ACT College & Career Readiness Workshops

Thursday, Oct. 29 | 11 a.m. CT | 1.5 hours

ACT facilitated more than 100 workshops across 26 states this fall — building educators' knowledge about ACT ^® College and Career Readiness Standards, data-informed instruction, gap-closing strategies, and workforce and future readiness. This national webinar brings those conversations to a single stage, synthesizing themes, insights, and actionable strategies that emerged across the full series.

This session features a moderated panel of ACT field leaders who facilitated workshops across the country, offering region-informed perspectives on what educators are experiencing, what's working, and what districts need most as they build ACT-aligned systems that move every student forward.

Participants will:

• Hear an educator-focused recap of the series' five core workshop themes — from ACT College and Career Readiness Standards and data literacy to intervention, workforce readiness, and future-ready culture.
• Gain insight into how districts across the country are responding to ACT ^® test enhancements and integrating them into existing systems.
• Identify high-leverage strategies for sustaining readiness work beyond the workshop season.
• Leave with a consolidated framework for building — or strengthening — a comprehensive, ACT-aligned readiness system for schools or districts.

Presenters:

• Anthony Guidice, Account Executive, Client Relations – East Region, ACT 
• Jenn McMahon, Account Executive, Client Relations – West Region, ACT
• Kari Bodurtha, Account Executive, Client Relations – West Region, ACT
• Kay Oliver, Account Executive, Client Relations – West Region, ACT
• Leslie Hood, Account Executive, Client Relations – East Region, ACT 
• Samantha Southall, Regional Program Manager, ACT 

Wednesday, Aug. 5 | 11:00 a.m. CT | 30 minutes

The 2026-27 school year brings both new opportunities and new expectations for educators and students navigating college and career readiness. This kickoff webinar launches the ACT College and Career Readiness Workshops — a full program of more than 100 face-to-face workshops and nine online events designed to equip K-12 educators with the tools, data, and strategies needed to build ACT-aligned systems that prepare every student for life beyond graduation.

This session sets the stage for the full series by orienting participants to the 2026 landscape — including what's new and what to expect — so that school and district leaders enter the year informed, aligned, and ready to act.

Attendees will:

• Get a guided preview of the complete workshop and webinar series themes, from ACT College and Career Readiness Standards to workforce and future readiness.
• Gain foundational knowledge of the enhanced ACT^® test, including what has changed, what to expect in implementation, and how to prepare students for success.
• Understand how this year’s workshops are designed to build your skills progressively — from standards and data literacy through gap-closing interventions and postsecondary pathways.
• Connect the workshop themes (curriculum alignment, data-informed instruction, equity-centered test prep, and life and workforce readiness) to the webinar series (ACT assessments, career connections, future-ready culture, and a national capstone).

Presenters:

• Ashley Buchman, Senior Director - Client Relations - Eastern Region, ACT
• Sauda Callahan, Senior Director - Client Relations - West Region, ACT

Wednesday, Aug. 19 | 11:00 a.m. CT | 1 hour

The ACT College and Career Readiness Standards form the backbone of every ACT and PreACT^® assessment. This framework of standards sets ACT assessments apart because it more fully defines the essential skills and knowledge students need to become college and career ready. ACT standards give clear meaning to students' test scores and link what students have learned with what they're ready to learn next.

In this session, Darin Scheer, vice president of client relations at ACT, explores how standards and data work together to guide effective instruction and test preparation. The discussion will highlight what standards-based readiness looks like in action, how it leads to measurable student growth, and an overview of ACT's in-classroom test prep offering, ACT^® Online Prep, Powered by MasteryPrep.

Attendees will learn:

• How ACT College and Career Readiness Standards complement academic standards and classroom instruction.
• Why alignment matters: Key insights.
• How standards empower both educators and students to focus on what matters most.
• Practical ways to align curriculum and test prep with ACT College and Career Readiness Standards.

Presenter:

• Darin Scheer, Vice President, Client Relations, ACT

Thursday, Aug. 27 | 11:00 a.m. CT | 1 hour

Creating a true college and career readiness culture goes beyond one event—it requires a shared vision, aligned systems, and daily practices that empower every student. This session brings together district leaders and students to show how schools can embed readiness into the fabric of the learning experience. Participants will examine how expectations, data, advising, and instruction work together to support student success, while hearing the student's perspective on what readiness means in practice. You'll get strategies to create a culture where all students are informed, prepared, and inspired to pursue their postsecondary goals.

Attendees will learn:

• A clear definition of college and career readiness culture and how districts are leveraging ACT solutions to build a sustainable readiness culture.
• Strategies using PreACT and ACT data and reporting tools for aligning leadership, instruction, and student supports to reinforce readiness every day.
• Insights from a student perspective on what helps them feel prepared, motivated, and supported.
• Connections between ACT assessments and real-world outcomes, including college success and career pathways.

Presenters:

• Jennifer Pitts, Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT
• Nancy Lewin, Senior Director, Impact and Learning, ACT's Center for Impact and Learning
• Simone Mahadeo, Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT

Tuesday, Oct. 6 | 1:00 p.m. CT | 1 hour

High school educators have more than enough ACT data — the challenge is knowing which data points help you decide where to focus your efforts. In this webinar, we'll walk through a practical process for using PreACT and ACT results to identify the knowledge and skills students have mastered, where they're struggling, and where focused instruction can have the greatest impact, both for individual learners and for your school.

