1. Navigating the Avenues of A-G CSU/UC Counselor Conference September 15, 2014

2. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 2 Workshop Topics Part I: The A-G Subject Requirements Part II: Options for Satisfying A-G –High school courses –College courses –Exam scores Part III: Honors-level Courses

3. Part I: The A-G Subject Requirements CSU/UC Counselor Conference September 15, 2014

4. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 4 Purpose of A-G Courses  Prepare students to participate fully in their first-year program at the University.  Provide students with a foundation of general knowledge for new and advanced study.  Help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

5. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 A-G Course Pattern Subject requirementRequired # of years History / social science (“a”)2 years English (“b”)4 years Mathematics (“c”)3 years Laboratory science (“d”)2 years Language other than English (“e”)2 years Visual and performing arts (“f”)1 year College-preparatory elective (“g”)1 year 5 The 15 “a-g” courses are: *Shading = difference between CSU and UC

6. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 6 History / Social Science (“a”) CSU –1 year of U.S. history OR ½ year of U.S. history and ½ year of government –1 year of history / social science from either the “a” or “g” subject area UC –1 year of U.S. history OR ½ year of U.S. history and ½ year of government –1 year of world history  The requirement = 2 years

7. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 7 English (“b”)  The requirement = 4 years  May use 1 year of ESL/ELD English –Must be on “a-g” course list! –Can’t be taken during student’s senior year

8. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 8 Mathematics (“c”) CSU  Must complete coursework in: –Algebra 1 –Geometry –Algebra 2  May use coursework from 7 th and 8 th grades.  Higher-level math courses validate lower-level coursework. –Exception: Statistics only validates Algebra 1 and Algebra 2. UC  Must complete coursework in: –Algebra 1 –Geometry –Algebra 2  May use coursework from 7 th and 8 th grades.  Higher-level math courses validate lower-level coursework. –Exception: Statistics only validates Algebra 1 and Algebra 2. –Can no longer validate omission of Geometry  The requirement = 3 years (4 years recommend)

9. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 9 Laboratory Science (“d”) CSU  Must complete coursework in: –1 year of physical science –1 year of biological science  May use 1 course from “g” area to satisfy either physical or biological science requirement.  A grade of C or better in the 2 nd semester of chemistry will validate a D/F in the 1 st semester. UC  Coursework chosen from 2 of 3 disciplines: –Biology –Chemistry –Physics  Both courses must be from “d” subject area.  Chemistry cannot be validated.  The requirement = 2 years (3 years recommend)

10. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 10 Language Other Than English (“e”)  The requirement = 2 years (3 year recommended) –Must be of the same language other than English  May use coursework from 7th and 8th grades.  Higher-level LOTE course will validate lower-level work.  Certification of competence in a language other than English. –Formal schooling in a language other than English. –Assessment by exam or University. –Certification by high school principal. –CSU: Additional methods!

11. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 11 Visual and Performing Arts (“f”)  The requirement = 1 yearlong course  Coursework completed in either: –Dance –Music –Theater –Visual arts  Single course must be completed sequentially. –Not required to complete within the same academic year.

12. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 12 College-Preparatory Elective (“g”)  The requirement = 1 year –An “a-f” course beyond those used to satisfy the requirement. OR –Course that is approved solely for use as “g” electives.

13. Part II: Options for Satisfying A-G CSU/UC Counselor Conference September 15, 2014

14. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 14 Satisfying A-G with High School Courses  Most common method of fulfilling the subject requirements.  Must be on the high school’s “a-g” course list for the year in which the student completed the course.  Student must earn grade of C or better. –No Pass/Fail or Credit/No credit grades!  Can use approved courses from other California high schools and online schools.

15. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 15 The A-G Course List  A-G Course List website: https://doorways.ucop.edu/listhttps://doorways.ucop.edu/list –View any school’s or program’s course list.  List must be updated and published each year. –Course list update cycle is open February 1 – September 15. –All new courses are reviewed by a subject area analyst. –NEW! A-G Course Management Portal (A-G CMP)  Used by CSU and UC admissions evaluators during the admissions process. –Accuracy of your course list is important!

16. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 16 Satisfying A-G with College Courses  3-semester unit / 4-quarter unit transferable college course. –CSU: Must be CSU-transferable –UC: Must be UC-transferable  Non-transferable English and math courses ok!  Student must earn grade of C or better.  1 semester / quarter-long college course = 1 year of high school coursework.  Each course receives the honors weight in the GPA calculation. –Non-transferable courses = no weight.  Use your resources! –www.assist.org – CSU-transferable courseswww.assist.org –https://doorways.ucop.edu/list - UC-transferable courseshttps://doorways.ucop.edu/list

17. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 17 Satisfying A-G with Examination Scores Earning a satisfactory score on an exam can fulfill an “a-g” subject requirement (fully or partially).  Advanced Placement (AP) –Score of 3 or better.  International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level (HL) –Score of 5 or better.  ACT, SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject –Scores vary by exam and by system.

18. Part III: Honors-level Course CSU/UC Counselor Conference September 15, 2014

19. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 19 Types of Honors Courses  Advanced Placement (AP) courses –Only allow AP courses that have passed the AP Audit (or are in progress) to be placed on the “a-g” course list. –Schools must manually add AP courses to their list. –All AP courses (currently) receive the honors designation.  International Baccalaureate (IB) courses –Not all IB courses are “a-g” approved and not all automatically receive honors designation.  College courses –3-semester (or 4-quarter) unit transferable college course.

20. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 20 “Other” Honors Courses  Honors course policy revisions, effective 2015-16: –No limit on designated honors courses approved for an “a-g” list. –School-created, college-preparatory elective (“g”) honors courses eligible for honors designation. –Honors courses must have a non-honors equivalent, but simultaneous offerings not required. –Allow 10th grade courses to qualify for honors designation.  Designated “other” honors courses will receive extra point in GPA calculation.  Honors courses not eligible for honors designation should still be submitted for “a-g” review!

21. Questions? CSU/UC Counselor Conference September 15, 2014

22. CSU/UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 15, 2014 22 Resources  UC-CSU Comparison of Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Freshman Admission: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/csu-uc-a-g- comparison-matrix.pdf http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/csu-uc-a-g- comparison-matrix.pdf  A-G Course List website: https://doorways.ucop.edu/listhttps://doorways.ucop.edu/list  CSU Admissions Handbook: http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/AdmissionHandb ook.pdf http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/AdmissionHandb ook.pdf  “Options for Satisfying UC’s ‘A-G’ Subject Requirements for Freshman Applicants”: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/options- satisfying-a-g.pdf http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/options- satisfying-a-g.pdf  ASSIST: www.assist.orgwww.assist.org