Top grades and high test scores may not be the only ways to get into college if a new admissions system being tested goes into effect.
Homestead High School in Cupertino is one of five high schools in California working on a pilot program with the University of California that could change the way college applicants are evaluated.
Through the program, students are judged on their work habits, growth and communication skills as well as general knowledge of a subject - all of which are recorded in a "transitions transcript."
Lauri Steel, who helped coordinate the program at Homestead three years ago, said the criteria that the UC system has traditionally looked at may no longer be good predictors for today's applicants. As a result, administrators are changing the ways they look at admissions. She said students of color historically don't perform as well on the measure traditionally used and a high rate of students who are currently accepted based on their grades only, are unable to pass basic college-level assessment tests.
"This will help (the UC system) move toward eliminating this type of disparity and to do a better job of selecting and recruiting a diverse group of students capable of succeeding at the university level of work," Steel said.
Steel described the partnership between the high schools and the college as "close to earthshaking. What a college expects has tremendous impact on a school."
The transitions transcript evaluates a student's performance in key areas, including general knowledge, study habits, communication skills and work habits - factors not as apparent in letter grades, Steel said. Students are evaluated with the following comments: "advancing toward proficiency," "demonstrates proficiency" or "exceeds in proficiency."
She said an admissions officer reviewing a transitions transcript, for example, would be able to see a student's growth.
Steel said the transitions transcript is like an alternative transcript that provides students taking part in the program an additional admissions evaluation. She said the admissions office will review a student's traditional transcript as well as the transitions transcript.
She said the student needs to be accepted on only one transcript in order to be admitted.
Steel said of the 29 students who participated in the program in 1996, 23 were admitted into the UC system on both transcripts; three were admitted based on the assessment of their transitions transcript only; and three were admitted based on the review of their traditional transcript only.
She said last year's results were not available.
Steel said the program is "paying off in student behavior. "Students taking part in the program tend to less tardy and absent than other students," she said.
She said the evaluation process has given students more ownership of their work that is not typically generated with report cards.
The approximately 10 teachers participating in the program have also restructured their courses to better reflect by what criteria students will be evaluated.
"They're not asking 'how do I get two more points?,' but 'how can I write a stronger essay?'" Steel said.
The transitions transcript is part of the school's reform plan that was started five years ago to improve teaching and learning methods.
Through the reform plan, school administrators, parents and other residents have worked with the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative and the Bay Area Coalition of Essential Schools to initiate school-wide changes.
For more information about the transitions transcript program or other reform programs at Homestead High School, call (408) 522-2500.