HOLISTIC FRAMEWORK BEHAVIORAL SKILLS Beyond Academics ACT are4 KEYS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS Current gauges of college and career readiness tend to focus on academic preparation and achievement, but evidence shows that success in school and the workplace is dependent on multiple aspects in addition to academic ability. Using ACT research, the ACT Holistic Framework provides four domains (core academic skills, cross cutting capabilities, behavioral skills, and education and career navigation) that most effectively predict and prepare someone's college and career readiness. Students, and employees can use this framework as a map to track themselves along their journey to becoming college and career ready. Teachers and employers can use this framework to identify times of intervention or manage additional support for their students or employees.BENEFICIAL FOR ALL K-12 Educators and Administrators The behavioral skills found in this book are essential for academic achievement and college readiness. In-school and/or after-school activities can help students develop these skills. Postsecondary Professionals The behavioral skills found in this book are what research and workforce professionals have identified as the skills needed for workforce readiness. A high level of behavioral skills also ensures persistence and academic success in your institution. Incorporating collaboration, persistence, and extracurricular activities can help improve these behavioral skills, creating a well-rounded, work-ready individual. Workforce Development Professionals There may be a common perception among employers that their employees or potential job candidates might be missing the behavioral skills (i.e., soft skills) needed to perform effectively in their organization. This discrepancy might be due to a lack of consensus of what constitutes behavioral skills. The components and subcomponents found in this book can create a common language for employers, improving how they define and measure the presence of behavioral skills in their potential and current employees.TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTING HONESTLY ...... 0c ccceeeeeeeneee GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS............+ KEEPING AN OPEN MIND .........200 000200 MAINTAINING COMPOSURE.............-++ SOCIALIZING WITH OTHERS. ........0+00005 SUSTAININGIERFORT shee eee ere TAKEAWAYS 11 13 15 17 19WHAT ARE THE BEM AWHORAIL SIKHILILS 2"SOFT SKILLS" OR NON-COGNITIVE FACTORS 4°) G€D © @: Acting Honestly: valuing and adhering to ethical and moral standards of behavior, as well as their personal level of humility Keeping an Open Mind: curiosity about a variety of ideas, beliefs, people, and experiences Maintaining Composure: working on staying calm, serene, and able to manage emotions effectively Socializing with Others: preferred level of social interaction, behavior in interpersonal situations, and optimism Getting Along with Others: interacting positively and cooperating with others; is kind, friendly, and tactful Sustaining Effort: developing diligence, effort, organization, self-control, and complianceACTING HONESTLYThe Components of Acting Honestly Genuineness: Being sincere and truthful in interactions, appropriately giving others credit, and acknowledging his or her mistakes Fairness: Acting in ways that are intended to be unbiased and fair to everyone Modesty: Being humble about achievements, presenting a realistic view of himself or herself and avoiding boasting or acting superior to othersKEEPING AN OPEN MINDThe Components of Keeping An Open Mind Creativity: Generating original ideas, using existing ideas or things in new ways, and having an active imagination Curiosity: Seeking out information to better understand a wide range of topic areas and/or obtaining a depth of understanding in one topic area that goes beyond what is required Flexibility: Adapting to new environments and making adjustments to accommodates changes Accepting Differences Being open-minded and accepting of ideas, cultures, and ways of doing things that are different from his or her own 10MAINTAINING COMPOSURE oanThe Components of Maintaining Composure Stress Tolerance: The degree to which a person can control feelings of anxiety and other negative emotions in order to function effectively in a range of situations. Self-Confidence A tendency to be self-assured and to make decisions without needing a lot of input from others. 12SOCIALIZING WITH OTHERS 13The Components of Socializing with Others Assertiveness: Influencing others and preferring to be in charge in social interactions and group activities Optimism: The degree to which a person expresses a positive mood and a positive outlook Sociability Seeking out and enjoying situations involving interpersonal interaction and building relationships with others. 14GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS 15The Components of Getting Along with Others Cooperation: Being Respectful, polite, collaborative, and skilled at working through conflict with other people Perspective Taking: Identifying, acknowledging, and understanding the emotions of others, showing concern for others, and considering the audience when providing information Goodwill Assuming others have good intentions to forgive and not holding grudges Helpfulness Helping others and being generous with his or her time and/or resources despite personal cost — Patience Tolerating frustrations presented by others or by situations without expressing irritation or hostility 16SUSTAINING EFFORT aweThe Components of Sustaining Effort Dependability: Reliability fulfilling responsibilities, meeting deadlines, and producing quality work Order: Planning and organizing tasks and materials, creating schedules, monitoring progress, and paying close attention to details Persistence: Working hard, making progress on relevant tasks, and maintaining focus despite setbacks or difficulties Rule Consciousness: Following rules and procedures and complying with authority Goal Striving: Setting challenging goals, doing tasks without being told, and working to improve or learn new skills Self-Control Managing impulses and weighing the consequences of one's behavior before acting 18TAKEAWAYS 19Applying this to college and career readiness A student's college and career readiness is strongly dependent on the behavioral skills described in this book. These skills predict important academic outcomes like GPA and retention independent of, and in addition to, traditional predictors such as demographics and achievement test scores. The relevance of these skills does not disappear upon high school graduation. In college, they remain critical predictors of grades and especially persistence and on-time graduation. For example, developing a sense of social belonging in college is a strong predictor of retention. Part of a successful college experience is becoming ready to enter the workforce, and students must continue to develop these behavioral skills while in college to achieve career readiness by graduation. Once in the workforce, these skills predict a wide range of outcomes, such as job performance, engaging in ethical work conduct, teamwork, job satisfaction, and perceived work stress. They are particularly important over the long term, as these skills become more predictive of job performance over time. 20Tracking & Evaluating Skills Where do you start? How do you measure and integrate behavioral skills into your school or organization? ACT is dedicated to helping develop and evaluate students and employees using the behavioral domain of the Holistic Framework. ACT Engage® is a quick-and-easy assessment measuring the attitudes and behaviors found in this book. In ACT just 30 minutes, you'll have a better Engage’ idea of where your students stand and how they can succeed. Use for students in grades 6-9, 10-12, or in college. ACT Engage® Teacher Edition ACT 82222 cai accompanies the Engage assessment Teacher Edition and gives teachers and counselors the ability to see and assess student motivation, social engagement, and self-regulation in an easy to follow report. The ACT WorkKeys® Talent assessment helps employers find and develop AC C WorkKeys _&mployees by measuring work-related attitudes and behaviors, focusing on the personality traits found in this book. 21