Our DD, who is also in 5th grade, will take the EXPLORE in January. We received a packet recently (though I haven't opened it yet) and I seem to recall from our older DS's experience that there are practice questions in the packet. So I'll have DD review those questions and we'll talk about timing/pacing + any other issues or concerns she may have prior to the test.
Based on our older DS's experience, I don't believe ACT retains EXPLORE scores for more than a year and - if they do - those scores are not reported to colleges along w/the student's ACT score in high school. So even if the score is low, I'm not sure it matters (though others may point out something I'm missing).
Our DD is taking the EXPLORE through Duke TIP. I don't know what the downside would be, unless your DD has considerable anxiety or adamantly does not want to test. Our DD would obviously prefer not to take this test, but she has seen how her older brothers became familiar w/these types of tests - over a period of several years - and it really has paid off for them so far. Oldest son is a National Merit Scholar on a full-tuition college scholarship (via the PSAT & SAT) and high-school brother is working toward that goal by preparing for the PSAT right now. We tell our kids that "slow & steady wins the race," which I personally believe to be true.
For our DD, we've told her that her EXPLORE score is not even a concern at this point. We just want her to become familiar with what it's like to take a test of this kind: Preparing to the extent she can (which means reviewing the EXPLORE pamphlet in this case), getting up early, eating a good breakfast, standing in line at the test center, locating the bathroom before the test & using the bathroom first (before anything else) during breaks. Watch for air vents - you don't want to be sitting under an air vent during any test. Does your chair wobble back & forth? If so, raise your hand and ask the proctor for a new chair! Are your pencils sharpened and your snacks packed the night before? How well do you do with timing on the test? How can you improve your pacing? ALL these small factors are important when it comes to actual PSAT/SAT/ACT testing...so DD is learning about those things now, and the test itself will be what it will be. That's what we stress, so I really don't think DD is nervous or anxious about it at all. Just a learning experience, among many.
Anyway, I hope this helps. I personally would not worry about scores at all right now, and makes sure your DD views this as a chance to see what future testing will entail. It's a shame that so much rides on testing, but it does.
Best of luck to you & your DD!
