Dive Brief:
- The 2016 ACT National Curriculum Survey, conducted for the first time since 2012, found that, although college instructors report alignment between the Common Core and college readiness, they say their incoming students are less prepared.
- The report, "Education and Work in a Time of Change," highlights that employers find nonacademic skills like conscientiousness, problem solving, critical thinking, understanding the ethical use of information, speaking and listening more important than educators rank them.
- Following up on the survey, ACT says schools may need to expand technology education to emphasize student mastery of these skills, and it found teachers tend not to put large-scale assessment results to use in their classrooms.
Dive Insight:
The 2016 iteration of the National Curriculum Survey was the first to include workplace supervisors and a sample of employees as a target population. As schools increasingly focus on preparing students for college and career, it is important to know whether curriculum is up to the standards of college professors as well as workplace professionals. ACT expects the survey results to help foster a deeper understanding of the skills needed for workplace readiness, and by extension, economic growth.
A recent survey by McGraw-Hill found a minority of college seniors feel “very prepared” for the workforce. K-12 educators should examine their role in this uncertainty as their former graduates head into the world.