Students Unready for Cal State

Re “An SOS for Our Students,” editorial, March 30:

For a number of years I have questioned the practice of the Cal State universities accepting many students who fail to meet their standards. If the CSUs do not feel these students are ready, they should not accept them. These students could attend a community college at a much lower cost to the students and the taxpayers.

You mention that a student who is accepted by a Cal State by April of his senior year would still have time to take a preparatory course in a community college before enrolling at the CSU in September. Logic would agree with you, but not Cal State Northridge. I have a student who is currently in just that situation. Knowing that she is weak in math, she asked me if she could take a math class this summer at L.A. Valley College before enrolling at CSUN in the fall. To double-check, I called CSUN and was told that she would jeopardize her enrollment eligibility at CSUN if she enrolled in Valley College after her high school graduation. Once enrolled at Valley, she would have to complete 56 transferable credits before she could enter CSUN. The girl does not have $145 per unit (over $400) to take a class this summer at CSUN, but she can afford the $13 a unit for a summer school class at Valley.

Is CSUN really interested in this student improving her mathematics skills as soon as possible, or is it interested more in keeping the student’s cash flowing solely in its direction?

SUSAN BONOFF

College Counselor

North Hollywood High School

*

As an elementary school teacher for LAUSD, I completely agree that “the long-term solution to Cal State’s--and California’s--problem (of grade inflation) must begin before high schoolers head off to college.” It must begin in elementary school. Supt. Ruben Zacarias has stated that he wants to do away with “social promotion”--passing a student on to the next grade, regardless of his or her academic abilities.

This couldn’t happen soon enough. I really believe that if more elementary school teachers would be able to retain students, with good reason, we would see a trend of better prepared Cal State freshmen in the near future.

ELAINE FRANKLIN

Burbank