Report 2016-114 Recommendations

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should develop and institute an on track/off track student identification model similar to San Francisco's model that will allow them to determine whether students are completing grade-level college preparatory coursework. The districts should notify parents when they identify students as falling off track and should advise the parents and students of available support and credit recovery options. Furthermore, school staff should be required to meet with and document the support they provide to these students.

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should create a robust and stable network of credit recovery options that reflect the needs of their student populations. These options—which the districts should monitor for effectiveness—should include summer school courses and evening courses.

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should create and institute a centralized process for submitting, managing, and tracking college preparatory courses and certification requests. This process should maximize the number of certified courses that the district offers. Further, to ensure that students receive appropriate credit for their college preparatory coursework, this process should match the UC's course listings with each school's master schedule of courses.

To comply with existing law and ensure that students receive sufficient access to college preparatory coursework, Education should provide training and guidance to districts throughout the State on the creation and application of appropriate district- and school-level access analyses.

If the Legislature wishes to further prioritize students' completion of college preparatory coursework, it should help ensure grade nine students are ready for the challenge of such work by devoting additional resources or reallocating existing resources for educational efforts beginning in kindergarten and continuing through grade eight, particularly to support math and English college readiness. Funding mechanisms similar to the College Readiness Block Grant could help better prepare kindergarten through grade eight students for the rigors of college preparatory coursework in high school.

To ensure that districts throughout the State comply with existing law, the Legislature should require districts to conduct analyses to verify that all high school students receive acceptable levels of access to the full range of college preparatory coursework. If the Legislature decides to require these analyses, it should also consider whether additional funding may be necessary to support the districts' associated administrative costs. If implemented, the analyses should require the following components:

-Districts should report the results of their analyses to Education.

-Education should issue an annual report to the Legislature detailing all districts with high schools that have failed to demonstrate sufficient access.

To increase college preparatory completion rates, the Legislature should require Education or another state entity to coordinate statewide college readiness efforts focusing on increasing college preparatory completion rates.

To ensure that high school graduates are eligible for admission to the State's public university systems, the Legislature should require county offices to monitor districts to determine whether they offer students adequate access to college preparatory coursework.

To ensure districts' accountability plans are accurate and informative, the Legislature should require county offices to review districts' accountability plans and monitor the actions the districts take to implement the goals in those plans.

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should develop and institute an on track/off track student identification model similar to San Francisco's model that will allow them to determine whether students are completing grade-level college preparatory coursework. The districts should notify parents when they identify students as falling off track and should advise the parents and students of available support and credit recovery options. Furthermore, school staff should be required to meet with and document the support they provide to these students.

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should create a robust and stable network of credit recovery options that reflect the needs of their student populations. These options—which the districts should monitor for effectiveness—should include summer school courses and evening courses.

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should create and institute a centralized process for submitting, managing, and tracking college preparatory courses and certification requests. This process should maximize the number of certified courses that the district offers. Further, to ensure that students receive appropriate credit for their college preparatory coursework, this process should match the UC's course listings with each school's master schedule of courses.