Alternative Schools
The faculty committee that oversees UC undergraduate admissions, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), has decided that alternative schools are not eligible to participate in the ELC program. Alternative schools are defined as those with 50 percent or more alternative enrollment. Alternative enrollment includes, but is not limited to, pregnant/parenting, community/experience-based, and continuation courses, as well as independent study schools.

Magnet programs and comprehensive public charter schools that are considered dependent charters within a public school district and have a UC-approved course list on file are not considered alternative schools for ELC participation purposes.

Small Learning Communities
Many schools are creating Small Learning Communities (SLCs), also known as schools within a school. These SLCs can be treated in one of two ways. If the schools are similar to magnet programs, where students take a specialized curriculum but, SLCs are considered one cohesive school, the high school should have one ATP code and submit to ELC as if the SLCs are magnet programs. If the students in the different SLCs are considered separate from students at other SLCs, the high school should have a separate ATP code for each school. ELC will then send a separate submission packet to each SLC.

ATP Codes
To participate in the ELC program, high schools must have an American Testing Program (ATP) code. The summer of 2005 was the last year in which a school could participate in ELC without having established an ATP code. Schools now must have an ATP code for student to be evaluated for ELC.

If your school does not have one, you can easily obtain an ATP code (also known as a high school code, an SAT code, a College Board code and a CEEB code) by calling either the College Board Code Control Department at (609) 771-7091 or the ACT general number at (319) 337-1000 and then asking for the Reporting Services Department. The ACT or College Board will send a form that you can return by fax. Within approximately one week, you will receive a telephone call with your ATP code, followed by a letter.

“A-G" Doorways Course Lists
To participate in the ELC program, schools must have a UC-approved Doorways course list. Schools without a Doorways course list for the class of 2008 (whose transcripts will be evaluated during the summer of 2007) will not be able to participate in ELC.

The University provides assistance in establishing a Doorways course list. To establish or update a course list, please visit Doorways.

The "a-g" course list plays a central role in ELC evaluation. Students will only be able to satisfy subject requirements with courses on the "a-g" list. If a student takes a required course that is not on the list, he or she may not be eligible in the local context or for UC admission. It is a great disappointment for students who have taken the required range of courses to discover that they are not eligible for the University of California because their courses are not on their high school's approved "a-g" list.

Magnet Programs
Magnet programs are defined as programs within a school that offer a distinctive curriculum based on a special theme or method of instruction. They attract students, on a voluntary basis, from beyond their attendance zone.

A school that has both a regular and a magnet component will be treated as two separate schools for ELC purposes. That is, the top 4 percent of the magnet program will be ELC eligible and the top 4 percent of the regular school will be ELC eligible. The students from the magnet program will only be competing against others in the magnet program, not against the whole school.

Some high schools assign class rankings for all magnet and regular program students in one pool. As a result, some magnet students will have a school ranking at the top of their class, but may not be identified as ELC students. This is because magnet and regular students are considered separately for ELC purposes. By separating the magnet and regular students, neighborhood students are not disadvantaged because their school attracts students from beyond the local area.

Schools are responsible for determining if any programs at their school qualify as magnet programs under the ELC definition. Schools are responsible for identifying students in their magnet program(s).

Whole-school magnet programs will be treated like non-magnet high schools, i.e., 4 percent of the entire expected graduating class will be designated as eligible in the local context, and there is no need to treat any group of students at this school separately.

Case Study: The 4 Percent Rule Applied to Sample High School

Sample High School has two magnet programs-the Zoo Magnet and the Highly Gifted Magnet. The total number of juniors in the school is 580 – 70 in the Zoo program, 60 in the Highly Gifted program, and 450 in the general program. Four percent of the expected graduating class is 24 students. If all Sample High students were considered together, the top 4 percent would consist of 20 students from the Highly Gifted program and 4 students from the Zoo and regular program. Instead, ELC will identify the top 4 percent of each program as follows:

• 18 out of 450 students in the general program
• 3 out of 70 students in the Zoo program
• 3 out of 60 students in the Highly Gifted program

It is important to note that the total number of students is the same in both cases, but that the distribution is different. The magnet students in each program compete among themselves and the general students likewise.