Dear County Superintendents of Schools:

Second Apportionment for the A–G Completion
Improvement Grant Program
Fiscal Year 2021–22

The second apportionment, in the amount of $136,762,823, is made from the state General Fund pursuant to Section 24 of Assembly Bill (AB) 130 (Chapter 44, Statutes of 2021) as amended by Section 10 of AB 167 (Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021), which established California Education Code (EC) Section 41590. A–G Completion Improvement Grant Program funds are apportioned to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the purpose of providing additional supports to LEAs to help increase the number of California high school pupils, particularly unduplicated pupils, who graduate from high school with A–G eligibility requirements completed for admission to the California State University and the University of California. The amount of the second apportionment represents 25 percent of the total allocation amount for the A–G Completion Improvement Grant. These funds are available for expenditure or encumbrance through the 2025–26 Fiscal Year.

Eligible LEAs, with one or more grade 12 graduates in the 2020–21 Fiscal Year, will receive funding for either the A–G Access Grant or the A–G Success Grant depending on the LEA’s A–G completion rate. LEAs with one or more grade 9–12 Unduplicated Pupil Count (9–12 UPC) as reported on the 2020–21 CALPADS Fall 1 data collection will receive the A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grant.

A–G Access Grant

Pursuant to EC 41590(c)(1) $300,000,000 is provided for the A–G Access Grant. Funds are available for LEAs that have a 2020–21 A–G completion rate less than 67 percent and are based on the number of 9–12 UPC in the LEA multiplied by $283.06. LEAs that are otherwise eligible and received Concentration Grant funding as of the Second Principal Apportionment certification for the 2020–21 Fiscal Year shall receive a total allocation of not less than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for the A–G Access Grant.

Pursuant to EC 41590(c)(2) $100,000,000 is provided for the A–G Success Grant. Funds are available for LEAs that have a 2020–21 A–G completion rate of 67 percent or higher and are based on the number of 9–12 UPC in the LEA multiplied by $714.12. LEAs that are otherwise eligible and received Concentration Grant funding as of the Second Principal Apportionment certification for the 2020–21 Fiscal Year shall receive a total allocation of not less than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for the A–G Success Grant.

Use of Funds A–G Access Grant and A–G Success Grant

A–G Access Grants and A–G Success Grants shall be used for activities that directly support pupil access to, and successful completion of, the A–G course requirements. Eligible activities may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

• Providing teachers, administrators, and counselors with professional development opportunities to improve the LEA’s A–G completion rate.
• Developing comprehensive advising plans and pupil supports, including tutoring programs, to improve the LEA’s A–G completion rate.
• Expanding access to coursework or other opportunities to satisfy A–G course requirements to all pupils, including, but not necessarily limited to, unduplicated pupils. These opportunities may include, but shall not be limited to, course development, course review, incorporating A–G course requirements into the LEA’s graduation requirements, and new or expanded partnerships with other secondary or postsecondary educational institutions.
• Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate fees for unduplicated pupils.
• The statute encourages LEAs to direct A–G Success Grant funds towards pupils in danger of not achieving a grade of “C” or better in A–G courses.

A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grant

Pursuant to EC 41590(e) $147,513,000 is provided for the A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grant. Funds are available based on the 9–12 UPC in the LEA multiplied by $106.12. LEAs that are otherwise eligible and received Concentration Grant funding as of the Second Principal Apportionment certification for the 2020–21 Fiscal Year shall receive a total allocation of not less than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for the A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grant.

Use of Funds A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grant

A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grants shall be used to allow pupils who receive a grade of “D,” “F,” or “Fail” in an A–G approved course in the spring semester of 2020 or the 2020–21 school year to retake those A–G courses. The method of offering pupils the opportunity to retake courses shall be determined by the LEA. If sufficient funds are available after allowing pupils who receive a grade of “D,” “F,” or “Fail” in an A–G approved course in the spring semester of 2020 or the 2020–21 school year to retake those A–G courses, LEAs may also use grant funds to offer credit recovery opportunities to all pupils to ensure pupils are able to graduate high school on time.

Program Compliance

• On or before April 1, 2022, LEAs were required to develop a plan describing how the funds received will increase or improve services for unduplicated pupils to improve A–G eligibility, including information about the number of pupils identified for opportunities to retake courses. Once the plan is completed by April 1, 2022, the plan shall be discussed at a regularly scheduled meeting by the governing board of the LEA and adopted at a subsequent regularly scheduled meeting and include the following:
  • Information regarding how the plan and described services supplement, and do not supplant, those services identified in the LEA’s Local Control and Accountability Plan and the LEA’s Learning Recovery Program plan adopted pursuant to EC 43522.
  • A description of the extent to which all pupils within the LEA, particularly unduplicated pupils, will have access to A–G courses approved by the University of California.
• On or before December 31, 2023, LEAs shall report to the California Department of Education (CDE) how the LEA is measuring the impact of the funds received on their A–G completion rate, as identified within their plan, and the outcomes based on those measurements.
• On or before August 31, 2026, LEAs shall report to CDE final outcomes that measure the impact of the funds received on their A–G completion rate.

Accounting and Payments

For Standardized Account Code Structure:

• A–G Access Grants or the A–G Success Grants use Resource Code 7412, Other Restricted State and Revenue Object Code 8590, All Other State Revenue.
• A–G Learning Loss Mitigation Grants use Resource Code 7413, Other Restricted State, and Revenue Object Code 8590, All Other State Revenue.

Warrants will be mailed to the County Treasurers approximately three to four weeks from the date of this Notice.

County superintendents were notified of this apportionment by email sent to their CDEfisc email addresses. The CDE requested that the email be forwarded to all school districts and charter schools in the county, and included the links to this letter and the accompanying apportionment schedule posted under the program name on the CDE web page at, https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca/agcigp.asp.

For questions about the allocation and apportionment of these funds, please contact the Categorical Allocations and Audit Resolution Office, by email at CAAR@cde.ca.gov. For programmatic questions, please contact the High School Innovations and Initiatives Offices by email at A-GCIGP@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Dearstyne, Director
School Fiscal Services Division

ED:da