ACT Newsroom & Blog

By: Janet Godwin, CEO

Our world is changing, and ACT must change with it. Our commitment to our mission requires that we meet the changing needs and expectations of students and their families, educators, employers, and employees.

It’s with this in mind that we are taking steps to offer the ACT test online for test takers on national test dates. ACT has been a leader in online testing for years. We’ve been offering the test online for state and district testers since 2016, and for test takers internationally since 2018. We recognize the growing demand for flexible testing options, not only for today's students but for those who support them. We want to give students greater autonomy over their testing experience, which is why our goal is to provide students with choice, flexibility, and accessibility, all while maintaining the high standards for which we are known.

What’s happening?

Online testing will be available in December 2023 as a limited pilot for 5,000 testers at a select number of test centers. Registration for the first ACT online national test in December will open this July. We have chosen to pilot the test to allow for controlled implementation, to consider feedback, and to ensure the best possible testing experience for students. We will expand capacity to include more test centers for students as we move through 2024.

What’s changing?

The ACT test is not changing. Our decision to offer students the choice to take the ACT their way, whether that’s online or on paper, means that students have a choice in the testing experience that best suits their unique learning style and preferences. The online option is an important step toward expanding equitable and inclusive testing experiences for all students.

• ACT will begin offering students the choice to take the ACT online, starting with a limited pilot of 5,000 testers in select U.S. test centers launching in December 2023. Registration for the pilot program will be available in July 2023. Paper testing will continue to be available.
• ACT will expand operational capability for its online offering as we move through 2024.
• ACT's online testing experience provides students with more choice, flexibility, and accessibility while maintaining the reliable and valid standards of the ACT test.
• ACT’s online option allows us to provide additional accessibility features, including support for screen reader users, text-to-speech functionality, zoom, and answer masking. These are not "features" for many of our students, but necessities for equal access. By offering an online option, we are able to help more students meet their goals for academic and career success. 

What’s staying the same?

The ACT test is staying the same for the purposes of expanded mode of delivery, whether students choose the online version or paper and pencil. Registration for both options will continue through the MyACT portal.

• Score reporting will be identical regardless of testing mode and the release of score reports will remain consistent for both testing options.
• ACT testing fees will remain the same for both the online and paper and pencil option.
• ACT’s fee waiver program will continue to be available to students who qualify for it, regardless of their choice of testing modality.

I’m excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for ACT and those we serve. Our commitment to meeting the changing needs and expectations of students is unwavering — today, tomorrow, and in the future. We are eager to work alongside our community of education and workforce leaders and practitioners so that all students have opportunities to achieve their goals. Evolving is essential for us to achieve our mission, and we want you to be part of that journey with us.

Learn more about ACT’s online national test experience here.

Josh Christianson, project director at the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship, was at the ACT Workforce Summit last year where he discussed the importance of accessibility in today’s workplace. Employers who moved to remote work opportunities, or teleworking, during the pandemic demonstrated the capabilities and flexibility technology offers people with disabilities to work remotely on a regular basis. Christianson touches on this and on digital accessibility and why it’s important for employers to provide accessible platforms for employees, especially as our economy faces worker shortages.

He also addresses the importance of apprenticeships and how they can help more people, including people with disabilities, join the workforce.

Watch the video to hear more from him about:

• The challenges employers face today in filling their skilled labor needs.
• The equity, access, and opportunity challenges people in the disability community face and why employers should address accessibility in their workplaces.
• Registered apprenticeships and how they help people learn the skills employers need today.
• Accessibility and how important it is for companies to build accessibility into their cultures.

Additional links:

 

By: Kristin Lansing-Stoeffler, senior learning solutions designer

This National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12, ACT recognizes the profound efforts of teachers to help students succeed during challenging times. Year after year, teachers navigate evolving contents and standards, and they engage with students in an environment that’s constantly evolving because of the pandemic.

Through what they teach, teachers ensure that students learn core content such as math and science. Through how they teach, teachers also cultivate students’ ability to think creatively and critically, keep up with advancing technologies, work collaboratively, and better understand themselves as learners. Recent ACT research shows how teachers are going above and beyond to empower students with all the skills they need to succeed.

Skills that extend beyond core contents are embedded in both the “what” and the “how” of teaching. At ACT, we refer to these skills as cross-cutting capabilities – transferrable skills that cut across contents, activities, and assessments. Cross-cutting capabilities include critical thinking, creative thinking and innovation, collaborative problem solving, self-directed learning, and information and communication technology skills.

Just how important are these skills for student success in the classroom? To find out, we asked more than 2,300 K-12 teachers from public and private schools across the country to rank skills they consider to be requirements for student success in the classroom.

The results were striking. Critical thinking – the skills required to think critically about ideas and information to make a decision, determination, or judgement – was considered the most-required skill for student success in the classroom, above even content knowledge, with 86% of teachers ranking it in the top half of the required skills. Collaboration skills – the ability to work effectively as a team toward a common goal – were ranked third, behind content knowledge such as English and language arts. Creative thinking and innovation skills – the ability to generate ideas that are innovative or unconventional – also ranked highly as required for student success. Same goes for self-directed learning skills, or the ability to learn new information or skills independently, and technology skills, which are required to acquire and apply information using technology.

Top Six Skills Required for Success in the Classroom, According to Teachers

The importance of these findings extends from the classroom to the board room. The same skills that teachers say are required for school success have also been identified as required for success in education and the workplace by global groups, such as the World Economic Forum and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. These groups share a common mission to empower students around the globe with the ”future skills” that will be required to compete in an international economy.

