Why WorkKeys? Presented by: Beaufort County School’s Career Development Coordinators January 2014

Kristy Christenberry Career Development Coordinator Washington/Ed Tech High School Kim Mayo Career Development Coordinator Southside/Northside High School Presenters

Why WorkKeys for North Carolina Graduates? WorkKeys for North Carolina Benefits The North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate Core Areas Avenues to Higher Salaries Assessment Styles Testing Schedule Resources Agenda

 Focused and directed course of study  Completed a CTE Cluster  Ensure that students have the skills they need to be college and career ready  Showing where and how they can improve their skills Why WorkKeys for North Carolina Graduates?

 Providing a way to verify their abilities to educators and employers  Demonstrate the qualifications for the North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate  Avenue to higher salaries  Identify career pathways to achieve goals for a fulfilling future Why WorkKeys for North Carolina Graduates?

 Certifies a work-ready student  Greater employment opportunities  Validates skills and knowledge to employers  Economic development tool  NC CRC database houses 135,000 records WorkKeys for North Carolina Benefits

 Aligned with ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate  Portable, evidence-based credentials  Help students demonstrate that they possess essential skills for success in education and the workplace The North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate

 Awarded at three levels – Silver, Gold, and Platinum  Based on scores achieved on three WorkKeys tests:  Applied Mathematics  Locating Information  Reading for Information The North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate

Certificate LevelLevel Score Requirements PlatinumMinimum score of 6 on each of the three core areas GoldMinimum score of 5 on each of the three core areas SilverMinimum score of 4 on each of the three core areas BronzeMinimum score of 3 on each of the three core areas How to earn the North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate (NCCRC)

Three Core Areas (Assessments) 77% of profiled jobs utilize all of these skills Applied Mathematics Reading for Information Locating Information *Numbers are based on analysis of 5,618 jobs profiled from 2006 to 2010 in the ACT JobPro database.

Avenues to Higher Salaries Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wages 2009, ACT JobPro Data

 WorkKeys Internet Version (WKIV)  Paper-and-Pencil Version (PNP) Assessments Styles

 Washington High School – TBA  Southside High School – TBA  Northside High School – TBA  Ed Tech High School – TBA  Makeup Testing (All Schools) – TBA  Review of Score Reports with Testing Groups  Week of March 25 th Testing Schedule -- Internet Version

 Southside High School – TBA  Northside High School – TBA  Washington High School – TBA  Ed Tech High School – TBA  Makeup Testing (All Schools) – TBA  Review of Score Reports with Testing Groups  Week of March 25 th Testing Schedule -- Paper & Pencil Version

 North Carolina Website:  Career Development Coordinators  Kristy Christenberry  Kim Mayo  CTE Director  Stacey Gerard