On Course for Success - A Close Look at Selected High School Courses That Prepare All Students for College and Work

Oct 9, 2026

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The report examines how selected high school courses contribute to college readiness for all students, with emphasis on minority and low-income learners. It describes a 17-month cooperative project analyzing English, mathematics, and science courses across 10 high-achieving schools nationwide. The study includes authentic course syllabi and descriptions drawn from actual instruction used by ACT and The Education Trust, enabling evaluation of whether courses build the rigorous skills needed for success in first-year, credit-bearing college study.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages83

Reading Time3 h 29 min

AccessFree to download

The Study Team

Executive Summary

Introduction

The Study

General Findings

English

Mathematics

Science

Discussion and Recommendations

References

List of Figures

List of Tables

COLLEGE READINESS On Course for Success A Close Look at Selected High School Courses That Prepare All Students for College and Work ON COURSE FOR SUCCESS A CLOSE LOOK AT SELECTED HIGH SCHOOL COURSES THAT PREPARE ALL STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE A Letter from Cyndie Schmeiser and Kati Haycock ACT, Inc. , and The Education Trust, the co-authors of this report, are devoted to the educational success of all students, especially the minority and low-income students who will increasingly contribute to the U.S. economy. In particular, ACT and The Education Trust are working to ensure that all students arrive at the doors of colleges and universities ready for college-level study without the need for remediation. That means finding out what essential qualities of high school courses foster successful transition to college. We were therefore eager to cooperate on a study of high schools that succeed in preparing students for a measure of college readiness like the ACT Assessment. We were particularly interested in high schools with substantial populations of students underrepresented in postsecondary education. This Study Report recounts a 17-month cooperative project that thoroughly examined courses in English, mathematics, and science in 10 such high achieving schools across the nation. We hope that people responsible for high school students’ success— administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, students themselves—will use this report to evaluate their own programs. To this end, we have included course syllabi and course descriptions of key courses in English, mathematics, and science that can be used to examine high school courses to determine if they include the rigorous skills necessary for college readiness. These course materials are authentic and were derived from the instructional syllabi used in the courses studied by ACT and The Education Trust. The materials come directly from successful practice. Our joint ambition is to close the achievement gaps between majority and minority students, between high-income and low-income students, and between suburban, urban, and rural students. To accomplish this, we need to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn the higher-level thinking skills and knowledge that are necessary for college-level work. We betoevell whtactis tuotyt wheillf teulprecolosef ourt e gad enpsa bdy oufecroi nugntcrylear guidance Sincerely, Cyndie Schmeiser Senior Vice President Research and Development ACT Kati Haycock Director The Education Trust CONTENTS The Study Team ....................................... iv Executive Summary ..................................... v I. Introduction ....................................... 1 II. The Study ......................................... 7 III. General Findings.................................. 14 IV. English .......................................... 17 V. Mathematics ..................................... 37 VI. Science.......................................... 56 VII. Discussion and Recommendations .................. 73 References .......................................... 76 List of Figures Figure 1.1 Education and Training Pay................... 2 Figure 1.2 Average ACT Scores by College-Preparatory Core Coursework .......... 3 Figure 1.3 Average ACT Math Score by High School Math Course Sequence ........... 4 Figure 1.4 Average ACT Science Score by High School Science Course Sequence ......... 5 List of Tables Table 2.1 Characteristics of Participating Schools ......... 8 Table 2.2 Compilation of Course Syllabi ................ 12 Table 4.1 English Courses by Title .................... 17 Table 5.1 Math Courses by Title ...................... 37 Table 6.1 Science Courses by Title .................... 56 ON COURSE FOR SUCCESS THE STUDY TEAM ACT, Inc. ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides a wide v

FAQs

What is the report’s main goal regarding college readiness?

It identifies essential qualities in high school courses that foster successful transition to college-level study, especially for minority and low-income students.

What subjects and course areas does the study examine?

The study thoroughly examines courses in English, mathematics, and science across 10 high-achieving high schools nationwide.

How can readers use the report to evaluate high school programs?

Administrators, teachers, and others can use included course syllabi and descriptions to assess whether key courses include the rigorous skills necessary for college readiness.

Oct 9, 2026

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