Graduation Requirements

The mission of Downtown College Prep is to prepare students to thrive at a four-year university. To that end, student progress is closely monitored by teachers and administrators to ensure that they are on track toward fulfilling the California State University (CSU) entrance requirements. DCP's graduation requirements consist of two important elements: passing all CSU-required classes, and gaining admission to a four-year college or university.

The following are the CSU-required classes (also known as the a-g requirements):

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of Mathematics
• 2 years of Foreign Language
• 2 years of Social Science
• 2 years of Lab Science
• 1 year of Fine Arts
• 1 year of College-Prep Electives

DCP is unique among public schools in that, in order to receive a diploma, students must go through the college application process and be accepted to a four-year college. DCP students and their families receive intensive coaching and extensive financial support in order to make this possible. Since all students must successfully complete the a-g requirements to graduate, all students are automatically qualified for acceptance to CSUs. Many students also qualify for the CSU's Educational Opportunity Program, which is "designed to improve access and retention of historically low-income and educationally disadvantaged students." Additionally, students who cannot meet the financial burden of the application process receive all necessary funds from DCP.

Occasionally, unforeseen circumstances will prevent a student from completing the college application process successfully, or they may fail to pass all of the CSU a-g requirements by the end of 12th grade. If this occurs, the student is entitled to write an appeal, and a special committee (which includes school administrators and representatives from a local four-year college) is convened to hear the appeal. The committee may determine that the student is ready to move on to college (in the case that they have been accepted despite missing one or more a-g requirements) and grant a diploma. The committee may also find that the student is not ready, and require him or her to repeat the senior year.

No D's at DCP

Since UCs and CSUs do not accept D grades for required courses, there are no D grades given at DCP. If students receive a grade of less than 70% in any course, they fail the course.

Promotion and Retention

If students fail any a-g required classes at a time that would prevent them from completing all required classes in four years, they are not promoted to the next grade level. For example, a freshman cannot become a sophomore unless they pass English I, as they need 4 years of English to graduate. A sophomore cannot become a junior unless they pass Algebra I, because they need 3 years to graduate. DCP students have the ability to attend summer school to complete core classes (math and English) to increase their chances of being able to graduate in four years, and many students end up taking advantage of this option. Because we want to ensure that students are really gaining the skills necessary to move forward, DCP does not accept summer school credit from other schools.

The Matrix

The CSU system has an Eligibility Index that they use to determine eligibility, which looks at GPA and ACT/SAT scores. The CSU-calculated GPA is different than the cumulative GPA for the following reasons:

• CSU only factors in the grades for a-g required classes.
• CSU does not factor in grades from classes taken during the freshman year, even if they are a-g requirements.
• CSU adds a 1 point bonus for approved honors and AP classes (i.e. an A grade would earn a 5 instead of a 4).

At DCP, we have compiled these conditions into a document we call "the matrix", and we report to students not only their cumulative GPA, but their "matrix GPA". After each semester, the Dean of Students updates the students' matrices, which indicates whether or not the students are on track to be accepted to a four-year university. Starting in 10th grade, students and their families are taught about the matrix; a low score prompts an immediate meeting with a student's family in order to set up a plan for improvement.

The matrix GPA factors heavily into a student's ability to be accepted to a four-year university, and thus it is tied in to our promotion requirements. Starting in 10th grade, students must be at or above a 2.0 on the matrix in order to be promoted to the following grade level.

CSU Matrix (Excel File)  

Course Sequencing

The following is a year-by-year schedule of the classes that DCP students take. There are a variety of options at each level, depending on the individual student's skills.

9th Grade

• All students take English 1, Algebra 1, and College Readiness.
• Students who test below a 6th grade reading level take Verbal Reasoning; the rest take Spanish or Journalism.
• Students who test below a 7th grade math level take Numeracy 1; the rest take Integrated Science.

10th Grade

• All students take English 2, World History, and a Visual/Performing Arts class (Dance, Photography, or Studio Art).
• Students who test below an 8th grade reading level take Verbal Reasoning 2; the rest take the appropriate level of Spanish.
  
• Students who have passed Algebra 1 take Algebra 2 (or Algebra 2 Accelerated) and Biology (as Algebra 1 is a prerequisite for Biology). The rest repeat Algebra 1 and take Numeracy 2 or Journalism (if their numeracy skills are at grade level).

11th Grade

• All students take English 3 (or English 3 Honors) and US History.
• Students continue to take Spanish (this is optional if they have met the 2-year requirement).
• Students who passed Algebra 1 as 10th graders now take Algebra 2. Those who passed Algebra 2 as 10th graders take Geometry. Some students choose to accelerate and take Geometry during the summer after 10th grade, and now take Precalculus.
• Students who have passed Biology take Chemistry; the rest take Biology.
• Students take additional electives, depending on where they are in meeting their requirements.

12th Grade

• All students take English 4 (or AP English Language).
• Students who have not yet taken Geometry do so now. The rest choose between Precalculus, College Prep Math, or Calculus.
• Students take additional electives, depending on where they are in meeting their requirements. Senior level electives available include: American Government, AP US History, Latin American Studies, BioSite, Journalism, any Visual/Performing Arts class, any Spanish class.