Dear OLCHS Students and Parents,
On Tuesday, April 15th and Wednesday, April 16th, Oak Lawn Community High School will conduct its statewide testing of the ACT with Essay, PreACT Secure, and PreACT Secure 9 exams for all current grades 9-11 students. There is NO LATE START for Wednesday, April 16th. Students in 12thgrade will not report to school on these days. Students will need their iPad for the test, so please make sure that the iPad is completely charged the night before and the student remembers to bring it to testing. The framework of the days are as follows:
Tuesday, April 15*
All 9th grade students should report ON TIME to school at or before 8:30AM
11th grade students with last name beginning with letters A-L should report ON TIME to school at or before 8:30AM (11th grade students with last name beginning with letters M-Z SHOULD NOT COME)
10th grade students will NOT report to school on this day
Wednesday, April 16*
All 10th grade students should report ON TIME to school at or before 8:30AM
11th grade students with last name beginning with letters M-Z should report ON TIME to school at or before 8:30AM (11th grade students with last name beginning with letters A-L SHOULD NOT COME)
9th grade students will NOT report to school on this day
*There are a few students that will have a different schedule. Your student’s case manager will contact you if your student’s schedule is different than above.
It is important to note that all junior students are required to sit for this exam to satisfy Illinois state graduation requirements. All sophomore and freshman students are required to sit for the exam by the state of Illinois. There is no need to register your student, regardless of grade level, or pay for any exam fees. All students have been registered automatically.
All students and families should review the important information below to prepare for this exam:
- IMPORTANT: Students are required to use their school-issued AND fully charged iPad for the exam.
- Students should plan to bring…
Their school-issued fully charged iPad and charger
A pencil to write on scratch paper.
A snack and/or drink for the exam, to be stored under the chair. Students cannot eat or drink during the exam.
- Students will receive testing authorization tickets on exam day with their login information.
- Students should not bring the following items on testing day as these items are strictly prohibited and will result in the automatic cancellation of a student’s score:
Cell phones.
Smart watches.
Personal computers.
Any other internet-capable device (except for the school-issued iPad).
Hats or hoods, as they are prohibited by the ACT.
- All accommodations will be provided through the testing application, including extended time, screen readers, and the ability to pause the time if a student is approved for extra or extended breaks accommodations. Calculators will be provided by the school, as well as a virtual calculator on the exam portal.
- Students will NOT be permitted to remain in the building after the exam, as other students may still be testing.
To help your student be prepared for the exam:
Remember to charge your student’s iPad the night before and make sure the student brings it to testing. Students should plan to get plenty of rest the night before and eat a nutritious breakfast the morning of their exams. Please note, the student cafeteria will be open for breakfast prior to exams, though it will be closed for lunch that day. As stated above, all students are encouraged to bring a snack and/or water for the exam, to be stored under their chair.
The total time for the exam varies depending on student accommodations. Students in 9th and 10th grade with standard timing will be complete with testing by noon, and by 1:30 with extended timing. Students in 11th grade with standard timing will be complete with testing by 1:15PM, and with extended timing they will be done by 3:00PM. Students needing to contact a parent for pick up will be allowed to use phones in the school.
If you have general questions about these exams, please contact Dr. Semaj Coleman at [email protected].