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About QualityCore

students

QualityCore high school course standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Math are aligned 100 percent to the Common Core State Standards. View The Alignment of Common Core and ACT’s College and Career Readiness System, as well as ACT’s Common Core Alignment Guide and other details about ACT’s role in the development of the Common Core State Standards.

QualityCore allows educators, administrators, and policymakers to:

  • Focus on fewer, clearer, and higher course standards that are the essentials for college and career readiness
  • Use formative assessments to guide instruction and make targeted interventions
  • Measure student progress through benchmark and end-of-course assessments
  • Provide professional development resources and training opportunities for teachers and leaders
  • Customize instruction to the needs of specific classrooms, schools, and districts
Features of QualityCore

The Foundation

QualityCore is based, in part, on the 2005 report On Course for Success, coauthored by ACT and The Education Trust. The study examined high-performing classrooms that were exceeding national averages in preparing students for college and career. While each school was unique, they had four characteristics in common:

  • High-level, college-oriented content
  • Qualified and experienced teachers
  • Flexible and responsive teaching methods
  • Extra student support and interventions when needed
In 2007, ACT released Rigor at Risk, which showed that students who took rigorous courses in math and science were more likely to be ready for college and career and more likely to enroll in and graduate from college. As a result of both studies, preliminary course standards were developed and then validated by a group of teachers nationwide, forming the foundation for QualityCore.

Courses Covered

English
English 9
English 10
English 11
English 12
Math
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
Precalculus
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Social Studies
U.S. History