Grow students’
Passion For Learning
ACF funds fee waivers for expert review of student work so scholars overlooked by test prep can earn verified academic credentials for college access.
100% of Donations Go to Students*
$100 donated = 1 FEE WAIVER for an 11th / 12th grade student
on HS Cred, A Performance-Based College-Readiness Platform
Donate as many fee waivers as you like to empower students with performance-based credentials.
For example:
ONE $500 donation generates FIVE HS Cred ACCESS CODES for you to share with any school or student.
1 Unit of Academic Capital is ≤10‑minute audio or video recording in which an 11th‑ or 12th‑grade student shows that they have (1)focused attention to master academic content, (2)planned and executed an original project, and (3)earned two forms of validation—authenticity from their teacher and academic quality from three independent content‑area experts.
Cultivate
Academic Capital
These gold‑standard academic credits return accountability to educators (through expert validation) and return learning to students (through creation and defense of original work). Our approach operationalizes performance‑based assessment at scale as an alternative to industrial-era standardized testing. Read the HS Cred, Inc.whitepaper.
Like the humble WORM,
ACF technology consumes the APPLE of education
to enrich the SOIL of student motivation.
Meet Professor W.O.R.M.
(Write‑Once, Read‑Many:* an immutable record; pronouns: it/it/it’s)
It keeps Academic Capital: published once, trusted by all.
In finance/compliance: U.S. broker‑dealers historically had to keep electronic records in WORM under SEC Rule 17a‑4; since 2022, firms may use WORM or a qualified audit‑trail alternative.
In data storage: Major providers implement WORM (Amazon, Microsoft, Google) for regulatory retention; and blockchains like bitcoin have gained adoption as digital WORM ledgers.
And now In academic records: Issuer‑signed credits minted as NFTs in a student‑owned wallet make transcripts WORM—append‑only and verifiable on the permaweb—even if the issuing institution ceases operations. Students retain custody and control access.
Dig Deeper
Heard of the bitcoin rabbit hole?
Welcome to the Academic Capital wormhole. Rabbit holes lead to a den; a wormhole leads to a universe of possibilities.
A WORM in Education’s Apple?
When institutions rot, the worm recycles what’s old to enrich future growth.
The Soil is Student Engagement
Teach-to-the-test depletes the soil; we cultivate student voice with an authentic audience; this student work is published online, never lost in a pile on the teacher’s desk.
Namesakes
Bookworm (voracious learning), Earworm (memorable ideas), Wormhole (a discontinuity in the fabric of education), Worm’s‑eye view (grassroots approach), Worm Moon (rebirth after winter), NASA Worm (clarity by design).
Decentralized
The worm is a humble member of an ecosystem who regenerates soil for the benefit of all—the opposite of a top‑down executive, district administrator, or an EdTech disruptor.
Nutrient-Dense & Sustainable
Academic proof-of-work: 10 minutes of academic content per month • 4 evaluators • 2 validation layers • 1 digital credit and a transcript wallet students control.
Not Disruption,
Renaissance!
We are a nonprofit community measuring success in units of Academic Capital—putting authentic student work, not test prep, at the center of college readiness.
Our STAKE-PITCH-MINT™ technology isn’t disruption for its own sake. It’s a renaissance of student‑centered, project‑based learning. Platform mechanics and non‑transferable NFTs allow us to incentivize and decentralize student proof-of-work such that credits are portable, verifiable, and student‑owned.