Curriculum will move towards meeting state college and university requirements

    In an effort to increase educational equity and provide challenging academics to all students, the Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Trustees approved a measure to align graduation requirements with state public college entrance requirements, called the “A-G” standards.

    A-G courses are courses that students must take in high school to meet the University of California and California State University requirements for admission.

    Over the past several years, the number of graduates in the Sweetwater District who have completed the A-G requirements has been approximately 35 percent. This number is even lower among underrepresented students such as ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and English learners.

    Starting with the Class of 2016 (current 8th grade students), students will be required to meet the A-G requirements. These changes would require students to take specific science courses, such as two units of Biology and two units of either Chemistry or Physics. Students would also be required to take a two unit visual and performing arts (VAPA) course as well as four units of world languages.

    The move towards implementing a district-wide A-G course curriculum has been supported by several organizations including Southwestern College, the South County Economic Development Council, the Equality Alliance of San Diego County, the San Diego Workforce Partnership, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Filipino Educators Association of San Diego County and the American Civil Liberties Union.

    In addition to the course changes, and recognizing the need for career technical education, the Board of Trustees included a requirement that each comprehensive high school in the district also offer a minimum of one or two series of courses that will result in a career training certification after a minimum of three years of study.