1. Elevating Achievement Through Innovation
A-G Completion:
15 Course Requirements to Make Silicon
Valley #1

2. Few would argue the importance of education.
Yet, in Silicon Valley, more than half of
high school graduates fail to meet
the entrance requirements for the
University of California (UC)
or California State University (CSU) system.
Our Objective:
To make Silicon Valley
the #1 geographic region in California
in the percentage of high school graduates
meeting entrance requirements
for a UC or CSU.
Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble 2

3. A 2 yrsHistory / Social Science
B 4 yrsEnglish
C 3 yrs (4 recommended)Math
D 2 yrs (3 recommended)Laboratory Science
E 2 yrs (3 recommended)Language Other Than English
F 1 yrVisual and Performing Arts
G 1 yrCollege Preparatory Electives
College entrance requirements = A-G requirements
What are they? 15 high school course requirements that cover a
variety of subjects
Why? To establish a foundation for college-level work
Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble 3

4. 4Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
19,000
Students / grade
48% of 8th graders
Proficient or above
in Algebra I
42% of 9th graders
Proficient or above
in Biology 40% of all students
Proficient or above
in Chemistry
Image Adapted from NCES Digest of Education Statistics; Science & Engineering Indicators 2008
In 2012, only 47.8% of
high school graduate completed the
A-G requirements.
Trouble in Silicon Valley: A very leaky pipeline in math
and science
32% of all students
Proficient or above
in Algebra II
Source: California Department of Education, 2013

5. Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble 5
At 47.8%, Silicon Valley is 6th in California in A-G completion
rates
38%
43%
43%
45%
46%
48%
51%
52%
53%
55%
59%
State Average
San Diego
Orange
Santa Cruz
Yolo
Santa Clara
Placer
San Mateo
Alameda
San Francisco
Marin
California A-G Completion Rate by County
We must work to better prepare the Valley’s students
for college & careers in our community.

6. 6
Roadmap to being #1 in A-G completion
Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
Change District Policy
Identify Obstacles & Recommendations
Implement Action Plan &
Support Programs
1
2
3

7. 7
1. Change District Policy
Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
Campbell
East Side
Fremont
Gilroy
Of the 11 high school districts in Santa Clara County, 4 (in green) have already adopted A-G as
their “default” curriculum, meaning students are automatically placed in A-G courses unless
they “opt out.” We have to work on the remaining 7 districts.
Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
# of Districts Adopted (By year) 4 3 3 1 -
# of Districts Adopted (Cumulative) 4 7 10 11 11
# of Students / Grade (Approximate based on 2011) 19,000 19,000 19,000 19,000 19,000
A-G Completion Rate 45.9% 47.0% 49.0% 52.0% 56.5%
% Increase - 1.1% 2.0% 3.0% 4.5%
# of Students Completing A-G 8,721 8,930 9,310 9,880 10,735
Increase in # of Students - 209 380 570 855
11 High School Districts in Santa Clara County
Los Gatos-Saratoga
Milpitas
Morgan Hill
Mountain View-Los Altos
Palo Alto
San Jose
Santa Clara
Planned milestones

8. 8
Systematic change is limited by numerous
stakeholders and resource limitations
Inconsistent data collection
methodologies across
districts
Inequitable distribution
of resources
Understaffing
Stronger research needed
to examine long-term
impact of A-G default
Negotiation of this complex system requires
meeting varying interests and alleviating limitations.
Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble

9. Policy Advocacy
Advocate for the A-G coursework as the
default curriculum
Engagement
Meet with selected Superintendents of high
school districts to discuss current activities in
addressing A-G requirements
Inform
• Conduct Education Forums on A-G
Requirements
• Develop policy briefs
• Write OP Ed articles on A-G
• Acknowledge progress
• Approximately 20 meetings /
district
• Meet with other stakeholders
as appropriate and participate
in other collaborative events
on course taking patterns
• Series of forums on A-G
requirements
• Policy brief on the importance
of A-G as a metric
9Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
1. Change District Policy - Process & Activities

10. • Conduct audits with EdTrust (a statewide educational
policy, research, and advocacy organization -
http://www.edtrust.org/) of current process used to place
students into classes
• Evaluate student course taking patterns
• Analyze supply of courses vs. student demand
• Identify obstacles based on above analysis
• Present recommendations for successful implementation
10Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
2. Identify Obstacles & Recommendations
Process & Activities

11. 11Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
3. Implement Action Plan & Support Programs –
Process & Activities
• Create a district Steering Committee to develop and implement a
“Blueprint for Action,”
• Facilitate discussions between the high school districts and the K-8
school districts that feed students into them to ensure preparation
for A-G completion begins early,
• Develop and administer direct service programs for students to
support their progress in A-G courses, and
• Develop and administer direct service programs for educators to
provide them the professional development needed

