ACT Newsroom & Blog

As the labor market and education systems evolve, many states are having to find creative ways to help bridge gaps between students not pursuing a four-year degree and employers struggling to fill essential roles. Creating alternative pathways for these students is key to expanding opportunity, meeting workforce demand, and boosting local economies.

Across the country, state leaders are rethinking what readiness looks like and how to help every learner demonstrate the skills employers value most. States like Alabama, Louisiana, and Vermont are leading the way by integrating ACT WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate into their education and workforce development strategies. These tools help students demonstrate job-ready skills and give employers confidence in hiring qualified candidates.

Alabama: universal access and strategic retesting

Alabama offers ACT WorkKeys to all high school seniors every fall, ensuring broad exposure to career readiness assessments. Students who do not achieve a Silver-level NCRC — a benchmark for workplace readiness — can retest in the spring, with access to the WorkKeys curriculum to help improve their scores and impress potential employers.

Since 2006, Alabama students and job seekers have earned over 438,000 NCRCs, with more than 186,000 Silver-level certificates and over 114,000 Gold and Platinum-level certificates.

“Employers in the region understand a job seeker’s potential and feel that they are getting a better qualified employee with the NCRC,” says Donny Jones, Chief Operating Officer at the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce

This widespread adoption has helped bridge gaps between education and industry, with 655 Alabama employers actively supporting the initiative and gaining access to more qualified applicants.

Louisiana: incentivizing achievement and community engagement

Louisiana administers ACT WorkKeys to all 11th and 12th graders, with over 13,000 students participating annually. The state’s school accountability system incentivizes high performance by awarding school report card points for students who earn a Gold-level NCRC or higher.

Impressively, 53% of students earn at least a Silver-level certificate, reinforcing Louisiana’s commitment to workforce readiness. Since 2006, Louisiana students and job-seekers have earned 307,362 NCRCs, and the state is also a national leader in Work Ready Communities, with 35 of 64 parishes actively participating.

Eleanor McMain Secondary School in New Orleans recognized the value of the NCRC for students post-graduation. “We broke down what the [WorkKeys] National Career Readiness Certificate meant and what it could be used for,” explains Dr. Melanie Moore, principal. “That’s when students bought into it. And then, we took it to the faculty to explain to them that it’s not just a test; that this can help students beyond just high school.”

With nearly 1200 Louisiana businesses supporting ACT WorkKeys NCRC, this alignment between education and economic development has created a robust pipeline of skilled workers, particularly in north Louisiana, which ranks among the top three regions nationally for coordinated Work Ready Community initiatives.

Vermont: innovative credentialing and postsecondary recognition

Vermont’s Department of Education has taken a strategic and innovative approach to WorkKeys. All 11th- and 12th-grade CTE students are required to take the WorkKeys Applied Mathematics and Workplace Documents assessments.

“Vermont first required all of its regional CTE centers to administer WorkKeys assessments beginning in the 2020-2021 school year,” says Ruth Durkee, Vermont AOE state director of career technical education. “We phased in our requirements for the percentage of students to be tested. In the first year, 56% of our CTE program concentrators took the WorkKeys Workplace Documents and Applied Mathematics assessments. That increased to 86% in the 2021-2022 school year, and then to 97% in 2022-2023 and 98% in 2023-2024."

Students who score a Level 5 or higher can then take the Graphic Literacy assessment to qualify for the NCRC. Those who score a Level 5 or higher across all three assessments receive their NCRC, which Vermont recognizes as a postsecondary credential for Perkins V accountability. With over 9300 NCRCs earned, this reinforces the credential’s value in both secondary education and workforce development.

The Community College of Vermont also acknowledges the value of WorkKeys. CTE students’ WorkKeys scores can be used for eligibility into Fast Forward and Dual Enrollment programs, and matriculated students who earn a Level 5 NCRC receive two elective credits at the CCV.

