Nearly half of the students graduating with Anzar High School’s class of 2015 were ineligible to attend a public, four-year university in California, according to data presented at the latest board meeting.
Aromas-San Juan School District trustees at last week’s board meeting learned that 39 of the 74 recently graduated seniors—about 53 percent of the class—were eligible to attend University of California or California State University schools, according to data from students’ preliminary transcripts. The remaining 35 students—about 47 percent of the class—were not eligible.
The number of eligible students Anzar released was higher than the most recent statewide numbers. In the 2013-14 school year, the most recent numbers available, 176,688 of the state’s 421,636 high school graduates—or about 42 percent—completed all the courses required for entrance to a UC or CSU with passing grades, according to the California Department of Education’s website. The requirement is just one of several for entrance into the schools, according to the website.
“My theory is when the kids leave this high school, they should have the option of going to a four-year college or two years or no years,” said Trustee Jeff Hancock. “Whether they go or not, that’s up to them to decide. But right now, half of our graduates can’t go (to a public four-year university in California).”
Anzar students were found ineligible because they were missing two years of world language with passing grades, three years of higher-level mathematics with passing grades, and/or had a grade point average of less than 2.0, according to the data.
Trustees requested that the topic—put on the agenda at Hancock’s request—return to the agenda in September so they could review data for the graduating classes of 2014 and 2013.
The state-mandated requirements for high school graduation are lower than those for admission to UCs or CSUs, according to the California Department of Education’s website. All content-area courses at Anzar are UC-approved college preparatory courses aligned with the Common Core Standards, according to the high school’s website.
But taking A-G courses is not the same as being eligible for admission to a UC or CSU school, since grade-point averages and test scores also play a role, explained Superintendent Ruben Zepeda. Students can also be enrolled in the courses they need but fail to get the minimum grade, he told trustees.
“The CSU and UC (system) was designed to be for the top 25 percent of California students,” said Trustee Jennifer Colby.
“I don’t think you really want to have that said,” Hancock responded. “That sounds bad.”
Colby reiterated that it did not sound bad to her and added some valedictorians have not been able to get into UCs.
“They can’t get into the UCs of their choice but they can get into a UC,” Hancock said. “They have that option, Jennifer (Colby).”
Anzar had better-than-average results in the areas of CSU and UC eligibility, the superintendent said. Colby added she heard the percentage in Monterey County was “down at 25 percent or something,” she said.
The campus was doing “way more than other schools” and community colleges shouldn’t be downplayed if that’s what parents see as an option, Colby said.
Hancock said he wasn’t downplaying the community colleges but highlighted the high number of this year’s graduating class—60 students—going to those schools. The data told the trustee that the district should spend more money on other types of programs so those planning alternatives to four-year programs had other options, he said.
Hancock also questioned why the number was so small when Anzar prides itself on giving students individual attention.
“Why doesn’t anyone at the school help these kids through the process of getting scholarships?” he said.
“Isn’t that what Cal-SOAP does?” asked Trustee Jennifer Colby, referring to the California Student Opportunity and Access Program.
“No,” Hancock said.
“Then they are not doing their job,” Colby said.
The trustee asked if Cal-SOAP kept data on the students they counsel and if the board could see it.
Cal-SOAP provides low-income and first-generation students access to tools they need to pursue post-secondary education, according to the group’s website. Zepeda highlighted the long list of scholarships that students receive as “a big part of graduation ceremonies.”
