A: The web site is available at https://doorways.ucop.edu/update/. It can be used at any time from mid January to the beginning of October to submit updates for the upcoming year. The new submission site now allows updates to be individually submitted throughout the cycle until the site closes without having to wait for UC's response. *Since the University reviews submissions on a first come first serve basis, early submissions will allow time for revisions. Please do your best to coordinate with others at the school site and district so that you can avoid multiple submissions.
A: In mid-November of each year, the User ID and password is sent to the principal and the college counselor, along with the annual mailing from UC requesting that schools update their course lists for coming academic year. In addition, a User ID and password is sent to the district secondary curriculum coordinator. If you cannot find your school's User ID and password, feel free to e-mail us or call us at (510) 987-9570.
A: Yes, yes, yes. The online course list update system is the only way to submit updates; it is easier and faster (than the old hard copy submission process) for both schools and UC. Each year we make enhancements that make the site even more efficient and user-friendly.
A: Yes. In recent years, over 99% of all course list updates were submitted online. UC has heard only very positive feedback about how easy and straight-forward it is.
A: Start-up charter schools wishing to establish an "a-g" course list should follow the same procedures as other new schools. These procedures are described in the letter from Director of Admissions Susan A. Wilbur, downloadable from this site.
Conversion charter schools are handled differently because they typically open with 12th graders who may be applying to the University. UC typically allows conversion charter schools to retain their old "a-g" course list for a year or two until they are able to become WASC-accredited (or a candidate) and establish their own "a-g" course list. However, conversion charter schools should notify UC immediately once the charter agreement is authorized by the district, county or state board of education so that UC high school articulation staff is aware of the conversion and can ensure that their Seniors are not disadvantaged in the application and admission process.
A: No. Since charter schools have substantial autonomy to design and offer courses that differ from those courses offered at other schools in the district, charter schools are required to submit complete outlines/course descriptions for all courses that are being considered for UC approval.
A: As UC eligibility and admission is based partially on grade point average (GPA), students must receive letter grades for all "a-g" approved courses. UC campuses do not request, nor review narrative evaluations for students.
A: UC faculty has established clear guidelines that indicate the coursework students are expected to complete in order to be prepared to succeed at the University of California. The course requirements are divided by subject area ("a-g" requirements). Schools are free to offer curriculum in whatever format they feel is appropriate, but students will ultimately be expected to demonstrate completion of the "a-g" subject area requirements to be eligible for admissions. Some charter schools have successfully presented their non-traditional curriculum to UC for "a-g" course approval. (See project-based course resources.)
A: The UC course approval process focuses primarily on course content rather than instructional methods. Internships and service-learning are instructional strategies used to help students access, understand, and master the course content. Thus, UC approval for a course would be determined by the content covered, independent of the internship or service-learning project that may supplement and/or enhance the content of the course. Thus, such learning experiences are not granted credit as a unique experience apart from approved course credit and/or curriculum.
A: When students apply to UC, they self-report all UC-approved coursework completed at both secondary and post-secondary institutions. Thus, students who complete coursework at a local community college or university must report those courses on their application. UC-transferable California community college courses are listed on the ASSIST web site. Many of these courses can be used to fulfill the "a-g" subject area requirements. Even if high school seniors have a large number of units from community college coursework, they would still apply as freshmen, not transfers.
A: No, we do not include community college courses on a high school's course list. Those courses are entered in a separate section of the student's application form.
A: Yes. Usually a 3-unit community college course equals 1 year of high school credits. There is also an exception in English and math for transferable courses to clear high school subject requirements. In the English area, to clear the first 3 years of high school credits, the college course does not have to transfer, but to clear 12th grade English, the course does have to transfer to UC. Also, in math, college courses in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II,and Trigonometry do not transfer to the University, but these course can be taken and used to clear high school subject credits. Courses that do not transfer to the University can clear subject deficiencies, but will not receive the additional honors credits. For a list of UC-transferable community college courses, go to the ASSIST web site.
