Introduction Tony Cortez Account Executive Steve Anderson Senior

Introduction • Tony Cortez, Account Executive • Steve Anderson, Senior Account Executive

Agenda • Introduction to Work. Keys • Data driven indicators for skill specific job requirements • Score interpretation (level and scale scores) • Helping students achieve workplace success • Wrap up

Introduction to Work. Keys is a job skills assessment system measuring "real-world" skills that employers believe are critical to job success. There are eight foundational skill assessments: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, Reading for Information, Applied Technology, Business Writing Listening for Understanding, Workplace Observation and Teamwork There are three soft skill assessments: Fit, Talent and Performance

New Work. Keys Portfolio • As of June 1, 2017, with the sunset of these assessments and the launch of the new NCRC assessments and credential, the ACT Work. Keys portfolio will comprise: • ACT Work. Keys Math • ACT Work. Keys Graphic Literacy (formerly Locating Information) • ACT Work. Keys Workplace Documents (formerly Reading for Information) • ACT Work. Keys Career Readiness Certificate (WCRC) (formerly the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate) • ACT Work. Keys Fit • ACT Work. Keys Talent

Work. Keys: A Common Language of Workplace Skills WORKKEYS SYSTEM COMPONENTS - Skill analysis - Assessments - Training curricula

Assessment Component Assess Your Students Work. Keys assessments measure “real world” workplace skills critical to job success. These skills are valuable for any occupation—skilled or professional—at any level of education, and in any industry. ü Criterion-related, standardized, high-stakes ü Contextualized for the workplace ü Multiple-choice / constructed response ü Internet or paper-based delivery ü Time allowances: 45 -55 minutes each ü Scores based on highest level mastered ü ~ 15 million Work. Keys administered

Skill Analysis Component Define Job / Coursework Skills The Work. Keys skill analysis component offers a concrete way for organizations to define the skills needed for specific jobs or training program curriculum. • Structure: Focus group format consisting of an ACT-authorized job profiler and SMEs • Objective: o Produce a tailored lists of job-related tasks o Rating system to determine criticality of the tasks o Link tasks to the Work. Keys skills o Determination of skill levels through group discussion • Outcomes: o Create a direct link between job and assessments o Customized reports for selection decisions o Develop training / performance management tools

Table 1. Entry – Level Skill Requirements for the Job

Table 2. Effective Performance Level Skill Requirements for the Job

Score interpretation (level and scale scores) How are Work. Keys scores calculated? • Scores are determined by the total number of items a student answers correctly on the entire assessment. • There is no penalty for guessing. • There are two types of scores available: Level Scores and Scale Scores. • Depending on how the students scores will be used, you may have one or both types of scores on your score report.

What are Level Scores? • Level Scores show what skill level you have. Each level includes a broad range of skills. There are four or five skill levels in each test, and there is a range of raw (number correct) scores assigned to each level. • It is estimated that a person who scores at a given skill level on a specific Work. Keys test will be able to correctly answer at least 80 percent of all the Work. Keys items possible for that level in the item pool. • Each Work. Keys test contains only a sample of all the items that could be written to assess that skill. • The scores are designed to be used with a job profiling process for employee selection and promotion decisions. Skill gap analysis: Test Score vs Profile Score • Level scores are also used to determine the level of NCRC earned (lowest level score of the 3 core assessments.

National Career Readiness Certificate The Certificate is the work-related skills credential, providing objective documentation of employees’ skills that can be accepted nationwide.

What is a Scale Score? • Each Level Score can be broken into many smaller units, called Scale Scores, which can show smaller increments of change over time. • In other words, although your Level Score may remain the same if you take the test another time, your Scale Score may improve. Scale Scores are generally used by educational institutions to identify changes in scores from one testing time to another. • They also are used to meet the guidelines of federal programs for funding purposes. Scale Scores are not to be used for hiring or promotion decisions.

Use of Work. Keys Scores • Level Scores: • Used for selection, promotion, or other individual high-stakes purposes. • Skill Gap Analyses: Test scores compared to job / curriculum profile standards • Determines level of National Career Readiness Certificate earned • Scale Scores: Use to show growth over time, provide group comparisons in outcome measurement, show evidence of ability to benefit

Use of Scale Scores Pretest – Post test Information: Granular scores are more conducive to show subtle score changes than Level Scores Federal Program Accountability: Scale scores are used to show improvement in training programs to meet federal requirements. Originally developed to meet DOE/DOL Common Measures requirements / Ability to Benefit

Scale Score Conversion Tables

Work. Keys Score Reports / Scale Scores 5 80

Helping students achieve workplace success

Work. Keys in the classroom • ACT Work. Keys Math • ACT Work. Keys Graphic Literacy (formerly Locating Information) • ACT Work. Keys Workplace Documents (formerly Reading for Information)

Wrap Up Tony Cortez ACT Account Executive tony. cortez@act. org 918 -527 -9948