Educational decisions are often made with learners in mind. However, far less often, they are made with learners at the table.
That was one of the most important lessons to emerge from ACT's first Learner Advisory Council, a diverse group of 100 young people ages 16-24 from 32 states and varying demographics, who spent several months sharing their perspectives on education, assessments, college and career readiness, and the challenges they face as they navigate important life decisions.
What emerged wasn't simply feedback about testing. It was a powerful reminder that learners bring valuable insights about the systems designed to support them — and that educators, counselors, higher education institutions, employers, and organizations across the education-to-workforce ecosystem stand to benefit when those voices are included in decision-making.
The experience reinforced a simple but important principle: when learners are invited into conversations as partners rather than subjects, they often reveal gaps, opportunities, and priorities that may otherwise be overlooked.
Access shapes opportunity
One of the strongest themes to emerge was the connection learners see between access and opportunity.
Participants discussed barriers that can influence educational outcomes, including unequal access to technology, tutoring, preparation resources, and guidance. While programs such as school-day testing and fee waivers help address some challenges, learners made it clear that access extends beyond the availability of a test or program. It also includes access to information, support systems, and opportunities to prepare.
For educators, counselors, and policymakers, this serves as a reminder that equity conversations must consider the entire learner experience. Students are often the ones who know where barriers exist because they encounter them firsthand.
Listening to learners can help organizations identify obstacles that may not be visible through enrollment data, participation rates, or performance metrics alone.
Students want guidance, not just information
A second theme centered on the need for clearer guidance and context when it comes to information and data.
Many participants described receiving information about college admissions, careers, assessments, and test scores without always understanding what those data points meant for their own futures.
As one learner explained, "The report felt like a wall of numbers — I needed someone to explain what it meant for me."
Another shared, "I got my score, but I didn't know if it was good or what to do with it."
These comments highlight a challenge that extends well beyond assessments. Across education and workforce systems, learners are often presented with large amounts of information but lack resources to translate it into meaningful next steps.
For counselors and educators, this underscores the importance of helping students connect data to decisions. For higher education institutions and employers, it highlights the value of communicating pathways, expectations, and opportunities in ways that feel relevant and realistic.
Learners are not necessarily asking for more information; they are asking for help understanding how to use the information they have been given.
Relevance and experience matter
Throughout the council discussions, learners repeatedly expressed a desire to better understand how educational experiences and testing connect to real-world outcomes.
Participants wanted more opportunities to hear from college students, professionals, and people working in a variety of industries while they were in school. They were interested in scholarship opportunities, career pathways, and examples of how their educational decisions can influence future opportunities.
One learner noted, "I wish we could have heard from people in different fields to really get a vision of what being in the workforce is actually like."
The council members also revealed a strong desire for more preparation resources and more meaningful conversations from their educators about the purpose of testing.
"Provide real-world examples of benefits people have gotten from taking the test, especially when it comes to scholarships and college acceptances," said another participant.
These comments point to an important opportunity for schools, colleges, employers, and organizations that serve learners. Students are often motivated when they can see a clear connection between what they are doing today and the opportunities available tomorrow.
Providing context, stories, and examples can help learners understand not only what they are being asked to do but also why it matters.
Fairness and trust remain essential
As conversations turned to assessments and emerging technologies like AI, learners consistently returned to the concepts of fairness and trust.
While students appreciated flexibility and innovation, they also emphasized the importance of maintaining confidence and integrity in the systems that influence admissions, scholarships, hiring, and other opportunities.
One learner observed, "Tests should be taken fairly. Given the rise of AI, it would only make sense to give exams in a secure setting."
Another explained, "I would not care if my peers took a separate test - as long as it was equal in difficulty or showed similar results to the one I took."
These perspectives offer valuable insight for organizations across sectors. Whether designing assessments, admissions processes, credentialing programs, or workforce evaluations, trust remains foundational.
The message was clear: flexibility is important, but fairness and trust are essential.
The conversations also highlighted the importance of transparency. Learners want to understand how decisions are made, how systems work, and how outcomes are determined. When organizations communicate clearly about their processes, they strengthen trust and credibility.
Choice supports engagement
Another recurring theme was the importance of options.
Learners consistently expressed a desire for greater choice in how they demonstrate their abilities, pursue opportunities, and navigate their educational journeys.
As one participant explained, "Having the option to choose a test that accommodated my needs was necessary to its effectiveness at demonstrating my college readiness."
Another added, "Choice is not only important, but it also gives students an opportunity to make decisions regarding their future by themselves."
Beyond testing, learners increasingly expect pathways that recognize different strengths, goals, and definitions of success.
For educators, institutions, and employers, providing multiple pathways can help learners feel more invested in their decisions and more empowered to take ownership of their futures.
Learners are capable co-designers
Perhaps one of the most valuable insights from the council came when participants were asked not merely to evaluate existing experiences but to imagine new ones.
Through a user experience design challenge, learners proposed ideas for future assessment and learning experiences. Their impressive concepts consistently emphasized accessibility, flexibility, clarity, and stronger connections between preparation and outcomes.
For ACT, the contest simultaneously supported students' career interests in product design and user experience while generating valuable insights for future product innovation.
Additionally, the exercise demonstrated something many organizations are beginning to discover: learners can contribute far more than feedback; they can help design solutions.
When organizations invite learners into product development, policy discussions, program design, or strategic planning, they gain access to perspectives grounded in lived experience. That perspective often reveals opportunities that traditional research and decision-making methods may miss.
Listening as a practice
The most enduring lesson from the Learner Advisory Council may be the value of listening itself.
For ACT, the experience provided insights that can help strengthen how it serves learners, educators, higher education institutions, workforce partners, and counselors. But the lesson is broader than any one organization.
Every stakeholder in the learner journey benefits when learner perspectives are included in meaningful ways. Students experience educational systems differently from the adults who design them. Their experiences can help identify barriers, clarify priorities, and highlight opportunities for improvement.
One council member reflected on this, "One thing I learned about ACT through the Learner Advisory Council is how valuable it is to include diverse voices and lived experiences when making decisions that affect students and communities."
At a time when education, assessment, and workforce systems are evolving rapidly, the learner voice is more than a source of feedback; it is a source of insight.
The future of education and career readiness will be strongest when learners are not simply the recipients of decisions, but contributors to them.
