Spotlight Archive - 2024
At the end of October 2024, the ACT GAC Asia Summit and International Education Fair gathered hundreds of stakeholders from across Asia in Shanghai, China, to discuss pressing issues in international education and support students on their educational journeys.
This two-day event united educators, institutional representatives, and university partners from countries including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand, fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Notably, ACT leadership including CEO Janet Godwin and Vice President of Educational Solutions Andrew Taylor, made the trip to Shanghai to emphasize ACT’s commitment to supporting international students and educators.
Themed "Global Partnerships for Educational Excellence," the Summit provided a platform to explore emerging trends and innovations in global education. Key topics included:
- International Education Trends: Insights into shifting visa policies, enrollment preferences, and the growing role of standardized testing.
- ACT’s Strategic Updates: Announcements about upcoming enhancements to the ACT test and initiatives to better support Asian students.
- University Guidance and Partnerships: Strategies for preparing students for global competitiveness and success at world-class institutions.
Interactive breakout sessions delved into vital areas such as college readiness, emotional well-being, test preparation, and creating pathways to top-tier universities. The event culminated in the ACT Stellar Awards Ceremony, celebrating achievements within the GAC community.
The ACT International Education Fair followed the Summit, bringing together over 20 universities and offering students, parents, and educators direct access to global academic opportunities. University representatives engaged with attendees through information booths and expert-led lectures, emphasizing the importance of early engagement and strategic planning for studying abroad.
The ACT GAC Asia Summit 2024 highlighted the importance of collaboration in navigating the evolving landscape of international education. As a follow-up, the ACT GAC High School Tour in April 2025 aims to deepen these connections by bringing universities directly to GAC schools across China, fostering even greater access to global educational opportunities.
The momentum from these events underscores a shared commitment to empowering students with the skills and resources needed to thrive in an interconnected world.
In late October 2023, Dr. Changhua S. Rich, Senior Program Director, International of ACT and Chair of Asia Association of Test Publishers (A-ATP), led several of our ACT Education Solutions (AES) colleagues based in Asia to Sanya, China where they all participated in the 2023 A-ATP Annual Conference, organized by A-ATP. The AES team consisted of Susan Xu, Corporate Director (Asia), Shelly Bai, Regional Director (China), Christine Hoe, Regional Director (Southeast Asia), Karen Qi, Head of Business Development, and Echo Tang, Regional Account Manager. This year, the conference's theme, Stepping into the Future: The Next Growth of Asian Testing and Education, brought together experts in the education technology and examination sector.
ATP is a non-profit trade association representing a wide range of testing organizations in education, certification, IT, psychological testing as well as employment testing. ACT has been a member of ATP in the past decades.
ATP includes regional divisions in Europe, Asia, India, Middle East, and North America. ATP has international recognition and great respect from the global and regional testing community. Asia ATP (A-ATP) has members from China, Korea, Japan, Asia Pacific, and global testing organizations such as ACT, Pearson, Prometric, and Hogan Assessment System.
This year, A-ATP held the 2023 A-ATP Annual Conference in Sanya, Hainan, China. Around 200 participants from 10 countries attended this conference where industry thought leaders from 7 countries gave presentations.
A video recap of A-ATP can be found here.
ACT Education Solutions (AES) and The East Java Provincial Board of Muhammadiyah (PWM) Primary & Secondary Education of Muhammadiyah Department celebrate our 10th anniversary of partnership on January 6, 2024.
In 2013, the ACT English Proficiency Program (EPP) was implemented in 4 junior high schools. This partnership led to the creation of Muhammadiyah International Language Development, which was known as MILD Program and was re-branded to M-ICO (Muhammadiyah International Class Orientation) in 2019.
Dr. Arba'iyah Yusuf, M.A (Head of Primary & Secondary Education of Muhammadiyah Department – East Java) said in August 2021, "one of PWM’s goals is global citizenship education. Hopefully, in the future, our ACT EPP students will become a generation that is smart and strong, like the future leaders of Indonesia and the world."
Additionally, Prof. Achmad Jainuri, MA, Ph.D (Deputy of PWM) said, “international curriculum does not involve only the mastery of English language; there are also universal values that can be embraced, especially attitudes in everyday life. I do hope that there are more benefits gained for schools joining the ACT EPP program.”
Not only do students thrive in the ACT EPP program, but so do the teachers, as AES has provided continuous academic support through teacher training and classroom observations ranging from objectively grading to inquiry-based learning.
On July 25th, 2023, Andrew Taylor, ACT’s Vice President of Product, visited PWM, and he was welcomed by all M-ICO school principals, EPP coordinators, and teachers. Taylor added, "we have enjoyed more than 8 years of long-standing friendship with each other. This renewal agreement commits us to work together more closely towards our common goal, the pursuit of the internationalization of education.”
The ACT English Proficiency Program has had a positive impact on most M-ICO students, especially in the field of linguistics, to prepare students to compete at both national and international levels (Global Insight). For this reason, schools receive guidance and assistance from the M-ICO team and also from AES.
M-ICO is a concrete manifestation of Muhammadiyah Education's internationalization strategy which was launched by the Muhammadiyah Central Board (PP). Therefore, the M-ICO Program is expected to be the best choice and a superior program for Muhammadiyah schools in East Java.
In the fall semester of 2023, GAC launched a new module Personal Finance & Entrepreneurship, GAC034. This course is a component of the GAC curriculum 2.0 Holistic Education for the Future Program. Following the launch of three new GAC courses in 2022:
- Social Emotional Learning through Project Based Learning
- Education and Career Navigation, Finding your Pathways, and
- Project Based Learning and Research Methods
Personal Finance & Entrepreneurship creates another opportunity for GAC students to develop essential skills and competencies for the changing world. In this course, students develop the knowledge, mindsets, and skills in personal finance and entrepreneurship, supporting their growth as financially independent individuals who thrive in work and careers.
GAC034 is designed to build students’ self-confidence, independence, and cultivate collaborative problem-solving mindsets and behavioral habits. From the past decade, it has become increasingly clear that schools, students, and parents yearn for education that truly prepares students for the future. To meet the needs of our schools, this new course offers 21st century essential skills, including deeper learning, going beyond theories and concepts, and enabling students to become creative, engaging, and independent leaders and owners of their learning journey.
Student-Centered Approach
In this course, we designed content for students to work independently, with a partner, and as a group for discussion and brainstorming, checking each other’s answers and providing feedback. Throughout the course, teachers approach the course materials as facilitators of students’ independent learning, allowing learners to develop English language communication skills in a collaborative learning environment.
After taking this course, students will have learned how to become successful entrepreneurs and complex problem solvers. They will:
- create innovative solutions to solve customer problems
- communicate ideas
- collaborate with others
- stimulate risk-taking
- challenge and question assumptions
- integrate ideas and people to provide products and services
- look into the future for growth, expansion, and new frontiers