THE A-G REQUIREMENTS: A

COLLEGE READINESS PRIMER

Dr. Rebecca Josephrjoseph@calstatela.edu

TO LEARN MORE

Email rjoseph@calstatela.edu

Phone 323-646-5759

Facebook Getmetocollege Freeadvice

Iphone,iPad,Google application All College Application Essays

Twitter @getmetocollege

Website getmetocollege.org/hs (focus on first

generation and under-represented students)

Grades Academic Rigor (including

senior year) Standardized Test Scores Strong applications Great essays Counselor Reports Extracurricular Activities Teacher Letters of

Recommendation Other Unique Features

WHAT COLLEGES LOOK FOR IN MATCH STUDENTS

GRADES

Grades are the best predictor of how well a student will do in college.

Colleges look for students who demonstrate Continuous strong performance Upward progression in performance Particular academic strengths Exceeding basic admissions

requirements. For example, in California, going

beyond the A-G requirements required by the UC and CSU systems.

For top privates, taking advanced classes in and out of high school.

What Are the A-G Requirements

The A-G Requirements are a sequence of 15 high school courses, GPAs, and grades that students must complete to qualify for the Cal State and UC campuses.

Starting with the freshman (9th graders) class of 2013, LAUSD will now use the A-G requirements as their graduation requirements.

Older classes will be held to LAUSD’s former requirements.

A. History/Social Science – 2 years requiredTwo years of history/social science, including

one year of world history, cultures and geography, one year of U.S. history, or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government.

B. English – 4 years requiredFour years of college-preparatory English. No more than one year of high ESL-type courses can be used to meet this requirement.

C. Mathematics – 3 years required, 4 years recommended.

Algebra 2 is minimum for Cal States and UCs.

Three years of college-preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or all of this requirement, as may math courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades that your high school accepts as equivalent to its own math courses.

A-G Requirements

D. Laboratory Science – 2 years required, 3 years recommendedTwo years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics. Advanced laboratory science classes that have biology, chemistry or physics as prerequisites and offer substantial additional material may be used to fulfill this requirement, as may the final two years of an approved three-year integrated science program that provides rigorous coverage of at least two of the three foundational subjects.

E. Language Other than English – 2 years required, 3 years recommendedTwo years of the same language other than English. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition and culture. Courses in languages other than English taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if your high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses. Foreign students who receive 800 on SAT II foreign language or approved AP score can test out of language requirement. One year of sign language at a community college also can count.

MORE A-G REQUIREMENTS

F. Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) – 1 year requiredA single yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art. dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.

G. College-Preparatory Electives – 1 year requiredOne year (two semesters), in addition to those required in "a-f" above, chosen from the following areas: engineering, technology, visual and performing arts (non-introductory level courses), history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science and language other than English (a third year in the language used for the "e" requirement or two years of another language).

MORE A-G REQUIREMENTS

A-G Requirements

15 minimum courses to be eligible to go to a four year university right after high school and review the following points:

Students must receive a C or better in order for those courses to count. THIS MEANS Ds DO NOT COUNT.

ELLS must pass four years of high school English. ESL 4 counts as 9th grade English.

Each school has a school specific list of A-G classes.

Here is official list for your school https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/app/

home;jsessionid=278FA72B91F799DA86B1553A219B51F5?execution=e1s7

Turning A-G Into CSU/UC Readiness

• GPA requirement for UC (3.0) and CSU (2.0)

• AP/Honors/CC courses give an extra GPA point

• For UC, students must complete 11 out of the required A-G 15 courses must be completed by the end of their junior year (really time your application is submitted)

TOO FEW AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO GRADUATES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A 4-YEAR CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY

All Asian White African- American

Latino0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

35%

59%

41%27% 26%

39%

29%

43%

31% 41%

74%

89%83%

59%68%

High School and A-G Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 2009-10

High School Graduation RateHS Grads NOT Meeting A-G Re-quirements

Hig

h S

ch

ool G

rad

uati

on

Rate

ACADEMIC RIGOR

Colleges look at How difficult each student’s course load

is compared to academic options offered at school

Whether students keep up rigorous schedules and/or drop too many core classes as they go up in grades

Academic reputation of school Particular strength and exploration in

particular content areas

ACADEMIC RIGOR

SO…

Take the most challenging courses possible while keeping grades as high as possible.

Make a four year plan and make sure all your classes count.

Take honors and AP classes in stronger content areas if planning to apply to top colleges.

Continue to increase rigor in higher grades. Most colleges, including the UCs and Cal States,

do not accept Ds in any A-G classes. Do not drop core content in junior or senior year. Use summers for advancement and enrichment,

not just for fulfilling high school graduation requirements.

Understand that colleges will compare student academic choices to those offered at school.

If foreign language is a struggle, consider sign language. One year at community college equals two years for CSU and UCs and many colleges.

NEW UC Admissions policies…

1. California students are guaranteed admission if: You rank in the top 9 percent of California high school students, according to our To see the index, http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/california-residents/admissions-index/index.html

2. You rank in the top 9% of students at your high school. We refer to this as "Eligible in the Local Context" (ELC).

Academic Advancement If you run out of classes at your high school, take

classes at your local community colleges. High school students get AP credit for these classes. Taking advanced classes impresses colleges, and they are free (except for fees and books). If you have time, also take community college or state university classes in areas that interest you such as Psychology or Art History. Consider taking English 101 to enhance your reading and writing skills.

Note community colleges are cutting back so sign up as early as you can or look to take classes at local four year university.

Find other academic programs, such the California State Summer School for the Arts or Otis’s Summer Art Progra

http://www.csssa.org/http://www.otis.edu/summer-art

Free online classes through MIT and Stanford. If you need to retake a class because of a low

grade, consider Brigham Young online or National Virtual University High School Please clear low grades early. Don't wait until your senior year. Get this approved from your school first.

http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/highschool.cfmhttp://www.nuvhs.org/

UC A-G Guide

http://www.ucop.edu/agguide/

Making Up Classes

Take classes through adult schools. Take classes through summer school. Take classes by adding another class to school year

schedule. Take classes online. Some free or very low cost providers of online

classes-Check at your high school.

Validation

Validation occurs to help with certain math and foreign language issues.

If you’re not sure, check this website. http

://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/q-and-a/validation/

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/CC11_SatisfyingA-G_final.pdf

Validation

Sample Transcript

http://collegetools.berkeley.edu/popups/transcript_mrkd.htm

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

1. UC admissions fact sheets

http://www.ucop.edu/news/studstaff.html 2. College Board-SAT

http://www.collegeboard.com 3. ACThttp://www.actstudent.org 4. My Websitehttp://www.getmetocollege.org/hs5. National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) http://www.nacacnet.org/StudentResources/CollegePrep/Pages/default.aspx

COLLEGE READINESS IS

NOT A GAME!

TO LEARN MORE

Email rjoseph@calstatela.edu

Phone 323-646-5759

Facebook Getmetocollege Freeadvice

Iphone/Ipad/Google application All College Application Essays

Twitter @getmetocollege

Website getmetocollege.org/hs (focus on first

generation and under-represented students)