I recently received a copy of a Power Point presentation (attached) prepared by staff from the University of California Office of the President that gives a good overview on the process for developing high quality Career Technical Education course submissions.

To be eligible for admissions to University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) four-year institutions, high school students must take a minimum of 15 academic courses, commonly called the “a-g” subjects. The intend of the “a-g” courses approval process is to ensure a course has met the requirements of university faculty specified. Every comprehensive California public high school has a UC-approved course list, which students complete to be eligible for admission to UC/CSU.

The “a-g” course approval system is the “gold standard” that reflects a course has the academic rigor to meet University of California and California State University entrance standards. The “a-g” status is important to show that students are being prepared for both college and career opportunities.

UC faculty and staff have been working closely with California’s educators for many years to encourage the development and submission of CTE courses for UC-approval in all “a-g” subject areas. Today, 9,979 CTE courses offered in California high schools are approved for “a-g” credit. Many of these courses fall within the “d”- Laboratory Science, “f”- Visual & Performing Arts, or “g”- College Preparatory Elective subject areas, which align well with certain CTE pathways. In order to facilitate the development of more linkages with history/social science, English, and mathematics, the University actualized the UCCI Institute, a new vital part of the University’s Curriculum Integration Project (ClP).