Participants will see how the ACT Online Reporting System provides access to student and school-level reports, identify strengths and opportunities, and translate those insights into instructional next steps. We'll focus on how teams can move from “reviewing results” to creating actionable plans — including the potential to target remediation in small groups, prioritize skills by content area, and implement schoolwide focus areas that can support improvement planning.

Attendees will:

1. Understand key student-level and school-level PreACT and ACT reports available in the ACT Online Reporting System through identified user roles (detailed vs. summary viewer).
2. Identify strengths and potential focus areas using actual data results for the individual student and school levels to guide instructional direction, discussion, and decisions.
3. Translate results into action by outlining next steps needed for successful school planning and implementation.

Presenter:

• Bryan Williams, Program Director, Professional Learning, ACT

Thursday, Oct. 8 | 11:00 a.m. CT | 1 hour

As ACT continues to innovate, the enhanced ACT is designed to provide greater flexibility, improved insights, and a more student-centered testing experience. In this webinar, we'll take a closer look at these changes — including digital testing options, a shorter test format, science optionality, and the nuances of superscoring — while maintaining the validity and reliability for which ACT is known. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how these updates improve the testing experience, expand opportunities for students to demonstrate their strengths, and provide more actionable insights for educators and districts. Join us to learn how to confidently navigate these changes and maximize their impact on college and career readiness.

Attendees will receive:

• An overview of key ACT enhancements, including:
  • Digital testing options for increased flexibility and accessibility.
  • A shorter ACT test format designed to reduce fatigue while maintaining rigor.
  • Superscoring capabilities to highlight students' best performance across test dates.
• Information on how the enhancements improve the student experience, including an optional science section, choice, flexibility, and reduced stress.
• Updates to score reporting and how to interpret results considering these changes.
• Live Q&A with ACT experts to address your questions and scenarios.

Presenters:

• Emily Duplessis, Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT
• Jessica Eilertson, Lead Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT

Wednesday, Oct. 14 | 1:00 p.m. CT | 1 hour

High schools play a critical role in helping students connect classroom learning to real career opportunities. Yet many schools struggle with helping students understand how their skills translate into workforce readiness and postsecondary pathways. This session explores how WorkKeys and the ACT^® WorkKeys^® National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC^®) give educators a practical, evidence-based framework for doing exactly that — help every student identify, articulate, and demonstrate the foundational workplace skills that employers across industries recognize and value.

The WorkKeys NCRC is a career readiness credential for students on multiple pathways — whether they head directly into the workforce, technical training, or postsecondary education. For the counselors, administrators, and instructional leaders supporting them, it provides a common language that bridges advising, curriculum, and community partnerships.

Attendees will learn:

• How WorkKeys fits within the broader, ACT-aligned career readiness system — connecting skills assessment to credentialing in a way that supports all student populations.
• How the WorkKeys NCRC validates real-world workplace competencies that go beyond GPA and course completion — and why employers across sectors recognize it.
• How to apply strategies to help students interpret WorkKeys skill data and WorkKeys NCRC results during advising and career exploration conversations.
• How to use WorkKeys data and the WorkKeys NCRC to strengthen career conversations, pathway planning, and student confidence.
• How to identify ways to leverage the WorkKeys NCRC as a bridge between school programs and the postsecondary and workforce opportunities available to every student.

Presenters:

• Jenn McMahon, Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT
• Jerome Williams, Account Executive, Client Relations - West Region, ACT

Thursday, Oct. 15 | 1:00 p.m. CT | 1 hour

Taking the ACT is not simply an assessment or a single experience. It is a student-centered journey of growth and learning that involves collaboration and partnership between students and educators. In this session, we will discuss how to talk to students about the value and strategies surrounding the ACT assessments, how educators can help engage students in both preparation and feedback, and how to use data insights in a meaningful way. Our primary goal is to help you create students who are not only prepared for the ACT but also excited and ready for the future ahead.

Attendees will learn:

• How to find productive ways to dialogue with students about the ACT continuum.
• Critical strategies that will help them better connect students to the individual process of preparation and feedback.
• How to use and interpret data in ways that are meaningful to students and effective in improving individual performance.

Presenters:

• Leslie Hood, Account Executive, Client Relations - East Region, ACT
• Matt Bramuchi, Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Bramuchi Education & Consulting Services

Tuesday, Oct. 20 | 1 p.m. CT | 1 hour

This workshop will showcase how access to several free ACT solutions and actionable ideas can support student achievement. The goal of the ACT Direct-to-Learner Counselor Outreach Team is to create dynamic resources for engagement where they can share valuable opportunities, fresh ideas, and practical tools to support counselors and educators in their work with students, families, and communities. Join us on this journey of empowerment, innovation, and collaboration.

Attendees will:

• Discover new and FREE ACT practice materials for counselors.
• Use resources to build strong school-community partnerships.
• Drive successful college and career conversations.

Presenters:

• Ashley Smith, Regional Program Manager, ACT
• Jasmine Blake, Regional Program Manager, ACT
• Samantha Southall, Regional Program Manager, ACT