The value of non-degreed credentials

According to the National Science Foundation, 52% of STEM workers in the U.S. do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Many work in middle-skill occupations that require technical proficiency but not a four-year college education. Yet a skills gap threatens future growth. The U.S. could face a shortfall of 2.1 million manufacturing workers by 2030, potentially costing the economy $1 trillion in lost productivity.¹

Programs like ACT WorkKeys and NCRC are essential tools to close this gap by validating the skills of non-degreed workers and aligning education with industry needs.

The bottom line

Alabama, Louisiana, and Vermont demonstrate how ACT WorkKeys and NCRC can transform education systems, empower students, and strengthen local economies. By recognizing and rewarding real-world skills, these states are building a resilient, inclusive workforce—one that meets the demands of today’s industries without requiring a traditional college degree.

¹ https://allamerican.org/research/manufacturing-jobs-by-industry/

For immediate release:

IOWA CITY, IA (Oct. 15, 2025) — ACT today unveiled its annual Graduating Class Release, providing a clear snapshot of college readiness among the ACT-tested students in the Class of 2025 and valuable insight into those graduates’ readiness for workforce success.

Overall, 30% of the nearly 1.4 million 2025 graduates who took the assessment at least once between their 10th and 12th grade years met three or more of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, meaning they have a 50% chance of scoring a B or better in associated, first-year college courses and a 75% chance of scoring a C or better in those courses. ACT data from prior graduating classes show that students in college who have met at least three ACT benchmarks are more than twice as likely to graduate within 150% of the expected time for an undergraduate degree than students who have met none.

“The best step to not just being admitted to college but graduating from college is being academically prepared for first-year success,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “ACT College Readiness Benchmarks provide unbiased measures of that readiness — free from grade inflation and other influences.”

In-School Testing and Retesting

ACT celebrates the 23 states and hundreds of districts that expand access by providing students the chance to receive a college-reportable score and valuable postsecondary planning insights through school-day testing. Of those, 15 states tested 90% or more of their 2025 graduates.

“In-school testing for all eligible students is an easy choice,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Tennessee Commissioner of Education. “It gives us the most representative view of our students’ readiness and empowers students with data to guide their next steps after high school, whether through college, the workforce, or the military.”

In Tennessee, 76% of the 2025 graduating class took the ACT more than once, many of whom tested through a statewide program providing the retake at no cost to students. Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Wyoming also provided in-school retesting options in 2024-25. Nationally, students who take the ACT more than once increased their ACT Superscore by an average of 2.4 points. The ACT Superscore allows students to put forward their best section performances to colleges, universities, and scholarship-awarding organizations to increase their chances of admission, scholarships, and course placement.

Work-Ready Indicators

In addition to college readiness, the ACT also provides a research-based indicator of workforce preparedness. Based on their ACT scores, nearly 850,000 members of the ACT-tested Class of 2025 were projected to earn Silver or higher-level ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificates. That signals that they have the essential foundational skills needed for success in most jobs in the U.S.

“States offering WorkKeys and testing are giving students the opportunity to earn powerful credentials — whether they are heading straight into the workforce or planning for college,” Godwin said.

Nearly 30,000 employers recognize the WorkKeys NCRC, and the American Council on Education recommends up to nine college credit hours for students who hold the credential. Nineteen states fund WorkKeys or WorkKeys Curriculum for learners and adults in the workforce, including Kansas, which provides funding for students to take WorkKeys, in addition to the ACT, while in high school.

“Some level of postsecondary education remains ideal for nearly all students,” said Beth Fultz, director of career, standards, and assessment services at the Kansas State Department of Education. “However, that isn’t possible or isn’t the immediate aspiration for every student. We offer the ACT WorkKeys Assessments to high school seniors who have not previously earned a WorkKeys score, not only to empower those who are heading straight into the workforce, but also to provide college-bound students more information that connects their learning to future jobs.”

The Enhanced ACT

Starting in spring 2025, students participating in national online testing outside of school time were able to take the enhanced ACT, with fewer questions, more time per item, and an optional science section. The enhanced test reflects extensive input from educators and students and marks the first major update to the ACT since 2005, when the optional writing section was added. Access to the enhanced ACT, which will be available online and on paper for all testers, will continue to roll out to all students through spring 2026. States and districts that pay for in-school testing will determine whether their students take the optional science section.