A: Yes. According to a July 2002 policy clarification, students can take any UC-transferable 3-semester unit (or 4-quarter unit) community college or university level VPA course to meet the VPA eligibility requirement, as long as it clearly falls within one of the four disciplines of VPA (music, dance, theatre, visual arts). Students, counselors, and others can go to www.assist.org to find out which courses are transferable.
A: When students apply to UC, they self-report all UC-approved coursework completed at both secondary and post-secondary institutions. Thus, students who complete coursework at a local community college or university must report those courses on their application. UC-transferable California community college courses are listed on the ASSIST web site. Many of these courses can be used to fulfill the "a-g" subject area requirements. Even if high school seniors have a large number of units from community college coursework, they would still apply as freshmen, not transfers.
A: Yes, a course(s) *that was previously not approved can be "resubmitted" however, it must be added as a "new course" given that UC expects you to address the reasons for the denial by revising the entire course outline. Before "re-submitting" a course, we recommend that you consult the helpful hints portion of this web site and review the non-approved course descriptions to understand the reasons why courses are typically not approved.
A: The Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) is a committee of the UC Faculty Senate that is charged with setting policy for high school and community college student eligibility and admissions.
A: The BOARS Committee has twelve (12) members, one faculty member from each of the ten (10) UC campuses, and a Chair and Vice Chair. Each member serves a two-year term, which is renewable. Faculty members represents diverse disciplines, from mathematics to performance arts, and a range of experience on BOARS, from one to 10+ years.
A: BOARS establishes the policy and Susan Wilbur (Director of Undergraduate Admissions) and her staff implement that policy. Susan works closely with BOARS to clarify, interpret or raise policy questions when they arise.
A: All online submissions come into the UC administrative side of the "a-g" online web site where they are placed in a queue in the order received. Several UC articulation staff members review these submissions on a first-come, first-served basis. If the initial reviewer has questions about a course, she consults the with others. If further evaluation is required, the course is brought to the entire articulation staff who meet weekly. Finally, in some instances, when articulation staff cannot determine acceptability of a course, course descriptions may be sent to a UC faculty member for further analysis. For the 2008-2009 update cycle, outlines that are submitted for visual and performing arts ("f") approval will be reviewed by two reviewers. The first reviewer will be a visual and performing arts expert from the Office of the President, and the second reviewer will be a subject matter expert, usually a visual and performing arts teacher. If further evaluation is needed then a Committee or UC art faculty professor will determine the acceptability of the course.
A: As a course comes into UCOP, it is reviewed by Undergraduate Admissions staff and then by the subject expert, both reviewers will look at the entire course description/outline. They look particularly at the academic rigor of the course, which includes the number and level of pre-requisites, the level of student work required, how the subject specific questions were addressed, the depth of the key assignments, etc. Based on these criteria and others (see Course Evaluation Checklists), each reviewer will independently determine if a course can be approved based on faculty's guidelines. A “Checklist for Course Review and Feedback” is sent back to the school, including the teacher of the course, for each and every course that is not approved, indicating criteria that were not met.
A: Some courses take longer to review due to volume or subject area. Literally thousands of new courses are submitted each year and it takes time to conscientiously review them all. Generally the review process will take from 2 - 3 months. In some cases, the course description is sent for review to the Reviewers' Committee or to a UC professor for further analysis. These extra steps can add weeks or months to the review timeline.
Beginning several years ago, we noticed that some emails notifying schools about UC decisions on submissions were being returned. We believe that those schools' mail servers were blocking them as possible spam.
On the home page of the update site, schools can check the status of a course by clicking on either "Courses in Progress", "Courses in Review", "Results" or "Find Submissions" to learn about the outcome of the course.
A: Each school and district should have a process established for submission of courses to UC. The principal is considered by UC to be the certifying agent for the school. However, an assistant principal or head counselor from a school site, or a curriculum coordinator from the district, may be designated for this responsibility. It is essential that teachers go through proper channels for course submission, as delineated by the school/district. UC prefers to have a single point person from each school/district.
A: If you are offering a course that is identical (i.e., same course content, text, student expectations, etc.) to a course already approved at another school in your district, then you can simply request to have it added to your course list without submitting to UC a complete course description. UC expects the submitting school to use the exact same course title. When you do so, please tell us which school has already received approval.
