Michigan House Nixes Workforce Readiness Test For Eleventh Graders

education9-19
education9-19

From the Associated Press — Michigan school districts would no longer be required to administer a workforce-readiness test to 11th-graders as part of the state’s standardized assessment under a bill advancing in the Legislature. The Republican-led House approved the measure 85-24 Thursday and sent it to the Senate for further consideration. The ACT WorkKeys assessment was touted as a way for employers to find prospective workers, but critics say it has not met expectations. Few employers refer to WorkKeys or a career-readiness certificate in job postings. Supporters of the bill say the WorkKeys test is unnecessary, duplicative, and costly. Opponents say if utilized appropriately, the test still has a place and nixing it would further tilt testing to only measure college readiness at the expense of kids not going to college.