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a-g Guide
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MiscellaneousQ: Some students take Algebra over four semesters (two years). I understand that credit will be granted for only two semesters of work. Which two semesters will be used in the calculation of their GPA? 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. Q: Should courses that meet the "a-f" subject areas be repeated on the "g" (elective) list? A: No. Both UC student application evaluators and the Pathways database know to roll over any excess "a-f" courses to the elective area. Q: What happens with summer school courses that are titled the same as the regular courses but are not taught by permanent staff and do not follow the regular course curriculum taught during the regular school year? 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. Q: When 9th graders attend a separate school (i.e., middle school), can 9th grade courses meet UC approval? If so, how are those courses recorded? 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. Q: Is it acceptable for students to receive pass/fail grades in courses that meet the UC "a-g" requirements? A: No. According to the University's admission guidelines, all courses that are used to satisfy the subject requirements must have letter grades. Q: Why is there a blue diamond following some courses in the "c" (mathematics), "e" (Language other than English), and "f" (visual and performing arts) courses on our "a-g" course list? 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). Q: Do students need to complete one year of life science and one year of physical science? 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). Q: Can language courses taken away from the high school be used to meet the "e" Language Other than English subject requirement? 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. Q: Can students use only one SDAIE or Sheltered English class for admission to the UC? 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. Q: Can students use courses taken away from their home high school to meet the "a-g" requirements? A: Courses taken at any of the following types of institutions and/or programs are treated in a similar manner:
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 accredited California high schools also may be used to satisfy UC/CSU eligibility requirements. |
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