Source: Press Release IOWA CITY, February 22, 2017 – IOWA—ACT, Inc., a national leader in college and career readiness assessment, announced today it intends to invest in ProExam, a not-for-profit organization focused on noncognitive assessment and professional credentialing, with a merger between the two organizations expected in 2018.
“Education and workplace success require a holistic set of skills, including cognitive and noncognitive skills,” said ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda. “This investment will allow ACT to tap into ProExam’s expertise in noncognitive assessment, credentialing and consulting. Our goal is to connect noncognitive assessment, which ProExam understands as well as anyone in the world, to all ACT programs, since such skills are essential to people’s future success. We look forward to adding our own value as we work to expand and enhance ProExam’s offerings.”
Cognitive skills relate to mental activities, such as thinking, reasoning, understanding and remembering, while noncognitive skills involve interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies such as tenacity, responsibility, teamwork and leadership.
“We are thrilled ACT is investing in our organization so that together we can help people develop the full range of skills that can help them enhance their lives,” said ProExam Chief Executive Officer Robert Block. “We are eager to begin working with ACT.”
ProExam will remain a separate entity for at least a year, after which a merger between the two not-for-profit organizations is anticipated. Collaborative work between ACT and ProExam will begin as soon as the investment is finalized.
ProExam is known for its Tessera™ next-generation K-12 assessment system, which measures six noncognitive skill and character strength sets. In addition, the organization has developed a comprehensive suite of digital tools for the credentialing market, including ProExam Vault, a secure web-based platform for issuing, managing and sharing digital credentials and micro-credentials as open badges. ProExam has been a market leader working with sponsors of global credentialing programs for more than 50 years.
ProExam’s Center for Innovative Assessments, led by Vice President and Chief Scientist Richard D. Roberts, conducts both basic and applied research. The Center identifies business- and education-relevant noncognitive skills and develops techniques and procedures for measuring and enhancing these abilities.
Prior to the anticipated merger, ProExam will be an ACT-affiliated company. After the investment takes place, ACT will assume governance of ProExam and will work closely to leverage the expertise, talent and passion of the ProExam team.
ProExam’s offices are and will remain located in New York City.
Access the press release here