Plan Your Professional Learning: ACT Opportunities from Summer Through Fall

As you look ahead to the new school year, summer offers a valuable window to reset, plan, and strengthen your approach to student support.

ACT is bringing together a series of professional learning opportunities that extend from mid-summer through fall, giving you multiple ways to stay informed, connected, and equipped for the year ahead.

These experiences are designed to build on one another, helping you move from foundational knowledge to deeper implementation and ongoing support.

ACT Summit

In Person | July 13–15 | Nashville, Tennessee

Kick off your summer learning at the 2026 ACT Summit, where leaders from K–12, higher education, and workforce sectors come together to tackle today’s most pressing challenges.

This event brings together diverse perspectives to share actionable insights and innovative strategies that help shape the future of education and the workforce.

(NEW) ACT Counselor Summer Webinar Series

Virtual | July 22-23

Start your summer learning with the ACT Counselor Summer Webinar Series, a flexible, four-session experience designed to support the real challenges counselors are navigating right now. Each session will be hosted by a member of the ACT Counselor Outreach Team.

Whether you are supporting first-generation students, increasing application completion, or aligning with school leadership, these sessions offer practical frameworks and tools you can use immediately.

The Schedule at a Glance

(All times Eastern. Recordings will be shared with all registrants.)

Wednesday, July 22

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — Understanding the ACT: Foundations and Tools for Student Success
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. — Strengthening Counselor–Administrator Collaboration for Student Success

Thursday, July 23

1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. — Increasing College Application Completion with ACAC
2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. — Supporting First-Generation and Underserved Students

Across the Series, You’ll Explore:

Clear frameworks for understanding ACT test structure and scoring
Practical strategies to support first-generation and underserved students
Approaches to increasing college application completion
Strategies for strengthening collaboration between counselors and school leaders

Who should attend:
Middle and high school counselors, college and career advisors, counseling directors, and counseling teams.

<p>ACT Counselor Summer Webinar Series</p>

ACT College & Career Readiness Workshops

In Person | Starting in August

Beginning in August, ACT’s College & Career Readiness Workshops (CCRWs) bring counselors together in person for deeper learning and collaboration.

These workshops are designed to help you apply and expand on key concepts introduced over the summer, with a focus on practical implementation.

Each event is customized, but core topics include:

Laying the Foundation: Embedding ACT College and Career Readiness Standards into curriculum and instruction
Reading the Data: Turning assessment results into instructional decisions
ACT Updates: Flexibility, insights, and a more student-centered experience
Closing the Gap: Early intervention strategies that drive measurable progress
Life Beyond the Score: Workforce readiness and postsecondary pathways

You will also have the opportunity to connect with peers and learn directly from ACT experts.

Find all webinars and an in-person workshop near you:

ACT College and Career Readiness Workshops

ACT CCRW Webinar Series (August–October)

To keep the momentum going during the school year, ACT is also offering a nine-part CCRW webinar series from August through October.

These sessions focus on targeted solutions and feature national experts sharing strategies to help move students from readiness to action.

Topics include:

Getting Ready: Navigating the 2026 ACT Landscape
Improving Outcomes Through Standards-Based Readiness
Building a Culture of College and Career Readiness: From Vision to Everyday Practice
From Scores to Strategy: Using PreACT and ACT Data to Target Instruction
ACT Enhancements One Year Later: What We’ve Learned and What’s Next
From Skills to Careers: Unlocking the Power of ACT WorkKeys and the WorkKeys NCRC
Partnering on the Pathway: A Student-Centered Journey from PreACT to College and Career Readiness
Navigating Free ACT Tools: Essential Resources for K–12 Counselors and Educators
- Note: The ACT Counselor Outreach Team is excited to host this back-by-popular demand session and introduce new tools and ideas.
National Webinar: From Readiness to Ready: A National Conversation

Find all webinars and an in-person workshop near you:

One Continuous Learning Experience

These opportunities are designed to work together across the calendar:

Together, they create a continuous learning experience that supports you throughout the transition into the school year.

July → Build foundational knowledge and strategies
August (in person) → Deepen learning and collaborate with peers
August–October (webinars) → Stay supported and apply strategies in real time

Register and Get Started

Registration is now open for all events. You can participate in any or all of these opportunities based on your schedule and goals.

Each experience is built to support the same outcome: helping you guide more students toward college and career success with confidence and clarity.

Is there a session that you have an idea for that you are not seeing and/or are you interested in hosting an ACT event in your region? Please let us know and send us a note at counselor@act.org.