I have no idea if this was the case this year, but a few years ago, our administration sent out a long note to outraged 8th grade parents, who take the EXPLORE as part of high school placement. Parents were upset because students missing only two questions scored below the required grade (19? 20?) to qualify for honors English in high school. Apparently, the reading section often has a pretty significant drop for missing even a few questions. I know when my son first took it, I was surprised that this was his lowest, but then I realized he had indeed missed only two questions. On the science that year, he missed significantly more, but scored much higher (in terms of % correct and corresponding percentile). Just a thought....
