In order to be accepted to the University of California (UC) system, a student must prove s/he has completed a specific array of course subjects, know as A-G courses. In 2005, Big Picture Learning’s schools in California were invited by the UC BOARS Committee and the UC Office of the President to create a new, alternative model for presenting curriculum for A-G course approval based on the California State academic standards.
This work was completed by Big Picture in 2006 and was officially accepted by the UC Boars Committee as evidence that the non-traditional Big Picture program and its related curriculum met A-G course requirements. The UC BOARS Committee, for the first time in its history, approved an alternative process (the above referenced model) for A-G course approval.
The new model consisted of matrices of learning objectives aligned with California academic content standards that track student progress and document how standards have been met and mastered. In addition to these matrices, Big Picture provided the UC Committee with these supplemental documents:
A detailed statement of the Big Picture educational philosophy.
A complete description of the wide variety of Big Picture students’ learning experiences, such as Learning through Internships/Interests (LTIs), and how these learning experiences address State standards.
Student case studies to illustrate to the Committee how the Big Picture’s nontraditional system of individualized student learning experiences fully addresses California’s academic content standards.
The Big Picture Learning team created approximately twenty matrices addressing all of the A-G requirements (link to sample matrices below). These matrices demonstrate a deep understanding of the multiple layers of each standard for each course. Each matrix provides a concise deconstruction of each part of each standard to demonstrate how the skills and knowledge contained therein and how Big Picture students’ experiences lead to mastery of these skills and knowledge.
Since 2006, these matrices have been adapted for use in other Big Picture schools in other states. This successful process of translation not only demonstrates that Big Picture students have fulfilled state-mandated course requirements; it displays the saliency and rigor of the Big Picture Learning design.
Algebra Sample Matrix
English Sample Matrix
Earth/Physical Science Matrix
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