Choosing the Right Course: College Prep, Career Tech or Both?

Often, college preparatory education and career technical education (CTE) are perceived as having incompatible, if not competing, agendas. But a growing number of students, parents and educators are discovering that completing both academic and career-technical courses is both valuable and possible.

Most high school counselors advise their students to complete the “a-g” requirements so that all options remain open to them. Yet, Claudio Perez, a counselor at Kerman High School (Fresno County), tells his students to enroll in advanced vocational/technical or fine art classes along with all the “a-g” and honors classes his school offers.

“Students emphasizing vocational/technical classes will find more opportunities if they complete ‘a-g’ classes, especially in math, English and science,” says Perez, “and students who want to enroll in four-year colleges will be more well-rounded if they take some career-technical classes.”

Expectations for college and career are merging, according to Sacramento Unified School District Associate Superintendent for High Schools Richard Owen.

“The distinction between college prep and non-college prep should stop,” says Owen. “The college preparatory curriculum now is a curriculum for the workplace, so while every kid is not going to go to college, every kid ought to be prepared to go to college.”

Increased Rigor
The University of California, California Department of Education (CDE), Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) and other groups have been working together to promote increased academic rigor in career-technical courses — effectively integrating rigor and relevance to create career-technical courses that also meet the “a-g” requirements.

A recent CDE analysis showed that since 1983 UC has approved 3,336 career-technical courses that meet “a-g” requirements in 890 public comprehensive high schools. These include many courses in agriculture (e.g., Agriculture Biology, Agriculture Economics and Veterinary Science) and visual arts/design (e.g., Photography and Filmmaking), as well as a handful of courses in business economics, health/medical sciences and other areas.

When schools are able to gain “a-g” approval for their CTE courses, it is easier for students to prepare simultaneously for college and careers.

“While integrating state academic standards into Career Technical Education curriculum is not the only answer to helping reform our high schools, it is an important piece of the puzzle in helping students and schools perform at higher levels,” says Ron Fox, administrator of CDE’s Intersegmental Relations Office.

Schedule Options
Another encouraging trend is that high schools are making it easier for students to pursue college and career preparation simultaneously. Over the last decade, schools have been shifting away from the traditional six-period day to more flexible block schedules that allow students to take up to eight courses per year.

When San Lorenzo’s Arroyo High School changed to a 4x4 block schedule, it allowed the school to merge its college prep and career prep programs. Students can now take 32 different classes and add career technical courses without shortchanging the “a-g” course pattern, according to counselor Donna Pinkney.

“We’ve got the best of both worlds and our college-going rate is higher than ever,” says Pinkney.

At schools with more traditional schedules, students are often encouraged to take community college or online courses to expand their options.

“Often our most competitive students are enhancing their academic records with UC-transferable courses at the community college,” says Mary Dillon, a counselor at Torrance High School, where students are limited to a six- or seven-period day. “It is really challenging to include tech courses for most academically competitive students. If the student happens to be active in student government, newspaper, yearbook, the arts or athletics, it makes it that much more difficult.”

Pathways and Academies
Some career pathways, academies and magnet schools around California expect or require students to complete a career-technical sequence of courses in addition to their “a-g” course requirements.

At Nogales High School in La Puente (Los Angeles County), all students are required to take at least two electives within a chosen pathway. Available pathways include the International Baccalaureate as well as several award-winning certificate programs.

“Many of our certificate students have managed to combine ‘a-g’ and the certificate requirements,” says Aida Sandoval, the school’s parent outreach coordinator. “We try and accommodate ‘a-g’ and rigorous certificate coursework with summer school classes to make everything fit.”

Personal Statement
UC Berkeley Acting Director of Admissions Mary Dubitzky acknowledges that if a student chooses CTE courses not approved by UC, he or she may appear to be less competitive than a classmate who selects only academic coursework. However, she notes that students who pursue CTE paths may take on leadership roles in student organizations, devote substantial time to community service and/or complete valuable internships — all of which would reflect positively and enhance their admission prospects during the comprehensive review process. Dubitzky encourages students to expand upon these learning experiences by discussing them in their personal statement when they apply. 

CTE/A-G Alignment
In the table below, the middle three columns demonstrate that if a student takes the 220 credits required for high school graduation, he or she can quite easily become minimally eligible for UC (by satisfying the pattern of 15 “a-g” courses) and take a sequence of career-technical courses. The final column shows that if a student is able to take a greater number of credits before graduation (i.e., 260 credits, by taking advantage of a block schedule, a seven- or eight-period day, summer school and/or college courses), he or she can become competitive for UC admissions by completing 20 or more UC-approved “a-g” courses and simultaneously complete a sequence of four CTE courses.

Alignment Between A-G Requirements and a Typical Career-Technical Education Sequence