[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 143 (Tuesday, October 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S10160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         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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