“I feel like (having more time) significantly helped,” said Noah Clements, a New Jersey student who took the enhanced ACT in April. “When I would do practice tests, I was getting on the edge of the time every single time. This time, I had time to review almost every section.”

Access and Recognition

In addition to data focused on the 2025 graduating class, ACT announced that:

• The company distributed more than 1 million ACT fee waivers in the 2024-25 school year, helping eligible students access testing and test prep resources.
• The number of schools offering one or more PreACT assessments grew by 20% from 2023-24 to 2024-25, giving more students and families early access to information about progress toward college readiness and giving educators key information to guide how they are preparing students.
• Just more than 14,000 8th- and 9th-graders earned Distinguished Scholar awards for exceptional performance on the PreACT 8/9, indicating significant progress toward college readiness.
  

The college admissions process can feel overwhelming for students — from maintaining good grades and choosing the right extracurricular activities to writing essays, visiting campuses, and taking entrance exams.

As one of the most trusted college entrance tests and an ally to parents, students, educators, and higher ed, we recognize that students may have anxiety about scores and that colleges need to rigorously assess the right skills to find top applicants.

As part of our commitment to provide learners with a positive testing experience while still delivering a fair, accessible, and accurate assessment of skills for college admissions teams, ACT recently announced updates and improvements to the ACT test.

The enhanced ACT has been modernized to provide more flexibility for the test taker, all while maintaining the same high level of accuracy and predictive power of the legacy test.

What’s new and what’s staying the same

We’ve made a few key changes to create a better experience for test-takers without changing the accuracy of what the ACT measures.

What changed?

In classrooms across the country, educators are doing more than teaching; they’re transforming lives. Among them are two dynamic women, Leah Douglas, member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Ashley May, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., whose journeys to and through higher education reflect the power of preparation, purpose, and community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: ACT Strategic Communications; publicrelations@act.org

By Tammy Patterson, College Career Navigator, Springbrook H.S., Silver Spring, MD

Springbrook High School is a 2024 American College Application Campaign School of Excellence recipient and a participant of the Maryland Post-Secondary Success Campaign

As the college and career navigator at Springbrook High School, I knew my mission was to help students realize their potential and pave a pathway toward their dreams. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how talented and ambitious our students are. Yet, I’ve also noticed a recurring challenge — too many lacked exposure to the resources, networks, and opportunities they needed to take those crucial first steps toward college and career success.

The spark that started it all

Sixteen years ago, we organized a simple college visit at our school campus. The concept was straightforward: bring representatives from local universities to speak with our students. What we witnessed that day exceeded all expectations. Students, many of whom had never interacted one-on-one with a college representative, were captivated. They eagerly asked questions, flipped through brochures, and for the first time began imagining themselves stepping onto a college campus.

That initial event proved one thing to me: it’s not that our students lacked ambition, but rather guidance and exposure to understand how to turn their aspirations into reality. From that moment, I knew that to make a real difference, we needed to bring the tools, connections, and conversations directly to our students. And so, our first American College Application Campaign event was born.

Access to resources is key to opening doors

The goal of our college application campaign is simple but profound: to equip students with the resources and confidence to take the next step into their future. Over the years, we’ve expanded to a comprehensive series of events, including college fairs, essay-writing workshops, application help sessions, and financial aid seminars. These events are carefully designed to empower students to envision a future beyond high school.

By hosting these events during the school day, we make the process accessible and inclusive. Students don’t have to find transportation, juggle after-school commitments, or worry about navigating unfamiliar spaces. It’s become a cornerstone of our culture — empowering students to see what’s next and giving them the tools to take that first step confidently.

Many have told us they felt “seen” and supported in a way they hadn’t before, and it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “Now I can actually picture myself in college.”

ACT established the ACT Scholars program to nurture the academic talent of graduate and community college students at the University of Iowa and Kirkwood Community College, respectively. These institutions share ACT’s commitment to helping all learners achieve their college and career goals. Each ACT Scholar’s story reflects resilience, passion, and a vision for the future.