The work keys assessment measures the raw career abilities of an examinee. The ACT measures learning capacity, Work Keys measure working capacity with an applied technology test that quizzes examines about basic principles of mechanics and circuitry. The test is most similar to the ASVAB test which measures military aptitude and includes a section that is comparable to the applied technology section of the Work Keys exam.
Work Keys is designed for students who plan on going directly to work, going to a trade school, or entering into an on the job apprenticeship.
The work keys exam seems impractical this late in senior year. The exam shouldn’t be required for all the seniors as many of them already know where they’re going and have secured scholarships. An additional test will not prepare us for college, it only robs us of valuable class time.
Work Keys includes a math test that may be comparable to the ACT math exam. Schools rely too heavily on math tests as benchmarks of educational success. Math exams can show a student’s ability to process information but leave out a more than a third of the skills and information learned in high school and do not adequately represent a student’s knowledge of their high school courses. The overbearing stress on math cheats students out of their hard work through non math courses.