SEL

ACT Acquires Social-Emotional Learning Company

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 07/16/19

Education assessment nonprofit ACT has acquired a company that specializes in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL). ACT purchased Mawi Learning, which produces SEL-focused educator professional development and student curriculum. Terms of the deal were not released.

Mawi was founded in 2003 and has claimed that its products and services have been used by a million students around the world. Those include online and blended SEL courses.

Those subjects are a "key element," according to ACT, of its own Holistic Framework, which covers four domains for helping students prepare for college and career success: core academic skills, "cross-cutting capabilities," behavioral skills and education and career navigation skills.

"Coupled with ACT Tessera, our state-of-the-art SEL assessment program, Mawi Learning's professional development and student curriculum will allow ACT to provide a comprehensive solution for schools and districts," said Suzana Delanghe, ACT chief commercial officer, in a statement.

The acquisition of Mawi Learning is the latest step being undertaken by the organization to evolve into what a "learning, measurement and navigation company." Other moves in this direction have included an affiliation with ProExam, enabling ACT to introduce SEL products; purchase of Knovation and OpenEd for online OER content for personalized learning; investment in Smart Sparrow and its digital course creation platform; collaboration with the NROC Project to create ACT CollegeReady; and acquisition of the National Research Center for College and University Admissions (now known as Encoura) and the American College Application Campaign for their student navigation tools and resources.