2008 Woodie Awards
LAVC Grad Requirements Raised
LaGina Phillips
Issue date: 4/27/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The California Academic Senate recently approved a resolution that raises the English and math requirements to graduate from community colleges.
The Senate's 65-44 vote for the English requirement and 63-46 vote for the math requirement will soon require all community college students to pass English 101 and Math 125 for graduation. For years, English 28 and Mathematics 115 were the courses that were required for graduation.
"There are pros and cons," said Alfred Zucker, chair of the English department.
According to Zucker, benefits of the resolution are that it will increase the academic achievement of graduates and give them additional course work in English, while he points out that the negatives are that it may be a handicap to students who want an AA or who are in programs where 101 is not required.
Valley's English department was in the minority in recommending that the Senate keep the requirements the same.
"We hope it does not discourage students because of the additional requirements," said Zucker.
While the Senate has not announced when the resolution will go into effect, it will most likely begin with students entering community college in the fall of 2006. Current Valley students are under contract with the state under the current graduation requirements and will only be required to take English 28 and Math 115 to graduate.
The resolution will be sent to the Board of Governors in July, which is expected to approve the measure without discussion.
"The Valley Senate [went to the Board with a recommendation] based on what our faculty here wanted," according to John Maddox, Valley history instructor and chairman of the curriculum committee. "[We were] against English, and for the math."
Valley's math department supports the additional requirement because the current math class needed to graduate a California community college is the same level required to graduate from high school, according to Steve Castillo, chair of Valley's math department.
"We thought that it should be something above the high school requirement," said Castillo.
The Senate's 65-44 vote for the English requirement and 63-46 vote for the math requirement will soon require all community college students to pass English 101 and Math 125 for graduation. For years, English 28 and Mathematics 115 were the courses that were required for graduation.
"There are pros and cons," said Alfred Zucker, chair of the English department.
According to Zucker, benefits of the resolution are that it will increase the academic achievement of graduates and give them additional course work in English, while he points out that the negatives are that it may be a handicap to students who want an AA or who are in programs where 101 is not required.
Valley's English department was in the minority in recommending that the Senate keep the requirements the same.
"We hope it does not discourage students because of the additional requirements," said Zucker.
While the Senate has not announced when the resolution will go into effect, it will most likely begin with students entering community college in the fall of 2006. Current Valley students are under contract with the state under the current graduation requirements and will only be required to take English 28 and Math 115 to graduate.
The resolution will be sent to the Board of Governors in July, which is expected to approve the measure without discussion.
"The Valley Senate [went to the Board with a recommendation] based on what our faculty here wanted," according to John Maddox, Valley history instructor and chairman of the curriculum committee. "[We were] against English, and for the math."
Valley's math department supports the additional requirement because the current math class needed to graduate a California community college is the same level required to graduate from high school, according to Steve Castillo, chair of Valley's math department.
"We thought that it should be something above the high school requirement," said Castillo.
