ACT in the News

ACT programs and services attract attention across the nation and beyond, as evidenced by this selection of highlights from recent news stories.

For additional items, see Previous News Highlights.

News 14-Carolina, March 24, 2009
Students recognized for WorkKeys Completion: Students from five Randolph County and Asheboro City high schools that have completed the WorkKeys assessment program were recognized by the Randolph County JobLink.; The WorkKeys assessment program provides nationally recognized career readiness certificates for students. Nearly 800 students have been certified in the two years that the WorkKeys assessment has been available in the region.; “Whether they’re headed into the workforce or to further their education, this will only prepare them,” said Nancy Landis, Randolph County JobLink director. “It will also help them to make informed career decisions.”
La Opinion, March 23, 2009
With the unemployment rate skyrocketing, now is the time to keep an open mind regarding career choices.: “It’s wrong to think that you are only capable of doing what you’ve been doing until now,” said Stanislaus county WorkNet Alliance director Jeff Rowe.; The WorkNet Alliance uses the WorkKeys program in the Central California Valley to score and assess skill sets of the local workforce. The assessment measures skills in applied math, reading, and information gathering.; Companies and workers both benefit from the WorkKeys assessments' ability to accurately identify which candidates were better qualified for specific positions.; “It helps distinguish a curriculum among many others that inundate any company that has job vacancies in times like these,” says Blake Konczal, director of the Fresno County Workforce Investment Board.; In Fresno County, The Workforce Investment Board uses WorkKeys in various sectors to find jobs in different careers, and is finding that employers find the WorkKeys certificate increasingly valuable.
The Business Journal, March 13, 2009
Logistics, logically: Training aims to develop region’s supply chain management sector: Through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program, the Piedmont Triad Partnership is seeking to promote industry sectors such as health care, advanced manufacturing and creative enterprises, and the arts.; The Piedmont Triad Partnership, an organization dedicated to the advancement of the North Carolina Triad business sector, is using nearly $1.3 million towards the improvement of workforce support and training programs designed to help current companies and attract new companies to the region. Among the solutions that the partnership is using is the WorkKeys profiling program.; A roundtable of 64 industry and education officials in the region believe that the profiling will help determine not only what skills such jobs require, but also which specific skills are currently lacking in the workforce. Knowing what is missing will allow colleges to address and incorporate more training, thereby better preparing students.
WOWT-NBC Omaha, Nebraska, March 8, 2009
Nebraska looking at ACT for all high school students: ACT is one of the forerunners in the Nebraska Board of Education’s search for a statewide standardized test to administer to its high school students. “There is a lot of overlap between the ACT test and what our standards are for reading, writing and math,” said Bob Evnen, Board of Education member. “So we see some possible usefulness there.”; Currently, more than 16,000 Nebraska students in the graduating class take the ACT. That figure would increase to 22,000 if the ACT is made mandatory, with the state absorbing the cost.; “Because the ACT and the test leading up to the ACT help identify students of promise in underrepresented populations, this is one tool that we can use to help increase the college-going rate in our state,” said Evnen.; Nebraska would be the fifth state to partner with ACT if the Board of Education decides that the exam would be the best fit for schools.
Inside Higher Ed, March 5, 2009
No worker left behind: The National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) is hoping to match workers seeking employment with companies seeking skilled laborers by endorsing a set of skills credentials.; Wednesday, the NAM leaders announced their support for a nationally portable certification system for individuals in the manufacturing workforce. Groups representing professions from metal working to welding, and everything in between, hope that more of their member companies will begin requiring these skills credentials and that the country’s community colleges will begin helping more of their students attain them alongside traditional academic degrees.; The ACT-developed National Career Readiness Certificate is the foundation of the manufacturing association’s system. Leaders anticipate that every secondary student will have the opportunity to earn the certificate, which would complement their high school diplomas.; “The U.S. is on the verge of what we would describe as a crisis in the workforce pipeline,” said Richard Ferguson, ACT chairman and chief executive officer. “Employers need more than workers, they need skilled workers.”
The Times Gazette, March 5, 2009
Hillsdale selected for ACT pilot testing program. High school will administer end-of-course examinations in nine subject areas: Hillsdale High School in Jeromesville, Ohio, is one of 33 Ohio pilot high schools to participate in a three-year program to incorporate ACT end-of-course exams in nine subject areas, including English, algebra 1 and 2, geometry and pre-calculus.; The school will receive a partial reimbursement for implementing the program, along with free professional development training on how to use value-added statistics—an analysis of test scores, which is used to measure collectively and individually a student’s growth over time.; Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland included the implementation of “ACT Plus” in his plans for education reform. ACT Plus is a four-part assessment that includes end-of-course exams, the ACT college entrance exam and completion of a service learning and senior project.; The inclusion of ACT Plus is being implemented as a part of an effort by Battelle for Kids’ “22x12” program. Mark Hartman, director of high school projects for Battelle, said that the goal of the project is that by the year 2012, the average student from one of the 33 pilot schools who takes the ACT college admissions exam will score at least a 22 on the test.; Hillsdale High School Principal Kevin Reidy is anticipating a quick transition to the ACT. “Hopefully this will get us a little bit ahead of the curve by giving us exposure to the ACT product,” Reidy said. “We’re hoping that this will be another way for Hillsdale to be on the forefront of educational opportunities.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 4, 2009
Manufacturers seek to align education with job skills: In hopes to more closely link education and training with the skills that are currently in demand by employers, the National Association of Manufacturers rolled out a new certification system grounded in the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate.; The certification system will focus on core skills needed in all areas of manufacturing, such as basic academic competencies, general workplace skills, and industry-wide know-how. The system also adopts sector-specific skills certifications adopted by industry groups.
The Trailblazer, March 3, 2009
State mandates MSU math testing: Students at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, will be taking the math portion of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test. Students enrolled in 200-level general education courses will be taking the CAAP – a module based test mandated by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE).; “Primarily, the CAAP is used nationally by universities to look at learning outcomes in general education. Part of the reason CPE chose the CAAP is it is done by the same people who do the ACT,” said Charles Patrick, assistant to the provost at Morehead State University. “If you take the ACT coming into college and then you do the CAAP after a couple of years, it is really easy to compare how you’re progressing in general education.”

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