ACT/PreACT/ACT Workkeys

PreACT

All 10th Grade students take the PreACT Assessment in the Fall

ACT

All 11th Grade Students take the ACT Assessment in early Spring. 

ACT Workkeys

12th Grade Students designated as CTE Concentrators take the ACT Workkeys Assessment in early Spring. 

• The PreACT is administered annually to all eligible tenth-graders and is a state required test per North Carolina General Statute (G.S.) §115C-174.22.

• The PreACT simulates the ACT testing experience within a shorter test on all four ACT test subjects: English, reading, mathematics and science.

• The multiple-choice test predicts future success aligned to the ACT test and provides both current achievement and projected future ACT test scores on the 1–36 ACT score scale.

• Detailed Results and Item Response help to identify specific areas of strength and weakness. Additional reporting insights on STEM, Career Readiness and Understanding Complex Texts are provided.

• The PreACT assessment is designed to help parents and educators identify areas where students may need additional academic support or remediation. The PreACT can also help to initiate strategic conversations between parents and schools regarding dual enrollment decisions, identifying curriculum gaps, implementing interventions on behalf of students, and choosing Advanced Placement classes.

• Students at grade 11 take the ACT in the spring; The ACT is a required state assessment for all eligible eleventh graders per G.S. §115C-174.11(4)

• The ACT is a curriculum and standards-based assessment that evaluates eligible eleventh-graders’ college and career readiness in English, mathematics, reading, and science.

• Each section of the ACT test is multiple-choice and scored on a 1–36 point scale. The composite score is the average of the four subject test sections.

• The ACT is used for college admissions, placement, and scholarships. It is accepted by most colleges and universities in the United States.

• The ACT provides a path to increase student access to postsecondary and workforce opportunities.

• Additional reporting and insights on STEM, Career Readiness, and Understanding Complex Texts are provided.

• The WorkKeys assessments are required for all eligible CTE concentrators per G.S. §115C-174.25.

• The three WorkKeys assessments—Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents—are the basis of the WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys NCRC) program.

• The Applied Math test measures critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving techniques for situations that occur in today’s workplace.

• The Graphic Literacy test measures the skills needed to locate, synthesize, and use information from workplace graphics. Workplace graphics come in a variety of formats, but all communicate a level of information. From charts to graphs, diagrams to floor plans, identifying what information is being presented and understanding how to use it are critical to success.

• The Workplace Documents test measures the skills people use when they read and use written text such as memos, letters, directions, signs, notices, bulletins, policies, and regulations on the job. The assessment is defined through a combination of the test complexity level of a reading passage and the skill elicited by the item.

• Students who achieve qualifying scores on the Applied Mathematics, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents assessments can earn a WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys NCRC) as well as a North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels of readiness. Certificates provide employers with proof that students have the skills needed to do the jobs available.