College Credit Offered as Incentive at Hamilton High : 160 Students Headed for ‘Supergraduate Program’ While Seeking Diplomas

A year’s worth of college credit and the guarantee of admission to West Los Angeles College and UCLA are being offered to a select group of Hamilton High School minority and low-income students as an incentive to continue their education.

This year, about 160 Hamilton students will participate in the “supergraduate program,” in which they can take college courses to earn up to 32 units of credit while working on their high school diplomas. After graduation, they will attend West Los Angeles College for one year to earn an associate of arts degree, after which they can transfer to UCLA.

Grant from Sears-Roebuck Foundation

The program, which is financed by a $15,000 grant from the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, will begin this summer with 10th- and 11th-graders, school officials said.

“It will broaden their experience,” Los Angeles Schools Supt. Leonard Britton said. “It’s a win-win situation for students, teachers, schools, for everyone.”

Donald Phelps, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, which includes West Los Angeles College, said the program is designed to attract students who might be intimidated by a college setting.

“I want to see them early on. They need to feel that you don’t have to be 18 years old to go to a college,” he said.

Students will be given additional training in study skills, essay writing and library use, school officials said. They also will be helped with the transition from high school to college with tutoring and special guidance programs.

A parents’ group will be organized to provide additional support, school officials said.

“It’s not just a matter of recruiting kids, it’s making sure that they have the tools to be successful,” said Eva Baker, associate dean of UCLA’s Graduate School of Education.

Students in the program are required to remain in good academic standing, maintaining at least a B-minus average each semester at Hamilton and at West Los Angeles College. Those who fail to do so will be placed on academic probation for two semesters. Students who remain on probation for more than two semesters will be dropped from the program.

Officials said other high schools are considering similar programs.

School board member Alan Gershman, whose district includes Hamilton High School, called the program an “exciting example of a new educational partnership.”

Benefits for All 3 Institutions

All three institutions will benefit from the program, school officials said, with Hamilton increasing the number of college-bound students, West Los Angeles College receiving students motivated to complete their courses and UCLA increasing the number of minority transfer students.

Hamilton, which is located in Los Angeles near Culver City, is accepting applications for admission to the program. A committee of teachers from Hamilton, West Los Angeles College and UCLA will select the participants.