A: Schools should submit new course descriptions that present in detail courses as their instructors will teach them, for their own particular students and their own particular circumstances. The words "for reference only" appear as a reminder to schools that posted course descriptions--examples of courses that have been approved by UC--have been made available as a curriculum resource for illustrative purposes only. Descriptions that merely copy those of others will not be approved.
A: No. On November 22, 2002, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) committee of the UC Faculty Senate approved a policy that allows only WASC-accredited public or private schools to establish "a-g" course lists. However, in articulating this policy, the faculty stated their interest in receiving applications from well qualified, home-schooled students, and emphasized that alternative paths to UC eligibility and admissions are available to these students. For details about this, see the next two questions below.
UC Riverside has developed an admission program for homeschooled or other nontraditionally-educated students in recognition of the benefits of the education they have received, including the depth of learning, socialization, maturity, creativity, and vision. For more details, visit http://my.ucr.edu/prospective/nontraditional.aspx.
A: A student who does not follow a traditional path to UC eligibility or does not meet the Subject and Scholarship requirements may become Eligible by Examination Alone. If a student meets the eligibility criteria articulated below, he/she becomes statewide eligible (i.e., eligible to all UC campuses). However, eligibility simply means that the student is guaranteed a spot in the system, not necessarily at the campus of his/her choice.
Students may qualify for admission to the University by earning high scores on the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test, and two SAT Subject Tests. To qualify this way, one must achieve a minimum UC Score Total--calculated according to the Eligibility Index instructions--of 410 (425 for nonresidents). In addition, the student
must earn a minimum UC Score of 63 on each component of the ACT or SAT Reasoning Test and on each SAT Subject Test. Applicants may not use an SAT Subject Test to meet these requirements if they have completed a transferable college course in that subject with a grade of C or better.
A student cannot qualify for this path if she has completed 12 or more units of transferable coursework at a college or university after high school, or if she has taken transferable college courses in any subject covered by the SAT Subject Tests.
An applicant who is currently attending high school may qualify for admission to the University by examination alone without completing his or her high school program.
A: Yes. Students who do not meet the Eligibility by Examination Alone criteria in order to become statewide eligible (to all UC campuses), may still apply to the University and hope to be admitted by exception. To do so, students should do everything possible to demonstrate subject matter competency in each of the "a-g" subject areas by taking SAT II subject area exams and/or community college courses. They should also take the SAT Reasoning or ACT exam. In their applications, students should demonstrate other skills and strengths, whether in leadership, community service, athletics, the arts, or other areas.
A: Yes. If an AP or IB course is assigned a title that is different from the standard/expected one, it is sometimes quite difficult for UC to determine (1) if it is truly AP or IB course, and (2) which AP or IB course students are completing. For example, "AP Spanish" does not clearly indicated whether the course is "Spanish Language" or "Spanish Literature." Similarly, "IB Math" does not communicate which of the five IB mathematics courses are offered to/taken by students. UC is very familiar with the AP and IB curricula and automatically accepts all AP courses and most IB courses, but if the titles are not consistent with the standard/expected ones, the courses may not be approved.
A: The UC College Prep Online (UCCP) provides online services for Advanced Placement, honors and other college preparatory courses to fill existing curriculum gaps in eligible California high schools. More information about the program can be found at http://www.uccp.org or call toll-free (866) 482-7737.
A: The University assigns extra weight to grades received in honors level courses to encourage students to undertake more challenging work at the advanced secondary level. The University uses a specific and narrow definition of honors level work, which often differs from honors programs offered by high schools. Acceptable UC certified honors level courses are specialized college level courses -- such as those offered through the Advanced Placement program -- normally offered to students in grades 11 and 12. The University does not certify 9th and 10th grade level courses as honors because they do not meet these requirements. The University expects students to complete core courses before undertaking advanced, specialized college level work.
A: Yes. As long as the honors courses meet the criteria for "honors status," schools are allowed to have 1 unit (UC equivalent to a full year) of honors courses listed in each subject area of the school's "a-g" course list.
