NMHS Graduates To Be More College Ready by 2018
The Newark Unified Board of Education approves a resolution
that aligns graduation requirements with college admission criteria.
By Nika Megino
By
2017-18, Newark Memorial
High School seniors who graduate will have completed three years of
math, three years of social studies and two years of world language.
Their
graduation milestones within those subject areas will be different than that of
current high school students.
With
a unanimous vote, the Newark Unified
Board of Education approved a resolution Tuesday night that changes
the high school’s graduation requirements.
The
goals are to align the graduation requirements and offer more courses students
must pass in order to be considered for admittance to a four-year college.
Known
as the A-G requirements, the college admittance criteria asks prospective
college students take specific core academic classes for the majority of their
time at a high school.
For
example, to be considered for admission to a University of California
campus, students must take the following courses:
- History/Social
Studies: Two years required.
- English:
Four years required.
- Math: Three
years required, four recommended.
- Laboratory
Science: Two years required, three recommended (Two years of lab science
pertains to biology, chemistry and anatomy etc.).
- Language:
Two years required, three recommended (Must be two years of the same
language),
- Visual/Performing
Arts: One year required.
- College
Preparatory Elective: One year required.
As
the requirements are now, students are only required to take math and social
studies for two years, and world language or fine arts for one year.
"What
we are doing is not so revolutionary but more of a tweak to ensure we offer the
course selection that is recognized by the UC/CSU system," Trustee Charlie
Mensinger said in an email Wednesday morning.
The
plan, as outlined by Superintendent Dave Marken and district staff, calls for
the implementation of the graduation requirements over the next five years and
examining the development of students’ performance each year.
Marken
noted that currently 31 percent of students are graduating with A-G
requirements completed.
“We’re
looking at modest growth over the years,” Marken said.
The
five trustees said they were appreciative of the changes but that the district
must also work on improving how to address the needs of students who choose not
to go to a four-year university.
Mensinger
noted that the graduation requirements are also guided by state mandated
graduation requirements established by the state Department of Education (See
attached PDF).
He
said the district must follow those state mandated graduation requirements and
"modify to ensure that we are addressing UC/CSU Admission Requirements -
A-G."
Mensinger
added, "Moreover, we need to ensure that we are addressing all students through
our College and Career bound approach. Thus, those students who choose to go
into a career or the military after high school are as well prepared as those
who choose college."
Board
Vice President Jan Crocker noted she'd like students to know more about ROP
classes available to them.
She
also said she was pleased that district staff will "judge this as we go
along and analyze changes ... I’m really concerned we’ll have some kids who’ll
really get lost.”
The
resolution also calls for the removal of a state requirement course from
graduation requirements – a move trustee Janice Schaeffer said she was fond of.
“I
just want to say I generally appreciate this program right now. But more
specifically, I appreciate the emphasis on the language and not imposing half
year [state requirement course] on freshmen. [They] can take something else
like music… It’s a huge, huge change.”
Marken
noted in a memo attached to the board agenda that the changes call for the
district’s necessity to remain fiscally sound while the plan is developed,
which is the reason why the graduation requirement changes won’t be fully
implemented until 2018.
The
changes to the graduation requirements are as follows:
|
2018
Graduation Requirements
|
Current
Graduation Requirements
|
|
English/Language
Arts, 40 credits, 4 years
|
English
Language Arts, 40 credits, 4 years
|
|
Mathematics,
30 credits, 3 years (4 years recommended)
|
Mathematics,
20 credits, 2 years
|
|
Science,
20 credits, 2 years (3 years recommended)
|
Science,
20 credits, 2 years
|
|
Social
Studies, 30 years, 3 years
|
Social
Studies, 20 credits, 2 years
|
|
Physical
Education, 20 credits, 2 years
|
Physical
Education, 20 credits, 2 years
|
|
Fine
Arts, 10 credits, 1 year
|
Fine
Arts/Modern Language, 10 credits, 1 year
|
|
World
Language, 20 credits, 2 years (3 years recommended)
|
Fine
Arts/Applied/Modern Language, 10 credits, 1 year
|
|
State
Requirements, 5 years, ½ a year
|
|
|
Electives,
60 credits
|
Electives,
75 credits
|
|
Total
230
|
Total
230
|