12. Advisory Board Members (Selection in process)
Name Title
David Cortese County Supervisor, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Eddie Garcia Former President of the Board of Trustees for the East Side
Union High School District
D. John Miller CEO, DJM Capital Partners
Bobbie Plough Superintendent, Santa Clara Unified School District
12Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble

13. Funding Required
13Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
Activity Year 1 Year 2 Total % of
Total
Description
Education forums & convening support 10,000 10,000 20,000 1% Food, facilities, and speakers for 1 forum and 2 smaller
convenings per year.
Advocacy towards board resolution 45,000 60,000 105,000 7% $15K per district for presentation, consultation, facilitation and
outreach, speaking at conferences, policy briefs, parent
information communication.
1 Total Change District Policy 55,000 70,000 125,000 8%
2 Total Audit / Obstacles & Recs 200,000 300,000 500,000 33% $50K per audit per district x 10 districts (4 in year 1, 6 in year 2)
Student Direct Service Programs - Math 145,000 200,000 345,000 23% Developing and delivering programs for students to help them
succeed in Algebra II ($20K for curriculum development, serve
250 students year 1, 400 year 2 at $500 per student)
Student Direct Service Programs - Science 127,500 125,000 252,500 17% Developing and delivering programs for students to help them
succeed in Chemistry ($40K for curriculum development and
equipment, we would serve approx. 175 students year 1, 250
year 2 at $500 per student)
Direct Service Programs for Educators 50,000 50,000 100,000 7% Developing and delivering professional development programs
and support for educators (i.e. new instructional skills and
professional learning communities).
Community Outreach & Education 10,000 15,000 25,000 2% Campaign to educate parents and community, district
communications, op-eds.
3 Total Implement Plan & Programs 332,500 390,000 722,500 48%
Total Personnel Support 75,000 75,000 150,000 10% Full-time project manager to coordinate overall logistics
(conduct focus groups, coordinate audit process, etc).
Total 662,500 835,000 1,497,500

14. Slide Index
14Higher ed pays SolutionsTrouble
1 Cover 11 3 - Implementation
2 Objective 12 Advisory Board members
3 What are A-G requirements? 13 Funding required
4 Silicon Valley’s leaky pipeline 14 Slide index
5 Silicon Valley’s ranking in CA 15 Frequently asked questions
6 Roadmap for action 16 Executive summary
7 1 – Change district policy 17 Math & science trajectory
8 Policy change stakeholders 18 Stepping Up To Algebra
9 Policy change activities 19 Stepping Up To Science
10 2 – Identify recommendations

15. Frequently Asked Questions

16. Higher education pays
• Higher education provides a life of
options: higher salary and insulation
against labor market downturns.
• Students must complete California’s A-
G college entrance requirements to
apply to the US or CSU systems.
How do we prepare Silicon Valley students and Silicon Valley for future success?
SVEF’s Solutions
Change District
Policy
Obstacles &
Recommendations
Action Plan &
Support Programs
Trouble in Silicon Valley
• A-G requirements do NOT equal high
school graduation requirements.
• >50% of Silicon Valley students do not
meet A-G requirements.
• Percentage is even lower for African
American and Hispanic students.
• Resource limitations and varying
interests make change difficult.
California’s A-G requirements are a gatekeeper
to higher education

17. What is the typical math and science trajectory
for college-going students?
17
Pre-AlgebraGrade 7
Algebra 1Grade 8
GeometryGrade 9
Algebra 2*Grade 10
Pre-Calc / TrigGrade 11
CalculusGrade 12
Must complete
to meet “A-G”
requirements
*Note: Numerous courses, such as Algebra 2, is not in graduation requirements
for some school districts but is in “A-G” requirements.
Biology**
Chemistry**
Physics**
Math Science
**Any 2 is ok.

18. 18
What programs do SVEF offer?
Stepping Up To Algebra (SUTA)
What is it? • Free summer intervention program for incoming 8th graders
• Preparation for completion of Algebra I in 8th gr
What does it
provide?
Why? • Completion of Algebra I in 8th or 9th grade enables students to
take Algebra II before graduating high school
• Algebra II is considered “gatekeeper” for successful completion
of post-secondary education
• 75 hours of coursework delivered over 4 weeks
• Common Core State Standards aligned instruction from
credentialed teacher and college-level teaching assistant,
• Web-based practice tools & educational games,
• Intro to college entrance requirements,
• A field trip to a local university,
• NEW: Saturday Support Sessions during school year
• Teacher skills development

19. 19
What programs do SVEF offer?
Stepping Up To Science (STEPS)
What is it? • Free summer intervention program for incoming 9th graders in
East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD)
• Preparation for completion of Biology, first A-G lab science
What does it
provide?
• 75 hours of coursework delivered over 4 weeks
• Common Core State Standards aligned instruction from
credentialed teacher and college-level teaching assistant,
• Exposure to lab environment, scientific process, content literacy
• Teacher skills development
Why? • 66% of ESUHSD 9th graders are not enrolled in science or A-G
Lab Science, compared to 36% in Santa Clara County