on-one testing or beyond what is described above, your student’s home high school Special Education or Student Services department administrator will contact you in order to discuss your student’s specific testing needs. Alternative arrangements may be made in order to accommodate your student’s needs. Students who require one-on-one testing may not need to test, as the 8th grade and high school teams may already have sufficient information in order to recommend appropriate academic courses. Final decisions on academic courses are made in conjunction with IEP or 504 teams.

If your student qualifies for the DLM Alternate Assessment, they will not need to take the Placement Exam, as sufficient information will be gathered through alternate methods in order to recommend academic courses. Final decisions on academic courses are made in conjunction with the IEP team.

We do not have a nurse on staff on Saturday testing days to administer medication or provide medical support.

If you have questions regarding IEP accommodations, contact the Special Education Division Head at your home high school. If you have questions regarding accommodations from a 504 Plan, contact the Student Services department at your home high school.

I. What if my student cannot attend either exam date?

We encourage all students to test on one of the Saturday dates, but if it is not possible due to major conflicts, District 214 will reach out to parents of students who did not test about a make-up opportunity in February during the school day.

J. Who should I contact if I have more questions about the placement exam?

Contact the Assessment Supervisor at the high school your student will attend.