蜜桃影视

Less than half of聽the class of 2019 in Los Angeles are eligible for the state鈥檚 public universities, the latest school district projections show.

As of March, 49 percent of L.A. Unified鈥檚 34,734 prospective graduates are on track to pass all of their 鈥淎-G鈥� college preparation courses with Cs or better. This means that less than half of the class currently have the grades to qualify for the University of California and California State University school systems. These in-state schools are a聽聽for graduates, especially as about 4 in 5 L.A. Unified students are minorities from low-income families 鈥� some first-time college-goers.

鈥淚 have very high expectations for where the district and where our students should go 鈥� so no, [these rates] don鈥檛 meet my expectations for what our kids are capable of,鈥� said board vice president Nick Melvoin, who amended last year鈥檚 鈥溾�� resolution to require the district to聽聽students鈥� eligibility for state colleges in addition to the standard graduation rate.

There are聽聽in all district high schools, including English, math, science, foreign language and other core electives. Students need to get Ds or better in those courses to graduate, and Cs or better to be eligible for the US/CSU systems. L.A. Unified鈥檚 class of 2016 was the first cohort that had to complete all of those courses in order to earn a high school diploma.

The percentage of students meeting the state鈥檚 public university requirements has only slightly ticked up since then. About 46.1 percent of the class of 2017 and 47.9 percent of the class of 2018 got Cs or better. These data account for all prospective graduates in a given year 鈥斅爊ot just those who graduated 鈥� and include the district鈥檚 affiliated charter schools but not independent charters.

The class of 2019 projections also reflect a continuing trend: a nearly 30-point difference in who meets graduation requirements versus those who meet state college eligibility standards. About 78 percent of that class鈥檚 students are on track to graduate with Ds or better, but only 49 percent are anticipating Cs or better. That means 29 percent could receive a diploma come June while simultaneously failing to qualify for UC and CSU schools. (Not to mention the 22 percent who currently aren鈥檛 on track to graduate.)

When only graduates are factored in, the percentage of those who got at least a C is notably higher: 60 percent in 2016-17 and 61.9 percent in 2017-18. This is because the students with the lowest grades 鈥斅爐hose who didn鈥檛 graduate 鈥斅燼re not included in the count.

To confront the low rates, the district聽聽last year that 100 percent of high school graduates would be eligible to apply to a California four-year university by 2023. On top of offering credit recovery opportunities 鈥� there鈥檚 a session running聽from March to May,聽including spring break this week, that鈥檚 open to聽students who聽have failed a class 鈥� L.A. Unified is also expanding聽its data transparency and access districtwide to college tests like the SAT. But early intervention efforts, parent engagement and staff鈥檚 own expectations for student achievement continue to lag, advocates say.

鈥淔or kids to succeed 鈥� in A-G, graduation, all of these pieces 鈥� it starts earlier; we have to develop the pipeline, we have to have parents be part of this,鈥� said Yolie Flores, a former school board member who is now chief program officer at the聽. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 turn to another issue, and another issue, and not keep pushing.鈥�

鈥楤etter but unacceptable鈥�

Flores remembers a presentation on A-G courses in 2011 that almost brought her to tears.

It was more than five years since scores of students, parents and community members聽聽the district for how their schools 鈥� many attended by minority and low-income students 鈥斅爈acked the high expectations and access to A-G courses that more affluent neighborhoods had. An 鈥淎-G for All鈥� resolution passed soon after in 2005, laying the groundwork for full districtwide access to these courses starting with the class of 2016.

During one of Flores鈥檚 last meetings in office, the school board received a progress update: Only 26 percent of students were on track to meet A-G requirements.

Flores was 鈥渄evastated.鈥�

鈥淲hat came to mind was all of the work from the community, all of the advocacy and just blood, sweat and tears that had been spent organizing and finally getting this A-G resolution passed,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd we had made such little progress. I remember turning to my staff and saying, 鈥業 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever felt like crying in public like I do right now.鈥欌��

Looking at more recent data, Flores says the rates are 鈥渟ignificantly better. But unacceptable.鈥�

District officials and advocates offered numerous reasons why the percentages are still low. One is the caveat that L.A. Unified students can still graduate if they get Ds in their A-G courses, even though Cs are required for the UC/CSU systems. Graduation, therefore, doesn鈥檛 necessarily guarantee a college education or viable career choice.

罢丑别听聽was to require students to pass their A-G courses with a C in order to get a diploma. But the D-or-better standard prevailed under the logic that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not fair to kids to go from one year [having] no A-G courses, and for the next year, 鈥業f you don鈥檛 get a C, you鈥檙e not graduating,’鈥� Melvoin said. He added that quickly changing the graduation requirement to passing with Cs would likely force more students into taking make-up courses. In 2015-16 alone,聽聽of graduates had retaken a class they had failed or needed some other kind of credit recovery to graduate.

And a C in itself still isn鈥檛 always enough, as nonprofit organization Innovate Public Schools pointed out in a tweet. 鈥淵ou need to do even more [than getting a passing grade] to be ready for college and to be able to get into a more selective school,鈥� the tweet reads.

So a D requirement effectively 鈥渄oes nothing for kids,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淜ids try to get into schools, and they鈥檙e so behind.鈥�

Melvoin cited underfunding and 鈥渟ystemic poverty鈥� as other factors. (California鈥檚 schools rank聽聽in the nation for per-pupil spending.) And he added that L.A. Unified is still playing catch-up after decades of not holding all student groups to the same standards.

Disparities in college preparedness across student groups are stark. For the class of 2018 鈥斅爊ot including any charters 鈥� 46.3 percent of Latino students, 16.6 percent of foster youth and 21.3 percent of English language learners were eligible for the state鈥檚 public universities, according to聽.