A: No. As long as the school follows the standard College Board curriculum (for AP courses) or the International Baccalaureate curriculum (for IB courses), UC automatically accepts all UC-approved AP, that have passed the AP audit process, and IB courses for UC Honors credit. No course description or other documentation is required. Simply add the standard approved course title to your course list and submit the update as you normally would. Indicate AP or IB at the end of the course title.
A. As explained below these bills no longer have any impact on honors weight:
AB 458 (Pacheco) was signed into law on September 29, 2001. It stipulated that, when calculating a student's GPA, schools are prohibited from assigning extra grade weighting to honors courses that UC has not approved as "UC honors level."
AB 2657 (Bogh) was an amendment to AB 458 that was passed by the legislature and enacted into law on 6/4/02. It provided school districts with more time to implement AB 458. Neither of these bills affected UC policy on "honors level" courses.
However, in 2003, SB 801 (Vasconcelos) repeals both AB 458 and AB 2657, invalidating both.
A: In recent years, there has been confusion about the designation of UC honors status for IB courses. In June 2003, the BOARS committee reviewed all IB curriculum guides and compared them to AP curriculum guides. The resulting honors designations can be viewed on the "a-g" course list web site by searching for "International Baccalaureate."
UC has requested that IB schools make adjustments to their "a-g" course lists to accurately reflect current policy.
A: As a general rule, the second year of the HL sequence (12th grade) will receive the weighted grade point. UC faculty and staff are aware that students would prefer to receive the weighted grade point in the 11th grade, but this seemed illogical to faculty. The faculty did offer the provision that would allow IB schools that believe that the first year is more academically rigorous and should be granted honors status instead of the second year to submit to UC their version of the IB course description requesting a shift in honors designation from the second year to the first. Such submissions will be reviewed for approval by faculty. This rule will be in effect for students entering the University in Fall 2006.
A: Because this course curriculum is not as well defined as others, and there is sufficient variation in curriculum and student expectations from school to school, the UC faculty has determined that UC may grant honors credit for the TOK course on a case-by-case basis, but each IB school seeking honors status for TOK must submit for review and approval their unique course description before a judgment is made.
A: Yes, in fact all of the campuses have now established course equivalencies for IB Higher Level exams. These equivalencies are now available on the University of California admissions web pages.
A: At their December 2002 meeting, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) established a policy that requires both public and private schools to be either WASC candidates or WASC accredited in order to establish a course list. It is advised that new schools begin the process for WASC accreditation as early as feasible. To file for “candidacy status” for accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), contact Christine Lunny or Marsha Carroll at (650) 696-1060.
A: A new school does not need to establish an "a-g" course list until they have an entering Junior Class. So, following the standard timeline for updating course lists, a new school should submit course descriptions/outlines prior to the September that they expect to have entering Juniors. However, before submitting the request to establish a course list, schools must:
contact The College Board to request a College Board code (see next FAQ for further information),
begin the process to become WASC accredited (see the previous FAQ for further information), and
A: To request a school code from the College Board, an institution must: (1) teach at least through the 10th grade, or provide evidence that a 10th grade will be added within the next 12 months; (2) have a course of study that leads to a diploma or GED; and (3) have a minimum of 10 students enrolled in grades 9-12. To request the necessary form, schools can either call the College Board in New Jersey, at (609)771-7091, send a request by fax to (609) 771-7766, or send an email request to the College Board.
A. Yes, the procedure for establishing a course list for non-site based schools is the same as it is for site-based schools. UC faculty has approved a policy that enables non-site based independent study schools to establish a course list. This policy applies to any public or private high school in which at least half of the students receive 80 percent of their instruction off campus. The New School Survey Form which is required to be completed by all schools has additional questions for non-site based independent study schools to answer.
A: First, UC asks that schools complete the New School Survey and return it to UC by September 1. Based on that information, UC staff will determine if the school is eligible to establish a list. If/when you receive positive response, you should can begin to compile your list, using the "course description template" available on this web site to develop course descriptions that thoroughly describe the course content and student expectations. The update site opens in mid January and closes the beginning of October, at which time the "a-g" Online Update web site closes to prepare for the upcoming submission cycle.
