Small Schools

Q: How and when should we inform UC about our plans to create small learning communities?

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 our HelpLine at (510) 987-9570 or . 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.

Q: Do small learning communities need to become accredited and establish their own UC-certified "a-g" course list?

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 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 accreditation (or candidacy) as a new school, and create their own "a-g" course list. This would be expected.

Q: What if the school will have Seniors during its first year of operation? How will we ensure that those students are UC eligible?

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 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 accredited (or a candidate) and establish its own "a-g" course list prior to graduating its first class.

Q: Does UC require very small schools to become accredited in order to establish a UC-certified "a-g" course list? If so, how does a school maximize limited resources to conduct the Focus on Learning process specific to WASC accreditation?

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:

The involvement and collaboration of all staff and other shareholders to support student achievement;
The clarification and measurement of what all students should know, understand, and be able to do through schoolwide student goals (expected schoolwide learning results);
The gathering and analyzing of data about students and student achievement;
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
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.