College Offers Program to Help 11th-Graders

Cal State University officials want to make a deal with 300 high school juniors in Simi Valley and Ventura: One week of summer school in exchange for a better chance at getting into college.

Thanks to a $15,000 grant announced last week by Pacific Bell, university officials are expanding a campaign to prepare high school students for college-level work by sharpening the basic skills they will need for university admission.

The money will be used to administer assessment tests this year to 11th-graders in the two districts to determine where they need help in English and math. The youngsters will attend an intensive one-week institute at the fledgling Cal State Channel Islands campus this summer, where CSU faculty will help them shore up academic weaknesses.

The goal is to ready them, early in their senior year, to pass the university system’s basic proficiency exams in English and math, tests that have proved to be significant stumbling blocks for a growing number of college-bound students.