A: Yes. When a new school establishes an "a-g" course list, UC replicates that list retroactively for several years such that there exists a course list for each year that the first graduating class attended the school.
A: No. UC-approved '"a-g"' course lists are established only by diploma-granting high schools in California for use by students when they apply to UC (and CSU) and by admissions officers in evaluating the students' applications. It is the school board from the diplom"a-g"ranting institution/district that bears the responsibility to authorize that all state requirements have been met by those students receiving diplomas. Thus, only those institutions may establish "a-g" course lists for their students.
A: UC faculty has established a policy that will more clearly define the types of online courses and the learning conditions under which these courses will be approved. Until the policy is fully implemented the prevailing practices, as described in the questions below, will be continued.
Q: What online providers have been approved by UC?
A: As of Spring 2008, Cyber High School, UCCP, UCCP/UCI Extension, and National University Virtual High School have been approved as online providers. The University is working with many other providers and hopes to approve many more providers as soon as possible.
A: There are two ways in which UC may accept online courses taken by students for purposes of UC admissions.
1. Currently only UCCP, UCCP/UCI Extension, and Cyber High School have UC approved online courses. To add these approved courses to the school's "a-g" course list, a school does NOT need to submit a course description. Instead, they can simply add the pre-approved courses to their UC-approved course list during the regular update cycle. Note that all providers have requirements for participation. To learn more, go to the respective UCCP and PASS/Cyber High web sites.
2. UC will continue to honor online courses offered by other providers if, and only if, the high school principal certifies that the course is comparable to other college preparatory courses offered at the school site. The principal demonstrates his/her certification by listing the course on the student's transcript, including the institution/provider through which the course was taken, the number of units, and the grade(s). When the principal certifies an online course, UC expects that he/she (or an appropriate designee) has reviewed the curriculum and determined that it is comparable to other college prep curriculum at the school. Online courses taken through providers other than UC approved providers should not and cannot be added to the school's "a-g" course list.
A: No. Online lab science courses will not be approved unless they include a supervised wet lab component. Since UC has not seen computer software that adequately replicates the laboratory experience, computer simulated labs will not be acceptable.
Online visual and performing arts (VPA) courses will not be approved because it is difficult for students taking online courses to experience the required performance component of performance arts courses and/or replicate the expected portfolio component of visual arts courses.
A: In order for UC to grant credit toward UC eligibility/admissions for online courses, the high school must grant course credit toward graduation and assign a grade (or honor the grade assigned by the online provider). Both credits and grade must appear on the student transcript.
A: UC faculty is most concerned that schools allowing students to use online curriculum provide an on-site mentor/supervisor to support those students. Further, they recommend that the school or district fully consider the infrastructure and support services necessary to assure success for students taking online courses. UC faculty and staff recommend that high school leaders refer to guidelines [MS Word] from the California Department of Education (AB 294) and implement these practices and policies, as appropriate.
A: There is no official UC recommendation regarding how to treat this situation, however one creative solution used by some schools is to post the course, along with credits, on the student's transcript, but list a grade of "Pass", rather than a letter grade. UC does not accept pass/fail grades, and thus would not allow the course to satisfy any of the "a-g" requirements.
New Online Policy
Implementation
Q: When will the new online policy be implemented?
A: The University continues to implement the new online course policy. As of spring 2008, Cyber High School, UCCP, UCCP/UCI Extension, and National University Virtual High School have been approved as online providers. The University is working with many other providers and hopes to approve many more providers as soon as possible. Once providers have been approved, they will submit courses for approval and an "a-g" course list will be established for the provider. After that students will be able to take approved courses taken that year and in subsequent years.
Q: Does the new online policy allow for "Partnerships" between a curriculum provider and a school/district/organization?
A. Yes, faculty recently expanded the new online course provider policy to allow for the formation of partnerships. The full text of the online course policy and partnership application can be found on this site.
Q: Until online providers have been approved with a course list, what online courses will be accepted as satisfying the a-g requirements?