Jennifer Cano, who works for聽, has heard stories firsthand from students in the organization鈥檚 Young Civic Leaders Program. 鈥淭hey have teachers who are champions and teachers who are obstacles,鈥� said Cano, director of education programs and policy. 鈥淪ome who have even said to them, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檙e not going to amount to anything,鈥� or 鈥楥ollege is not for you.鈥� Or counselors [say it].鈥�

Flores also spoke to the damage of low student expectations, which to her trumps the 鈥減overty鈥� argument.

鈥淵es, we have to fix [poverty] because that makes things harder, but that鈥檚 not an excuse,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have to stop blaming poverty and zip codes. We have to start with high expectations.鈥�

Moving toward change

L.A. Unified鈥檚 progress is moving 鈥渘ot nearly rapidly enough,鈥� Melvoin acknowledges. But he cited increased transparency as one success, now that both sets of grad rates are reported. Last year鈥檚 launch of the聽, which Melvoin spearheaded, is also getting more data to the public, though there鈥檚 still more work to be done to make the data more parent-friendly.

Transparency is important as L.A. Unified vies for new revenues, he said.

鈥淓specially as we鈥檙e talking about the parcel tax, we want to make sure that we鈥檙e transparent,鈥� Melvoin said. The parcel tax on the June ballot would raise about $500 million annually for L.A. Unified schools, costing聽聽for an owner of a 1,500-square-foot home, for example.

Access to testing is also expanding.聽Last聽month was the first time L.A. Unified paid to have all district juniors take the SAT in school 鈥� a reported $1.2 million cost, according to聽. This districtwide offering came after Local District South鈥檚 29 high schools聽聽a free testing day last year that nearly doubled the percentage of its students who took the test.

All traditional high schools聽provide opportunities for Advanced Placement courses as well, the district confirmed. But 鈥渂ased on the size of the school and student interest, some schools offer more AP courses than others,鈥� a district spokeswoman wrote in an email.

Here are some other efforts to boost A-G pass rates that are being pursued or suggested:

1 Credit recovery courses.聽

District students can retake a class they failed during the regular school day. There聽are also Saturday sessions 鈥� offered through the Division of Adult and Career Education 鈥� that are running聽from March through the end of May, as well as every weekday during spring break, the spokeswoman confirmed. About 800 high school students are currently enrolled.

2 Getting to a C graduation requirement over time.聽

鈥淣ot immediately,鈥� Melvoin said, 鈥渂ut in four or five years so that it鈥檚 a warning sign to eighth- and ninth-graders that 鈥楬ey, you鈥檙e going to need to do this in order to graduate.鈥欌��

His office confirmed that there are no related resolutions scheduled at this time.

3 Replicating good practices of other schools.聽

About 87 percent of聽2018 graduates attending 72 independent charters earned Cs or better in their A-G courses 鈥� a rate more than 25 percent above聽their traditional school peers, according to data provided by the California Charter Schools Association.

Independent charter schools have the freedom to operate differently than traditional schools, however: They can require students to earn Cs to graduate, they can have more counselors and lower class sizes, and they have to submit detailed academic five-year plans in order to be authorized, which serve as road maps.

鈥淚鈥檓 encouraging the district to look at our schools, including our charters 鈥� figuring out what they鈥檙e doing and trying to replicate those practices, which the district doesn鈥檛 do nearly enough,鈥� Melvoin said.

4 Early intervention.聽

Cano said a barrier to success with A-G courses is when there isn鈥檛 鈥渁ccess to the forward-thinking concentration鈥� on academics across all grades.

鈥淭here may be bits and spurts of it right from the early childhood. You may have some really wonderful elementary teachers who are doing the best they can with the resources, and parents who are informed,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen middle school gets very complex; parents don鈥檛 necessarily know how to navigate for their students in middle school. And there begins separation, specifically in [English language arts] and math. So by the time someone emerges from eighth grade, they鈥檙e in the game or they鈥檙e not.鈥�

There are college and career coaches assigned to all聽聽middle schools, with 鈥渁 focus on students who display 鈥榚arly-warning indicators,鈥� such as low or inconsistent attendance, challenging behavior as evidenced in discipline reports, and low achievement in math and/or [English],鈥� the spokeswoman wrote in an email. The goal is to strengthen these students鈥� literacy skills and get them to that C-or-better college standard.

There are 108 such coaches for the 2018-19 school year. The ratio is 790:1 for schools with predominantly minority students and 890:1 for schools with more diversified enrollment.

The district is also piloting 鈥淓ighth Grade PASS Intervention Curriculum鈥� for English and math that鈥檚 鈥渄esigned to support students who have failed the Fall Semester in Math or [English], or both,鈥� the spokeswoman wrote. 鈥淭he courses build academic proficiency, mastery of skills and standards, and readiness for the transition to A-G courses.鈥� Teacher training starts next month.

5 More parent engagement.聽

鈥淭here is a need to actually understand what parents do know鈥� about A-G rates and college eligibility 鈥渁nd inform them of what the reality is,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淪o then you have parents who want to connect with counselors, who are trying to navigate it for themselves. 鈥� You鈥檙e also wanting to encourage them to get involved with other parents 鈥� because it鈥檚 the multiplicity of voices that will result in a structural change.鈥�

6 More local autonomy.聽

Melvoin said putting more resources into the school sites themselves and allowing principals to decide, 鈥淒o I want a library aide or do I want a math coach? What鈥檚 going to get us closer to that 100 percent college readiness?鈥� could create a system that better caters to a school鈥檚 personalized needs.

All of those things together will hopefully continue to move the needle, Melvoin said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not something the district is going to be able to fix overnight,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we have to confront deficiencies where they are and hold everyone to a higher standard.鈥�

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