The Journal-Enterprise

Tim Roy

WCHS principal

The following is the fourth in a series of monthly articles from Webster County High School regarding efforts to help students earn the distinction of College and/or Career Ready, which is a key component of the Kentucky Department of Education’s “Unbridled Learning” accountability initiative aimed at producing graduates that are better prepared for the rigor of college-level coursework and the increasing demands of the world of work and a global economy.  This month’s focus is COMPASS and ACT Work Keys testing for seniors.   

At the end of our students’ 11th grade year, we have the opportunity to pull together all of their testing and program data and determine where they are in relation to being College and/or Career 

Ready.  From very early in their senior year, we begin the process of strategically planning how we can help as many students as possible be able to reach one or both of those statuses.    

In the past, if a student did not reach ACT benchmark scores in all areas, he may have decided to retake the entire ACT assessment; however, over the past few years, we have become increasingly aware of an opportunity to help students narrow their focus and to also provide them with a free opportunity to do so.  Now, rather than having to retake the entire ACT, when he may only need to improve scores on one area of the test, the student may take the COMPASS exam for English, Math, or Reading in order to reach College Ready status.    

The COMPASS is typically provided by community/technical colleges from around the state of Kentucky; however, high schools can now administer the COMPASS to seniors that have not reached ACT benchmark scores.  A few of the benefits of taking the COMPASS in lieu of retaking the ACT are (1) the student can prepare and focus on one content area at a time, rather than four; (2) the COMPASS test is free when taken at the high school; (3) the COMPASS is not a timed test, unlike the ACT, so students can take their time and not feel stressed by a time limit; and (4) the COMPASS test can be taken twice if the student is not successful on his first attempt.  

This week begins our first round of COMPASS testing for this year’s seniors.  By reviewing assessment data, we have determined a group of seniors that we believe are ready for the first round of testing.  Our Senior Seminar teachers and Trojan Academy personnel have been working with students in small- group and individual tutoring sessions to prepare them for this week’s test, which will begin on Tuesday.  From there, a schedule has been developed for a second and third round of testing.  Some seniors will need more time to prepare for the COMPASS and others are preparing to take more than one test in order to attempt to reach ACT benchmark scores.  Therefore, we have established testing schedules for the next several months.  By the time graduation rolls around, our plan is to provide all seniors who want to improve their ACT scores with an opportunity to do so by way of the COMPASS test.  

Another CCR-related assessment that will be administered this week is the ACT WorkKeys assessment.  In some of the information that has been shared about the Webster County Work Ready Community initiative, you may have seen/heard mention of the WorkKeys assessment.  As part of that county-wide initiative, the more citizens we have taking the test and earning a National Career Ready Certificate (NCRC), the closer we will come to reaching our community goal.  By earning this certificate, a working-age adult may very well guarantee himself an interview or a chance at a promotion in a local business or industry.  At the school-level, earning the NCRC at the silver-, gold-, or platinum-level can help a senior reach the half-way point of earning the Career Ready label. 

The ACT Work Keys assessment is made up of three separate 45-minute tests:  Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information.  The WorkKeys assessment measures “real-world” skills, using scenario-based questions from the everyday world of work.  

Many employers and Human Resource Professionals often rely on this certificate to determine which applicants will receive an interview and which will not.  A strong score on the WorkKeys assessment communicates that the applicant has demonstrated the knowledge and skills that are desired in the workplace and for a particular job or career.  

Our WCHS seniors will take the ACT WorkKeys assessment on Thursday.  For many seniors who have already been working to complete a program of study in one of our CTE programs, this is another step toward earning the Career Ready label.  For our county and its Work Ready Community initiative, this is an opportunity for 137 more citizens to earn the NCRC, which moves us ever-closer to our community goal.  For all of our senior students, success on this assessment provides them with an additional opportunity to make themselves more marketable when their job application lays in a stack with dozens of others, particularly for entry-level positions in a company/industry.  Having that NCRC on their resume will likely separate them from those who do not.  In today’s economy, everyone needs the edge that this can provide.    

As you can see, this week provides much opportunity for WCHS seniors in the way of preparing them for the next phase in their young lives.  By learning more about the COMPASS and ACT WorkKeys assessments, we hope this will arm our community with the knowledge necessary to support and encourage our high school seniors as they face these crucial assessments, this week.  

As always, if you would like to learn more about our College/Career Readiness initiatives or about the COMPASS and ACT WorkKeys assessments, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the school.