A: Until the policy is fully implemented, the previous (status quo) policy will remain in effect. That policy allows students to take UCCP, UCCP/UCI Extension, and Cyber High courses listed on those programs’ Doorways course lists (see https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/) or any other online course offered by another provider as long as it is certified by the high school principal as comparable to other college prep courses offered by the school. The principal certifies a course by allowing it to be listed on the students’ transcript along with credits and grades. Online courses in lab science and VPA cannot be used to satisfy "a-g" requirements.
Q:How long will it take for UC to begin approving online courses?
A: We anticipate that approving online courses will take considerable time.
Q:What guarantee will students, parents, and schools have that the approved courses are quality ones?
A: The online policy is well-researched and is comprehensive. The criteria that online providers must meet include a 5-page list of detailed items that range from quality of curriculum and instruction to provision of technical and student support services. UC has intentionally set a high bar for online providers to ensure a high quality of online instruction. Individual courses will be evaluated against the same criteria as classroom-based courses that are approved to satisfy the "a-g" subject requirements.
Science and VPA courses
Q:Under the new policy, will online lab science and visual & performing arts courses be accepted?
A: No, not for the time being, but the policy is flexible and would allow for that future eventuality. However, UCCP lab science courses will continue to be accepted because they require an on-site wet lab component for all science courses.
Q:Why are other online science courses not acceptable?
A: UC faculty considers the experimentation process a critical component of any laboratory science course because it brings the scientific process to life. Although online labs have been created by several online providers, UC faculty is not convinced that they adequately replicate the wet lab experience.
Q:Why are online visual and performing arts courses not acceptable?
A: Similarly, UC faculty believes that performance is a necessary component of any performance arts course. Whether it is a course in band, choir, drama, dance, or painting/drawing the immediate feedback and coaching of an instructor (e.g., adjusting the toe point of a dancer, correcting the musical intonation of a student musician, advising greater voice projection for a student actor, or demonstrating correct technique for a student artist) is a critical and necessary component of any course.
Course Lists and the Application Process
Q:Must schools list on their Doorways "a-g" course list any and all online courses taken by students?
A: No, not in most cases. Because online courses generally are offered by another educational institution and may be taken by individual students rather than a cohort of students from year to year, it is not necessary to list these courses on the schools’ "a-g" course lists. UC admissions staff on each of the campuses will refer to the Doorways "a-g" course list of each individual online provider to determine if a course taken by a student satisfies the "a-g" requirements.
Q:In which cases should schools add an online course to their "a-g" course list?
A: In some schools, a teacher offers the same course in two modalities – in the classroom and online. In this case, because it is a school-developed online course and the online curriculum (typically) is identical to the classroom curriculum, it should be listed on the school’s "a-g" course list, either as a distinct course or simply a different transcript abbreviation.
Q:How will students report online courses when they apply to the University?
A: On the online application, students will list each online provider as a separate institution at which they took classes. For example, a student may have completed courses at her home high school, a local community college, and through two online providers. She would list "a-g" approved courses for each of the four educational institutions.
Other Questions
Q:Will UC continue to accept online courses offered by California Community Colleges?
A: Yes, UC has a separate articulation policy and process for articulating community college courses. Since the current policy guiding acceptance of online courses to satisfy the "a-g" requirements is silent regarding community college courses, UC will continue to accept those courses, as we have in the past, as long as they are listed on the ASSIST web site (at www.assist.org) as UC transferable, are of 3 semester or 4 quarter units, and fall cleanly within one of the "a-g" subject areas.
Q:Will CSU follow the same online policy as it pertains to acceptance of "a-g" courses?
A: CSU's Admissions Advisory Committee has reviewed the policy and will make an official statement in Spring 2007.
A: Please consult UC as early as possible. Doing so will facilitate the process of adjusting or creating UC-certified course lists for the small learning communities. It will also reduce any potential complications when your students apply to UC. You can call or e-mail our Help Line at (510) 987-9570 or hsupdate@ucop.edu. After reading the FAQs below, if you determine that you are expected to create a new UC-certified course list for each small learning community/school, then you should complete the New School Survey available on this site.
A: It depends. The formation and configuration of these schools varies.
