UPA offers an intensive, college preparatory program integrating academics, technology, leadership/advisory as the core curriculum, and offers visual and performing arts to enrich studen... more

UPA’s curriculum is demanding, coherent, and standards-based. Our goal is for all students to meet “a-g” requirements with grades of C or higher, taking classes that challenge and prepare them for university work. The UPA curriculum will consist of the following fundamental components:
• Fulfillment of “a-g” requirement by all students with grades of C or higher in order to receive course credit, with an emphasis on Advanced Placement courses
• Only one track at UPA—a college preparatory curriculum that all students will be expected to achieve
• Standards-based with mastery of subject matter required
• Meaningful homework every night—2 to 3 hours

UPA requires AP classes and college preparatory classes for all students and requires all students to complete each AP course by taking the exam. Recent research indicates that 34% of all high school graduates nation wide (40% of white students, 23% of African American students, and 20% of Hispanic students are eligible to enter a four year college or university based on minimum qualifications required by these institutions). Without a doubt, students who have completed college-level work while in high school are significantly more likely to find success in college, entering college and remaining in college until graduation and that no matter how one divided the universe of students, a high school curriculum of high academic intensity and quality is the factor that contributes to students’ likelihood of completing college. The studies further found that just the completion of one advanced placement course exposes a student to college level work even if the examination is not taken or passed, the challenge of the course and emphasis on critical thinking, study skills, and increased content knowledge prepares a student for college work.

Beginning in 7th grade, UPA students are challenged with a pre-AP curriculum to prepare them for later success in AP and college courses. All students are enrolled in pre-AP English and Mathematics classes with the intent of preparing all students for Calculus by their senior or even their junior year and AP English Language and Literature classes for all students in their junior and senior years. Teachers will receive training in ways to teach the skills and content necessary for success in AP and other college classes. UPA believes it is critical for students to successfully complete college courses while in high school in order to prepare them for success in four-year colleges and universities. (For documentation of the success of this approach, see Advanced Placement Courses Cast Wider Net by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, published in Education Week, November 3, 2004, describing various research done on this topic).

The UPA curriculum is carefully planned to align with the state standards in each of our core areas of English/language arts, math, science, history/social science, and foreign language in each of grades 7 through 12. UPA curriculum is planned coherently so that our content standards will be implemented by the teacher and attained by the student. UPA’s director monitors this aspect of instruction carefully, incorporating successful implementation into each teacher’s performance evaluation.

All students are required to reach beyond their present academic levels in a cycle of continuous improvement, verified by testing that will give students, parents and teachers immediate feedback on skill levels and needs. Grades of A, B, or C and mastery of standards are required for course completion. Students are generally assigned approximately 2-3 hours of rigorous, meaningful homework each night. Homework experts say there is an unfortunate gap in the amount and quality of homework given to the “haves” and the “have nots,” which places many disadvantaged urban students further behind their more affluent peers. UPA believes that successful college students are those who have been given substantive, meaningful homework assignments. Students who do more homework score better on tests and get better grades, particularly in high school. UPA strives to ensure that its students are accustomed to daily homework assignments that expand upon their classroom instruction and help prepare them for the rigors of a college environment.

UPA adopts the California state standards as the framework for our curriculum, and UPA students take the required state standardized tests. UPA core curriculum materials and textbooks for 7th and 8th grades are selected from the list of state-required textbooks. Ninth though twelfth grade non-advanced placement textbooks will be California State Standards-aligned, and UPA will use College Board-required textbooks and instructional materials for advanced placement classes.