{"id":17725,"date":"2025-07-15T13:29:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T17:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/?p=17725"},"modified":"2025-07-15T13:29:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T17:29:57","slug":"act-workkeys-vs-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/news-blog\/act-workkeys-vs-act\/","title":{"rendered":"ACT\u00ae Workkeys vs ACT\u00ae &#8211; Preparing Your Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High school students take many paths after graduation. Some head straight to college, others into the workforce or military, and many explore career and technical education (CTE) opportunities. As educators, it\u2019s important to support every student, no matter where their future leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two assessments often come up in these conversations: the ACT\u00ae and ACT\u00ae WorkKeys. Both are offered by ACT\u00ae, Inc., and while they may sound similar, they serve distinct purposes and require different strategies for preparation. Let\u2019s break down the differences, how each is used, and how your school or district can support students with both.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is the ACT\u00ae?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nationally recognized college entrance exam that assesses students in English, math, reading, and science. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s used primarily for college admissions, but in many states, it also serves as a high school accountability measure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School and district leaders often look to ACT\u00ae results not just as a sign of individual student readiness, but as a marker of overall school performance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>The ACT\u00ae is usually offered statewide in the spring, and many districts provide additional test dates for retakes or practice. Because of its role in accountability, ensuring that all students are well-prepared is a key priority for educators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>How Progress Learning Supports ACT\u00ae Prep<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progress Learning offers a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/our-products\/act-prep\/\">premium ACT\u00ae prep solution<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that is built to align with state standards and accountability frameworks. Our benchmark assessments and robust item analysis help educators pinpoint areas for growth, while students benefit from targeted, adaptive practice across all ACT\u00ae domains.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is the ACT\u00ae WorkKeys Assessment?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ACT\u00ae WorkKeys assessment was built to measure career readiness skills. It\u2019s less about academic content and more about real-world application. Students are tested on skills like applied math, workplace documents, and graphic literacy which are skills that employers value and are critical for job success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students who score well on WorkKeys can earn a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a credential recognized by employers across the country. In many states, WorkKeys plays a role in accountability as an alternative path for graduation or as part of a college and career readiness indicator. WorkKeys is often embedded into CTE, work-based learning programs, or college and career readiness courses, making it a powerful option for students whose strengths may not be reflected in traditional academic tests.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Progress Learning Supports ACT\u00ae WorkKeys Prep<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progress Learning provides <\/span><b>WorkKeys-aligned practice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> designed to help students develop and strengthen the applied skills needed to succeed on the test and in the workforce. With content that mirrors the structure and rigor of the WorkKeys assessment, schools can easily integrate our solution into CTE courses, advisory periods, or <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/our-products\/college-career-readiness\/\">CCR programs<\/a>. Real-time data and performance reporting allow educators to monitor progress and adjust instruction to meet students where they are.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Preparation Differs and Why It Matters<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supporting both ACT\u00ae and WorkKeys preparation is essential to meeting the diverse needs of your student body. College-bound students benefit from rigorous ACT\u00ae practice aligned to core content. Meanwhile, students pursuing technical careers or employment need targeted support in workplace skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Timing and Frequency<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ACT\u00ae is typically administered once or twice during the school year, with most schools offering a spring testing window. WorkKeys, on the other hand, is more flexible, often offered through CCR programs or CTE tracks and tied to credentialing schedules.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Content and Focus<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACT\u00ae prep focuses on academic mastery: reading comprehension, algebra, data analysis, and more. WorkKeys focuses on applying those skills in real-world settings, like interpreting charts or solving practical math problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Integrating Prep into the School Day<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACT\u00ae prep can be embedded in subject-area instruction or supported through study plans and independent practice. In contrast, WorkKeys prep often works best in CCR courses, advisory periods, or even as part of CTE pathways. Schools benefit from a flexible, blended approach that fits their schedule and student needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Progress Learning Supports Every Student Path<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We believe in meeting students where they are, whether they\u2019re headed to college, the workforce, the military, or beyond. In addition to ACT\u00ae and WorkKeys, we offer practice tools and benchmarks for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>AP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00ae<\/span><b> (Advanced Placement)<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>ASVAB<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00ae<\/span><b> (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>HiSET (High School Equivalency Test)<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/our-products\/sat-prep\/\"><b>SAT\u00ae (Scholastic Aptitude Test)<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/news-blog\/prepare-for-tsi-test\/\"><b>TSIA (Texas Success Initiative Assessment)<\/b><\/a><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our mission is to help schools improve student outcomes, no matter which path they take. Interested in our ACT\u00ae, Workkeys\u00ae or other College and Career Readiness product? Get in touch below to see the Progress Learning platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/js.hsforms.net\/forms\/embed\/v2.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  hbspt.forms.create({\r\n    region: \"na1\",\r\n    portalId: \"23272034\",\r\n    formId: \"3bd16ddb-4120-40f2-ae04-334b789b41ff\"\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>High school students take many paths after graduation. Some head straight to college, others into the workforce or military, and many explore career and technical education (CTE) opportunities. As educators, it\u2019s important to support every student, no matter where their future leads. Two assessments often come up in these conversations: the ACT\u00ae and ACT\u00ae WorkKeys. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":17727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"College or career? ACT\u00aeor WorkKeys\u00ae? Progress Learning helps schools support every path with targeted prep and flexible solutions. From ACT\u00ae to WorkKeys\u00ae, AP\u00ae to ASVAB\u00ae we\u2019ve got you covered. \ud83c\udf93\ud83d\udcbc #ACTprep #WorkKeys #CTE","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[308,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-act","category-how-to"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Blog-ACT\u00ae-WorkKeys-vs-ACT\u00ae.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17725"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17729,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17725\/revisions\/17729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}