Some large comprehensive high schools subdivide into several small, thematic academies or houses, but continue to share common administrators, elective courses, athletic teams, and extra-curricular activities, as if it were still a single, large high school. In this case, UC would imagine that the school would maintain a single CDS code, College Board Code, operate under a single WASC accreditation, and share the same UC-certified "a-g" course list. In this scenario, there is no need to change the status quo.
Some large comprehensive high schools break up into several distinct, autonomous small schools that plan to operate independently, even if they share a common facility (often a former high school). In this case, the small learning communities/schools typically request their own CDS code from the California Department of Education , request their own College Board Code (or ATP code) from the College Board, seek WASC accreditation (or candidacy) as a new school, and create their own "a-g" course list. This would be expected.
A: If the new school(s) will have Seniors during their first year of operation, UC typically allows the school to maintain its old list (from the comprehensive high school) for a year or two until the school is able to become WASC accredited (or a candidate) and establish its own "a-g" course list. If the new school(s) will begin with only 9th and 10th graders, then UC typically expects the school(s) to become WASC accredited (or a candidate) and establish its own "a-g" course list prior to graduating its first class.
A: Yes, schools of all sizes are accredited. WASC encourages small schools to modify the suggested model self-study process as long as the school adheres to the outcomes or parameters of a quality self-study. These are listed below:
1. The involvement and collaboration of all staff and other shareholders to support student achievement;
2. The clarification and measurement of what all students should know, understand, and be able to do through schoolwide student goals (expected schoolwide learning results);
3. The gathering and analyzing of data about students and student achievement;
4. The assessment of the entire school program and its impact on student learning in relation to expected schoolwide learning results, academic standards, and the WASC criteria; and
5. The alignment of a long-range action plan to the school's areas of need; the development and implementation of an accountability system for monitoring the accomplishment of the plan
Many small schools conduct the self-study process and ongoing analysis of action plan progress as a committee of the whole. During the self-study process schools concentrate on one criteria category for a determined time period and then move to the other criteria. Usually, schools work with curriculum, instruction, and assessment initially as much information is gleaned that can be used in examination of the other programmatic areas.
A: Usually, the reasons for denial are due to the fact that the course description does not deliberately address all five component strands of the state VPA standards reported in the guidelines. To review the VPA standards, go to this CDE URL: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp.
A: Yes. Students must be exposed to one year of VPA course content in the same arts discipline (i.e., drama, dance, music, visual arts) regardless of which year the first and second semesters are taken, but the semesters must be taken in sequence.
A: In coordination with the full implementation of the VPA policy, UC articulation staff has moved and/or removed all semester VPA courses from the "f" VPA area, as they no longer satisfy the requirement. Advanced semester VPA courses were moved to the "g" elective area, and introductory semester VPA courses were removed from "a-g" course lists altogether.
A: Yes. According to a July 2002 policy clarification, students can take any UC-transferable 3-semester unit (or 4-quarter unit) community college or university level VPA course to meet the VPA eligibility requirement, as long as it clearly falls within one of the four disciplines of VPA (music, dance, theatre, visual arts). Students, counselors, and others can go to http://www.assist.org to find out which courses are transferable.
A: As a general rule, no. These courses are often acceptable as English elective courses in the "g" area, but generally do not adequately address the five strands of the state VPA framework.
A: No. However, at the discretion of the teacher and school/district policy, private study of the arts may be used as an appropriate prerequisite for placement in advanced or honors courses in the arts.
A: Yes, an honors policy for VPA was approved by the BOARS committee in July 2002. The policy defines the criteria for certain, advanced level VPA courses to be accepted for UC honors status. Acceptable honors courses include AP, IB, and college courses, as well as other honors courses that meet both the general and discipline-specific criteria.
A: UC faculty expects that the intent of approved VPA courses must be directed at acquiring concepts, knowledge and skills in the arts disciplines, rather than to utilizing artistic activities to fulfill non-artistic course objectives. Often, design type courses (architectural, graphic, floral, interior, fashion, et cetera), including photography, video production and animation courses focus more on the technical aspects of these disciplines, rather than the "art." To be acceptable, such courses must focus significantly on the fundamental elements of art and principles of design, adequately cover the historical/cultural context, allow ample opportunity for students to critique art (self, peer, or professional-produced), and make connections to other art forms, subject areas, and/or career opportunities. To support schools in developing design area courses, UC and The California Arts Project (TCAP) have developed Design Course Resources that can be accessed on this site.
