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BUSD approves guaranteed CSUSM admission agreement

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The Bonsall Unified School District board approved an agreement guaranteeing admission into Cal State University San Marcos for BUSD students who meet the defined criteria.

The BUSD board voted 5-0 Dec. 14 to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the Bonsall district and CSUSM for guaranteed admission. The MOU and guaranteed admission agreement will be effective beginning with the Class of 2023 graduates.

“This is a big one,” said BUSD superintendent Joseph Clevenger. “I’m really excited for the students.”

BUSD and Palomar College already have a dual enrollment partnership agreement in which Palomar College instructors teach classes at Bonsall High School and the students receive both high school and college credit. “We continue to partner with higher education,” Clevenger said. “This is just another example.”

CSUSM, which has a current enrollment of approximately 17,000 students, offers 43 undergraduate majors. The Cougars are in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and currently have seven women’s sports and six men’s sports.

A BUSD student will be eligible for guaranteed CSUSM admission if he or she is continually enrolled in the Bonsall district since ninth grade (an exception applies for homeless and foster youth and for military dependents), completes all coursework and other eligibility prerequisites required for California State University admission, graduates from high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, successfully passes the Early Assessment Program for mathematics and English during his or her junior year or successfully completes additional coursework designed to build the appropriate skills and knowledge, and submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application or the California Dream Act application.

The district’s commitment includes summer school opportunities for basic skill preparation, clear criteria to identify and support incoming seventh-grade students identified as at-risk, development of opportunities for Bonsall High School juniors and seniors to experience university-level academic work, assessment of English and mathematics proficiency through participation in the Early Assessment Program, intervention and credit recovery opportunities during the school year, facilitation of the development and distribution of supplemental financial aid for participating students, opportunities for students and parents to visit CSUSM when organized and planned including transportation to CSUSM for visits and orientations, training for middle and high school teachers in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program strategies, and annual reports on the progress of each participating graduation class.

The university will participate with Bonsall district staff in researching, designing, and implementing literacy and mathematics training models or other relevant professional development, will assist and support BUSD program graduates at CSUSM with structured programs designed to support college success, will assist in the recruitment of college students as tutors to the district’s high schools and middle schools through campus organizations and programs, and will assist with placement of qualifying students in internships, summer placements, or senior project assignments within local community businesses.

The Bonsall district and CSUSM will collaboratively work to obtain additional public and private funds to support and enhance the activities outlined in the MOU.

 

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