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San Francisco school staff propose A–G graduation requirement, open AP enrollment and new credit pathways
Summary
District staff presented a three-part proposal to require the A–G college-preparatory sequence for future ninth-graders, open honors/AP classes to all students with added supports, and expand alternative credit-earning options; the board asked staff to convene a study team and return with implementation details before the Dec. 9 meeting.
District staff on Wednesday presented the school board with a three-part academic-policy package aimed at increasing college and career readiness for San Francisco students.
The proposal would make the University of California/California State "A–G" 15-course sequence part of the high-school graduation requirement, phase the change in beginning with incoming ninth-graders in February 2010, open honors and Advanced Placement enrollment to all students while adding supports for teachers and learners, and expand alternatives for earning course credit such as online courses, dual enrollment and middle-college programs.
The measures are framed as part of the district’s strategic plan to raise expectations and narrow achievement gaps. "Part of making social justice a reality is making sure that all of our students have the broadest options possible for their future," said Francisca Sanchez, the staff presenter, who recommended a time-limited superintendent study team to design implementation, review research and visit districts with successful models.
Staff cited district data showing lower A–G completion and college-readiness indicators for Latino and African American students and pointed to San Jose Unified and La Cañada as comparative examples where similar changes were followed by higher rates of UC/CSU eligibility and increased AP participation. The presentation included tentative deadlines: establish the study team in December, begin work in January, deliver initial findings in February, draft implementation language by March and, pending board approval, begin phased implementation in April.
Board members and student delegates pressed staff for details before any vote, asking for school-by-school information about current AP/honors placement policies, demographic breakdowns of AP participation and pass rates, estimates of staffing and cost implications, and plans for credit recovery and exceptions for late transfers and English learners. "We need to know what resources it would take," said a board member during discussion, citing Prop A funding as a potential source for start-up costs.
Community groups and parents attending the meeting offered mixed views. Coleman Advocates asked how the district will measure whether A–G succeeds by stakeholders’ standards — citing college placement and first-year college persistence — and urged alignment between district indicators and community expectations. Union representatives and parent volunteers warned that opening AP courses without adequate support or realistic staffing could set students up to fail.
Staff promised to collect and post answers to raised questions on the district website, provide a school-by-school survey of current AP/honors admission policies and related demographic data, and return with a cost and timeline analysis at the Dec. 9 board meeting. The board did not vote on the proposals Wednesday; commissioners directed staff to prepare the requested analyses and to convene the recommended study team.
Next procedural step: staff will prepare materials and timeline information for the board and public before the board’s Dec. 9 meeting.