A: UC guidelines indicate that the second semester grade of the first year, and the second semester grade of the second year will be used in the GPA calculation.
A: UC accepts at face value that which is placed on the student transcript. This is a local school issue and should be discussed with the principal or other appropriate persons.
A: Yes. 9th grade courses can be accepted IF the high school principal validates the course as comparable to the parallel high school course. Generally, the high school will list the 9th grade courses (that are validated by the principal) on the high school transcript. This manner of recording courses simplifies things for the student and for UC. It does not matter if grades are recorded because UC does not use Freshman grades in its GPA calculation.
A: The blue diamond simply indicates that the course can only be used to fulfill the subject area requirement (i.e., math, LOTE or VPA), and cannot be used to meet the "g" elective requirement. These include only beginning level courses (i.e., algebra I, geometry, and algebra II courses; 1st year language courses; beginning VPA courses).
A: No. This is an eligibility requirement for the California State University (CSU) system, not UC. To be UC eligible, students must take two of the three fundamental sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, or an approved three-year integreated science sequence. It is acceptable for students to take physics and chemistry, two physical sciences. We have been informed that some school districts require students to take one life science and one physical science as a graduation requirement. In those cases, students should be advised to take a sequence of science courses that will meet both the district graduation requirements and UC eligibility requirements (i.e., biology and chemistry, or biology and physics).
A: UC policy allows a Language other than English course taken at another institution to satisfy the language other than English requirement if the principal of the high school with an approved "a-g" course list certifies that the course is equivalent to a comparable high school course in the same area. The high school must list on the student transcript the name of the other institution, the course title, the grade and the number of units in order for the University to grant credit for the course. The language course would not appear on the schools' "a-g" course list, nor would it be considered as a UC reviewed and sanctioned course. Only courses that are taught or teacher guided at a particular high school can be listed on a school's "a-g" course list. This policy only applies to the Language Other than English ('e') category. If the high school principal does NOT certify the language course(s) taken at a language school, then the student may still meet the UC subject area requirement by taking and receiving an acceptable score on the related SAT Subject Test or Advanced Placement exam. Acceptable scores for SAT Subject Test can be found in UC's Quick Reference for Counselors.
A: As a general rule, students can use only one year of UC-approved ELD/ESL/SDAIE or Sheltered English coursework to meet their 4-year English requirement for UC eligibility. This assumes that the course curriculum is different from the standard English curriculum. However, if a SDAIE or Sheltered English course is identical to a college prep English course, say English 10, then the SDAIE or Sheltered English course can and should be listed simply as an alternative transcript abbreviation (rather than a separate course) on the school's course list. In this case there would be no limit. To make this example as concrete as possible, a student could take a UC-approved Advanced ELD course in 9th grade (that is, CELDT level 4 or 5) as her one year of allowable ESL/ELD/Sheltered/SDAIE coursework, then take Sheltered English 10 in 10th grade (as long as it is identical to the regular English 10 and simply listed as an alternative transcript abbreviation and not a different course) and then continue on to regular or honors English 11 and 12 courses.
A: Courses taken at any of the following types of institutions and/or programs are treated in a similar manner:
non-WASC accredited California high schools
WASC-accredited high schools that have not established a UC-certified "a-g" course list
university extension programs
language schools
online providers (other than UCCP and Cyber High)
foreign exchange programs
supplemental learning centers
In order for coursework completed at any of the above types of institutions/programs to be recognized by UC in the application and admissions process, the principal of the student's home high school must certify that the course is comparable to other college preparatory courses offered at the high school. UC expects that such 'certification' follows a careful review of the curriculum and/or testing of ability level by the principal, department chair, district curriculum director, or other qualified school/district personnel. The principal designates his/her certification by granting permission for the course to be listed on the student's transcript, along with credits granted and grades earned.
Of course, "a-g" approved coursework taken at other WASC-accredited California high schools also may be used to satisfy UC/CSU eligibility requirements.
