East Side Union High School District Unanimously Adopts New Curriculum to Ensure All Students Meet College Entrance Requirements
SVEF’s College Readiness initiative achieves major milestone

San Jose, CA—The East Side Union High School District voted last night to approve a new standard curriculum that would put all students on a path to meet the entrance requirements for the University of California and the California State University systems. The Board voted unanimously to approve the new standards, known as the “A-G” requirements.
Currently, the State of California’s high school graduation requirements do not align with the minimum entrance requirements for California’s public four-year universities.  As a result, many students, especially minority students, begin their high school careers on a track that will not allow them to apply for entrance into four-year universities. 
By adopting the “A-G” requirements, the East Side Union High School District will ensure that all incoming freshmen start their high school careers on a path towards college. East Side is one of the largest school districts in the State to adopt these standards.  ESUHSD serves nearly 25,000 students.
“If Silicon Valley wants to continue to lead the global economy, we must grow our own talent, ” said Muhammed Chaudhry, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation.  “Thanks to the leadership of the East Side Board of Trustees, every student will be on the track for college and career—preparing them to succeed in the jobs of the future.”
“If we challenge our students to aim higher, we know they will rise to the occasion,” said Eddie Garcia, Board President of the East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees.  “By setting high expectations, I know our efforts will help close the achievement gap in our schools, especially for our Latino and African American students.”  Garcia, a 1981 graduate of James Lick High School in the East Side, helped kick off the drive toward the A-G curriculum during his “State of the District” speech this January.
The Silicon Valley Education Foundation has worked for the past year on advocating for local school districts to adopt the “A-G” curriculum to help increase the number of Silicon Valley students that ultimately enter four-year universities.  The Foundation has held a series of community meetings with parents, educators and community leaders throughout the East Side to discuss college entrance requirements and the benefits of adopting the A-G curriculum.
Of specific concern is the low number of Latino and African American students who meet the entrance requirements for California’s universities.   In Santa Clara County, only 22.7% of Hispanic students and 26.5% of African American students successfully meet the “A-G” requirements.  In the East Side Union High School District those numbers are 20.4% and 26.2% respectively.  That compares to 70.2% of Asian students countywide and 60.8% within the East Side Union High School District.
While the District adopted the “A-G” curriculum as the default curriculum for its students, it is considered an option and not a requirement for graduation.  As such, students and families who choose to opt out of the A-G curriculum can choose a path that focuses more heavily on vocational training or more traditional graduation requirements. 
“The sad reality is that too often bright, capable students are placed in the wrong classes in their Freshman and Sophomore years, placing them far behind the curve for meeting college requirements,” continued Chaudhry.  “This new policy puts every student on the college track and places the decision as to whether college is the right path in the hands of students and parents.”
The Silicon Valley Education Foundation has partnered with W.K. Kellogg Foundation to research and advocate for greater college readiness in Santa Clara County. Additionally, the partnership has led to an ongoing engagement with the community about increasing the number of students who are prepared to enter and graduate from college.