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Common Core

Common Core Courses

Penn Foster offers a suite of Common Core aligned curriculum that is designed to prepare students for post-secondary success by promoting deeper learning, critical thinking, and problem solving.

All individual courses listed are aligned to the Common Core. The tools within the content and our instructional and student support model fosters student success in this rigorous coursework.

The suite includes English Language Arts and Mathematics options that are available as full credit or half credit courses. The full credit courses are designed to be completed in 36 weeks (2 semesters) and contain 120 hours of study time. Half credit courses are designed to be completed in 18 week (1 semester) and contain 60 hours of study time.

Common Core Courses

English Language Arts

  • English Language Arts 1 (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, Grades 9-10 and includes numerous graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. Through required readings and a variety of assignments, the student will develop analytical skills that will contribute to a better understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, including foundational American documents. While acquiring the skills of comprehending, synthesizing and evaluating information, the student will have the opportunity to gain the confidence in their capability to make sound judgments both in literature and in the real world as well as gain the ability to communicate effectively to different audiences.

    This course references Collections Grade 9, which includes a variety of complex texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and informational text. The student is also required to read the Kite Runner in Semester 1 of this course.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • English Language Arts 2 (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, Grades 9-10 and includes numerous graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. Through required readings and a variety of assignments, the student will develop analytical skills that will contribute to a better understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, including foundational American documents. While acquiring the skills of comprehending, synthesizing and evaluating information, the student will have the opportunity to gain the confidence in their capability to make sound judgments both in literature and in the real world as well as gain the ability to communicate effectively to different audiences.

    This course references Collections Grade 10, which includes a variety of complex texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and informational text. The student is also required to read Kaffir Boy in Semester 1 and 1984 in Semester 2 of this course.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • English Language Arts 3 (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, Grades 11-12 and includes numerous graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. Through required readings and a variety of assignments, the student will develop analytical skills that will contribute to a better understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, including foundational American documents. While acquiring the skills of comprehending, synthesizing and evaluating information, the student will have the opportunity to gain the confidence in their capability to make sound judgments both in literature and in the real world as well as gain the ability to communicate effectively to different audiences.

    This course references Collections Grade 11, which includes a variety of complex texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and informational text. The student is also required to read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Semester 1 and The Great Gatsby in Semester 2 of this course.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • English Language Arts 4 (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, Grades 11-12 and includes numerous graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. Through required readings and a variety of assignments, the student will develop analytical skills that will contribute to a better understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, including foundational American documents. While acquiring the skills of comprehending, synthesizing and evaluating information, the student will have the opportunity to gain the confidence in their capability to make sound judgments both in literature and in the real world as well as gain the ability to communicate effectively to different audiences.

    This course references Collections Grade 12, which includes a variety of complex texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and informational text. The student is also required to read The Glass Castle in Semester 1 and To Kill a Mockingbird in Semester 2 of this course.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

Mathematics

  • Algebra I (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the Common Core State Mathematics Standards, those specifically in Algebra I and includes graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. This course is designed to help students to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. With Algebra I, the critical areas deepen and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships by contrasting them with each other and by applying linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend, and students engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • Algebra II (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the Common Core State Mathematics Standards, those specifically in Algebra II and includes graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. Building on their work with linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, students increase their understanding of functions to include polynomial, rational, and radical functions. Students work closely with the expressions that define the functions, and continue to solve equations, including solving quadratic equations over the set of complex numbers and solving exponential equations using the properties of logarithms.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • Geometry (1 Credit*)

    This course is aligned with the Common Core State Mathematics Standards, those specifically in Geometry and includes graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. This course assists students in exploring more complex geometric situations and deepen their explanations of geometric relationships. Throughout this course, various activities will present the theoretical relationships between lines, angles, polygons, transformations, trigonometry, circles, and three-dimensional figures. The student will discover the relevance of these topics in their practical applications and the connections between mathematical topics, making them much easier to remember. More importantly, students have the opportunity to gain many powerful tools of logic and proof, which will enhance their skills for decision making.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.

  • Pre-Calculus (1 Credit*)

    This course, where appropriate, is mapped to the Common Core State Mathematics Standards, Grades 9-12 and includes graded performance assessments that require students to apply their knowledge. This course is designed to help students to obtain a solid foundation in Algebra and Trigonometry and prepare them for future courses in mathematics. Students are shown how Algebra and Trigonometry can be modeled to solve real world problems while developing problem-solving skills and encouraging critical thinking.

    *Half credit courses (semester 1 or semester 2) are also available.