CSU Ousts 8.2% Over Weak Skills

The California State University system threw out 8.2% of its freshmen last year for failing to master basic English or math skills, the highest rate in the four years that it has tracked such dismissals.

In releasing the statistics Tuesday, university officials said that the rise in freshman washouts came largely because the system’s 23 campuses are taking a harder line with remedial students who don’t pass the required basic skills courses. The most common problem is critical reading skills, and Cal State officials attribute that partly to the large number of students from immigrant households in which English is not the primary language.

Under a policy adopted by Cal State trustees in 1996, entering freshmen must take placement exams to prove that they have mastered basic English and math skills. Those who fall short of the standard are required to take one or two remedial classes in their area of academic weakness and must pass an exam to prove their competence within a year. More than half of last year’s incoming freshmen had to take at least one remedial class.

Campuses are required to kick out freshmen who do not pass those classes unless the students can show extenuating circumstances. Now that campuses have had a few years to adjust to the new rules, the university presidents “are administering those provisions much more seriously,” said Allison G. Jones, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Cal State system.

That message has gotten through to many students, who often say the fear of being kicked out of school is a powerful motivator. “I have this semester to pass, so I am going to pass. No doubt about it,” said Pei Hoang, an 18-year-old Cal State Long Beach freshman from Rosemead.

“I worry about it,” added Hoang, who passed her remedial math class last semester but not her basic English skills course. “If I don’t [pass English], I’m off this campus. I don’t want to go to a [junior college]. I’d rather stay here.”

In at least one way, Hoang fits the profile of students who struggle in English reading proficiency. Although English is her first language, she speaks Vietnamese and Chinese at home with her Asian immigrant parents.

Other Causes Cited

Educators say other factors are playing a role in the persistently high number of students who need remedial help in English. The test results “say something about the meltdown going on in the K-12 schools,” said Steve Teixeira, director of a federally funded student support program at Cal State L.A. that helps students develop their abilities in reading, taking notes and other academic skills.

Teixeira contended that Cal State’s requirements for freshmen are penalizing large numbers of minority students from schools in poor neighborhoods that provide weak preparation for college. Cal State officials said they did not yet have a breakdown by ethnic and racial groups for freshmen who were ousted from the system’s campuses last year.

The 8.2% dismissal rate from among the nearly 37,000 freshmen admitted in fall 2001 was up from 6.7% the year before. The rate has climbed since Cal State started keeping such figures with the class that entered in fall 1998, a group that had a rate of 5.1%.

Meanwhile, Cal State also released figures showing mixed results in how well this year’s entire freshman class is prepared for university work. Based on placement exams, 41% of the freshman class that entered in fall 2002 was proficient in English and math, up from 38% the year before and up from 32% four years earlier. That remains far from the university’s goal of having 90% of its new students able to pass those tests by 2007.

Revised Math Test

Within that overall improvement, however, there was a decline in the number of freshmen this year who were proficient in English. In addition, the improvement in math proficiency came at least partly because Cal State revised this year’s math test, a change that may have made it easier.

David S. Spence, Cal State’s executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, said students also fared better because many are taking more and better math courses in high school. Still, Spence said the decline in English proficiency shows that “we really have to redouble our efforts to find ways to improve the teaching and learning process for these kinds of students.”

Despite a variety of spending cuts envisioned for Cal State in Gov. Gray Davis’ proposed 2003-2004 budget, system officials said the remedial programs for freshmen would not be harmed. They said that they also would try to avoid significant cuts in other areas that help freshmen, such as counseling. “This is a priority,” Spence said. “We need to find a way to make sure this program is fully supported.”

On the other hand, some of Cal State’s outreach work to high schools to improve students’ readiness for college work would be slashed under Davis’ budget plan. Spence and Jones said Cal State is developing new ways to help in that area, including working with public schools to test students by their junior year of high school to identify those who need extra academic help.