ACT Newsroom & Blog

Education is about more than grades or degrees — it’s also about equipping students with the tools they need to excel in life and work. Over the years, the spotlight on "essential skills" (formerly referred to as social-emotional learning or SEL) has intensified, and for good reason. These skills, encompassing traits like grit, teamwork, resilience, curiosity, and leadership, are critical for personal growth and professional success. We have conducted pivotal research to understand how essential skills can bridge gaps in preparedness, benefiting students’ academic journeys and eventual entry into the workforce.

What are essential skills?

Essential skills are the foundational traits and behaviors that influence how individuals think, act, and respond to challenges. These traits can be cultivated through formal education, life experience, and intentional development programs. For this research, the essential skills examined include the following key qualities:

• Grit – Persistence, goal orientation, and diligence in achieving objectives.
• Teamwork – Collaboration, empathy, and trust when working with others.
• Resilience – Effective stress management and the ability to bounce back after setbacks.
• Curiosity – Openness to new perspectives, creativity, and a willingness to learn.
• Leadership – Optimism, assertiveness, and the ability to inspire and influence others.

These skills are universally applicable, shaping everything from relationships to classroom and workplace behavior. Many employers have now expressed the need to prioritize candidates who demonstrate these transferable traits.

The growing importance of essential skills

Our research highlights the key role that essential skills play in both education and employment. Reports from the World Economic Forum indicate that seven of the top 10 core skills needed in today’s workforce are closely linked to key attributes such as collaboration, adaptability, and resilience. But why does this matter?

Here’s a breakdown of what our surveys revealed about students’ perceptions of these skills' importance:

High school students

For Immediate Release:

Iowa City, IA - ACT today announced that edtech veteran Eric Wenck has joined the assessment company as chief technology officer.

“This leadership position is paramount to our continued growth and success and reflects our unwavering commitment to world-class experiences for learners, educators, team members, and ACT partners,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “With 35 years in the information technology and education industries, I’m confident Eric is poised to lead ACT’s technology initiatives well into the future.”

Eric will lead a team of approximately 200 team members working with Product and Operations teams to deliver enhancements to current services, new products, and optimal internal systems to ensure the highest quality experiences for everyone engaged with ACT.

“Having built my career in the education and technology space, I’ve been able to combine my passions for mission-based work and business discipline,” Wenck said. “I can’t think of a better place than ACT to continue that work by developing technological innovations to help realize the company mission of leading the industry in best-in-class educational products and services. It’s truly a privilege to join ACT.”

In addition to its flagship college readiness test, ACT provides PreACT assessments, work-ready assessments that lead to recognized certification, and assessments for international students seeking to demonstrate their English-language skills and readiness for college in the United States and other countries.

The ACT is equally accepted at all major institutions of higher education in the United States, including Ivy League schools, and at more than 400 higher ed institutions outside of the U.S.

“Everyone at ACT recognizes that our systems provide critical points of connection between learners, educators, institutions of higher education, and future employers,” Wenck said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to help ensure those systems remain reliable and expandable to meet growing and changing needs.”

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.

August 6, 2025 – [Iowa City, IA] – ACT is pleased to announce significant updates to its English Learner (EL) policies to improve access to essential supports for EL students and simplify processes for educators. These changes, set to take effect in Fall 2025, reflect ACT's ongoing commitment to help all learners fulfill their potential.

The revised policies are designed to enhance clarity, accessibility, and inclusivity. EL supports will now be valid for two years, doubling the previous one-year approval period, which expired annually on July 31. By extending the validity, school officials can significantly reduce the administrative burden of submitting annual, individual reconsideration requests, enabling them to focus more time on EL student needs.

To further empower educators, certain EL supports can now be approved locally. Test instructions translated into a student’s native language and the use of an ACT-authorized word-to-word bilingual dictionary or glossary can now be approved at the local level. These refinements allow test accessibility coordinators more time to provide individualized attention to students requiring authorized accommodations. If EL students do not require extended time, an EL support request is no longer necessary in the Test Accessibility and Accommodations system.

“Our team listened to student and educator feedback and implemented these changes to level the playing field for English Learners, reduce barriers to access, and make it easier for educators to support them,” says Joy Durham-Carthen, Director of Accessibility and Accommodations.

In a major update to help students, ACT is now accepting additional EL screening proficiency measures. Alongside ACT-approved screeners, such as the WIDA Screener, ELPA21 Dynamic Screener, and LAS Links, various state-administered EL screener tools that assess all four language domains (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) are now eligible. State administrators interested in having their local EL screener evaluated for consideration by ACT can reach out to ACTaccom@act.org.

To further assist EL students across linguistic communities, ACT is excited to announce the addition of Ukrainian-translated test instructions for all ACT products.

New content and training videos have been added to the ACT website, offering streamlined guidance on submitting EL requests and understanding documentation requirements.

These updates are designed to provide EL students with a more accessible and supportive testing environment while reducing administrative workloads for school personnel. They reflect ACT’s commitment to continuously evolve its policies to meet the needs of all students and educators, ensuring a fair and accessible testing experience for all learners.

For additional details on these changes or for assistance, please visit the ACT website or contact ACT accommodations support at 319-337-1270.

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.