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The Topic For Today Is…

Requirements
Validations &
GPAs
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Honors
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Practice
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Miscellaneous
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Bonus Question: 5000 Points

• Question:
How many years of History/Social Science courses are students required to complete in order to meet the A-G Admission Requirement at most universities?
• Answer:
Students must complete at least two years of history/social science, which include one year of world history, cultures and geography and one year of U.S history.

• Question:
What is the minimum letter grade a student must receive in an A-G course in order to meet the A-G Admission Requirement at most universities?
• Answer:
A student must receive a grade of “C” or better in all A-G courses.

• Question:
How many years of Math are students recommended to take?
• Answer:
Students are recommended to complete 4 years of college-preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced
Algebra and two- and three- dimensional geometry.

• Question:
What does each A-G letter represent?
• Answer:
A: Social Science, B: English, C: Mathematics,
D: Laboratory Science, E: Language other than
English, F: Visual and Performing Arts, G:
College Preparatory Elective

• Question:
How many years of History, English, Math, Lab Science,
Language other than English, Visual and Performing
Arts are students required to complete of each subject in order to meet the A-G Admission Requirement at most universities?
• Answer:
Students must complete 2 years of History, 4 years of
English, 3 years of Math, 2 years of Lab Science, 2 years of Language other than English, 1 year of Visual and
Performing Arts, 1 year of an elective.

• Question:
Are all courses completed in high school used for the CSU/UC GPA calculation?
• Answer:
No, only A-G courses completed from the summer before the sophomore year up to the classes completed in the summer following the junior year will be used to calculate the initial
CSU/UC GPA.

• Question:
Which A-G course grades are not calculated in the initial CSU/UC admissions GPA?
• Answer:
Grades earned in A-G classes completed in middle school, the 9 th grade, and the 12 th grade are not factored into the initial GPA calculation.

• Question:
What is the benefit of A-G validations?
• Answer:
Validations allow students to receive credit toward the
CSU/UC A-G admission requirement for specific A-G classes completed with a “D.” To receive the validation for these specific A-G classes, a student must receive a
“C” or better in the second semester or in a higher level class. Ask your counselor or Cal-SOAP advisor for more details.

• Question:
A student earned a “D” in Algebra 1, “C” in
Geometry, and “B” in Algebra 2. Has this student met the CSU/UC A-G eligibility requirement for the Math component?
• Answer:
Yes. According to the validation rule, a “C” or better received in Algebra 2 will validate a lower letter grade in Algebra 1.

• Question:
What is the chemistry validation rule for the
CSU and the UC?
• Answer:
The CSU will allow a second semester grade of
“C” or better to validate a first semester grade of “D”. The UC will not allow a chemistry validation.

• Question:
How can students boost their GPA and earn extra points?
• Answer:
Students can boost their GPA and earn extra points by completing A-G approved honors,
AP, and IB classes with a “C” or better.

• Question:
Does receiving a “D” in an AP or honors course allow for extra points in the student’s GPA calculation?
• Answer:
No, a grade of a “C” or better must be obtained in order to receive extra points towards a student’s GPA.

• Question:
Which of the following best describe
International Baccalaureate classes?
A: They’re social science classes
B: They’re honor’s level classes
C: They’re classes for English Language Learners
• Answer:
International Baccalaureate classes are honor’s level classes.

• Question:
Does passing an AP course or passing an AP exam guarantee college credit?
• Answer:
No, you must check with the university to see what their requirements are for accepting AP courses for college credit.

• Question:
Do all honors courses give a student extra points towards their GPA calculation?
• Answer:
No, only classes designated as A-G approved honors classes are eligible for extra points towards the GPA. Refer to the UC Doorways website to see which honors courses are approved at your high school.

• Question:
If Ally took one year of world history and one year of US history along with 4 years of English is she A-G eligible for the A (history) and B
(English) requirement?
• Answer:
Yes, she is A-G eligible for the A and B subject requirements.

• Question:
If Nicole took AP Spanish, AP Literature, AP
Calculus, AP US History, and Honors Chemistry, how many honors points can she receive towards her GPA?
• Answer:
Although all courses are validated for AP and honors extra points, Nicole can only receive 8 points towards her GPA calculation.

• Question:
If Kevin took 1 year of French and 1 year of
Spanish, has he completed the E category
(Language other than English) of the A-G subject requirement?
• Answer:
No, the E category can only be fulfilled by taking two years of the same language.

• Question:
How many different classes can Sam take to make up for the “D” she received in the second semester of Algebra 1?
• Answer:
She can take ? classes; she can retake Algebra 1 or she can take Algebra 2, trigonometry, math analysis, pre-calculus, calculus, or statistics.

• Question:
Maya received a “D” in her high school Spanish
Literature class and a “C” in the Spanish Literature class she took at the local community college. Will the highest grade be used in her CSU/UC GPA calculation or will both grades be used?
• Answer:
Both grades will be used to calculate her GPA. If she had retaken the same Spanish Literature class at her high school, only the highest grade would be used to calculate her GPA.

• Question:
How many extra grade points can you earn from passing approved honors, AP, and IB classes with a “C” or better?
• Answer:
You can earn a maximum of 8 points from passing approved honors, AP, and IB classes with a “C” or better.

• Question:
If a class is required for high school graduation, is it an A-G requirement as well?
• Answer:
No, the classes that you need to graduate from high school do not necessarily meet the
A-G Subject Requirements (for example,
Physical Education).

• Question:
Where can I find out if the courses I am taking are A-G eligible?
• Answer:
Course listings can be found at the UC
Doorways website: https://doorways.ucop.ed/list

• Question:
How many times can a course be repeated?
• Answer:
If applying to a University of California (UC) a course can only be repeated once but if applying to a California State University (CSU) it can be repeated as many times as necessary.

• Question:
Does a repeated course allow for improvements in my GPA?
• Answer:
Yes, but a course can only be repeated if a grade lower than a “C” was received. The best grade will be used in the GPA calculation

• Question:
What is the rationale of the A-G requirements? List 4 points.
• Answer:
1. To ensure students can participate fully in the first year program at the university in a broad variety of fields of study.
2. To prepare students for courses, majors and programs offered at the university.
3. To offer students a body of knowledge that will provide breath and perspective to new, more advanced studies.
4. To instill students with essential critical thinking and study skills.