Testing and Measurements Coordinator Sina Baldwin is an ACT® Certified Educator. This summer she attended courses and training in New York and Nashville. A member of Dominican’s faculty for 25 years, Baldwin is certified in Basics, Reading, Math, and Science. Currently, she is one of more than 300 educators globally that has the certification.

“Obtaining this ACT certification has given me additional skills to assist our students in improving their ACT scores,” said Baldwin. “The exciting part is learning from the people who make the test. I can use the strategies that I learned and pass that on to our students. I am grateful to be part of this educational process for our students at Dominican.”

ACT launched the training and certification program in September 2018. Focusing on effective teaching strategies, the program is designed for those seeking credentials form a trusted source to show they have the content knowledge and teaching skills necessary to improve students’ learning and readiness for success after high school. Through ACT Certified Educator, individuals can take training and earn a certificate in six different areas:  ACT Basics, English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. The ACT Basics and ACT Writing courses each consist of one day of training, while the other subject-specific courses each consist of two days of training. Certification exams are administered at the end of each subject area training course.

ACT Certified Educator Basics includes activities to enhance educators’ knowledge of fundamental aspects of the ACT test and the resources available to students. Training activities promote the development and use of learner-centered skills and the standards of professionalism required of ACT Certified Educators. Attendees are required to complete the ACT Certified Educator Basics course to receive certification of any subject-specific certifications they wish to obtain.  For the subject-specific programs, these include instruction and training activities to enhance educators’ ability to teach students preparing for ACT subject area tests and related pedagogy. Attendees practice individualized teaching methods tailored to meet individual student needs. Key insights into the most effective strategies to prepare students for test success are presented and practiced during the training.

Individuals who take the training and pass its end-of-course exam will receive a certificate that verifies them as an ACT Certified Educator. Certified educators will be listed on the ACT Recommends web page, so parents can easily find an educator for their child.

There are many educators and tutors offering and promoting their services, and it’s not always easy for parents to know which ones are well prepared to help and which ones aren’t,” said ACT Chief Commercial Officer Suzana Delanghe. “Now parents won’t have to base their decision merely on the educator’s ACT score. ACT Certified Educator will help them identify the individuals who are trained in the most effective teaching strategies to help students learn.”