Despite the importance of cross-cutting skills and their role in classroom activities and student assessments, they are not often explicitly included in measurement, meaning students do not receive insights about their proficiency or progress with these skills. For that reason, teachers rarely receive credit for developing cross-cutting skills in students, and may not receive sufficient support for integrating these skills into classroom instruction.

This oversight affects students as well. For example, a science teacher might assign students to work with a group to use technology to research a topic and then create a presentation or build a website to share their insights with the class. If a student gets a low grade on this project, it will most likely be interpreted as an indication that they are struggling in science when, in fact, it may be that they are struggling with the social skills required to collaborate with their classmates, the critical thinking and technology skills required for research, the creative thinking and technology skills required to create the presentation, or the self-directed learning skills required to complete a task with many parts.

These challenges point to an opportunity to #ThankATeacher and provide our full appreciation, support, and credit for all the skills they teach and develop in the classroom to help every student reach their potential.

As Mental Health Awareness Month gets underway, and in anticipation of ACT’s upcoming My Journey: Connections webinar for high school students and their families, “Tips and Takeaways for Wellbeing, College, and Career Success,” we asked the featured speaker Joseph (Joe) Dorri to answer some questions about the importance of prioritizing wellbeing and the relationship between wellbeing and mental health. Dorri is a longtime psychology professor and researcher and president of TheGoodStudent.org.

Read on to learn more about how to support students’ wellbeing and mental health in the wake of the pandemic and through their college-going journeys. Then, join us May 11 to get specific tips for making wellbeing a priority and to get useful exercises for at school and at home.

How are wellbeing and mental health related – and how are they distinct from each other? When a student prioritizes their wellbeing, how does it affect their mental health?

Wellbeing consists of psychological, physical, and social health. This also includes positive emotions and assessment of one’s overall life and a sense of meaning and purpose. Greater wellbeing is associated with benefits across all areas of life, such as greater success in college, work, and in relationships.

Mental health consists of a psychological state that is resilient to stress and is able to learn and grow, foster cohesive relationships, and adapt so as to succeed in life. Stronger mental health is associated with less psychological distress and being better able to achieve goals.

Students who invest in their wellbeing are happier, feel more connected to others, may achieve more in college and career, and feel good about themselves and life.

What does it mean to prioritize one’s wellbeing, and what are the immediate and long-term benefits for high school students?

Prioritizing one’s wellbeing means understanding the importance of wellbeing for a fulfilling and successful life and then cultivating wellbeing as a top goal.

When you invest time in your wellbeing – by, for example, doing breathing exercises, getting enough sleep, or learning how to better communicate with your parents – you can increase your focus and complete tasks more efficiently, ultimately saving yourself additional time during the day. In fact, it’s believed that every hour invested in wellbeing translates into two hours of time spent elsewhere. So, two hours gained, minus the one spent on wellbeing – which can be fun, by the way – equals an extra hour a day to do what you want. That's 365 hours, or 15 days, each year.

The immediate benefits of increasing one's wellbeing include greater health, better mood, more fulfilling relationships, more time for activities, and greater productivity. Over the long term, prioritizing wellbeing leads to incremental successes and a positive trajectory, leading to a fulfilling career and life.

What are some key psychological factors that are important for wellbeing, and by extension, college and career success?

Key psychological factors that promote wellbeing include mental and physical health, quality relationships, clear perspectives about oneself and the world, and life purpose.

When we prioritize addressing these through science-based tools and techniques, we succeed in college and career. When you’re less stressed, you can do better on assignments and tests. When you’re more physically healthy, you will have higher cognitive functioning and resilience throughout the day. When your relationships are more functional, you can solve challenges quicker and have greater positive experiences. When you see yourself and the world more clearly, you can increase your persistence at goals. When you have a life purpose, you gain a greater sense of meaning and mission toward which you are working.

At this webinar, students will get research-supported tools and information that can increase wellbeing. Who doesn't want to work with a more caring, healthier, and effective student or employee? These are qualities I look for in my interns, and top employers and high-performing teams have these types of people.

Your organization The Good Student was founded in part to address an increase in mental health challenges among young people. Has the pandemic accelerated that increase, and how has it affected students’ ability to prioritize their wellbeing and mental health?

The Good Student nonprofit was founded to address mental health challenges and to strengthen the resilience students need to succeed in life. The pandemic increased anxiety and depression, put strains on relationships, and made succeeding at college and career more difficult. These factors together negatively affect wellbeing.

That is why this ACT webinar is so important. As students prioritize their wellbeing, they can manage the negative effects of the pandemic and thrive now and in the future.

How can families, educators, and others help students prioritize their wellbeing?

Each support structure plays an important role in the wellbeing of students. The best things they can do are to learn about the psychological factors of wellbeing, career, and college success; get to know students better; promote a culture of wellbeing; set an example; and provide students with supportive resources.

ACT is doing this with the upcoming webinar, and The Good Student is doing this through its free, science-backed student support tool, which directs users to helpful resources based on their answers to a series of questions. We all have to work together!

Joe Dorri is the founder and president of the nonprofit The Good Student, an organization making available an anonymous wellbeing, mental health and social support survey that provides immediate feedback and helpful resources. He is the author of the book “The Good Student: How to Take Control of Your College Years,” which has received many strong endorsements. He also teaches psychology and life success courses online and social psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Register for the webinar, “Tips and Takeaways for Wellbeing, College, and Career Success.”