Recognizing Act, Inc.

Floor Speech

Recognizing Act, Inc.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I come before the Senate today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of an Iowa educational organization that has become a household word for Americans entering postsecondary education or the workforce, and which has gained a solid international reputation as well, ACT, Inc. Over those 50 years, this organization has grown to be one of the most significant gateways between secondary education and postsecondary education or the workplace. I would like to describe some of the work this institution has done that has made such an important contribution to American education.

ACT was founded in 1959 at a meeting in Iowa's old State capitol on the campus of the University of Iowa. It was launched as the ``American College Testing Program'' by a University of Iowa professor of education, the University of Iowa's registrar, and representatives of 16 Midwestern States. Their goal was to help all students who wanted to attend college find a good match for their interests and abilities, and to help colleges and universities place students into appropriate freshmen-level classes. On November 7, 1959, about 75,000 students took the first ACT assessment. By comparison, in the high school graduating class of 2009, nearly 1.5 million students, or 45 percent of all high school graduates in the Nation, took the ACT.

ACT now conducts extensive research designed to help provide solutions to the complex education problems facing the country. For example, they have developed a college and career readiness system for students beginning in middle school and continuing through postsecondary education. This system helps students stay on target to be ready to succeed in college or workforce training programs when they graduate high school, without the need for remedial classes, and monitors their success in postsecondary education once they leave high school.

ACT is also involved in researching solutions to the Nation's workforce challenges. For example, ACT developed the National Career Readiness Certificate to confirm that individuals have essential core employability skills. ACT is one of several partners in a new manufacturing skills certification system designed by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Nation's largest industrial trade organization.

Furthermore, ACT is helping build bridges between the United States and many other nations to help them improve their education and workforce systems, and to help people in other nations learn the English language. For example, through local partners, ACT conducts a 9-month pre-university program in 13 countries, including China, Korea, Indonesia, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and countries in South America. There are more than 30 teaching centers in China. This program prepares students to study in English-language universities in the United States and elsewhere. This contributes to our country's standing in the world. As a nation, we benefit from foreign talent, as students from other nations come to study in U.S. colleges and universities. Individuals who return to their home countries in turn go back with a greater understanding of Americans and our way of life.

I offer my congratulations to the over 1,000 Iowa residents employed with ACT, its directors, and other members of its State organizations on their 50-year history of helping people achieve education and workplace success. I look forward to following their accomplishments for many years to come.

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