While Chico State University still has a lot of freshmen who have to play catch-up in math and English, figures released by the California State University today say it is beating the system average.

However, the numbers are far from glowing.

Of the 1,877 new freshmen who enrolled at Chico State last fall, 551, or 29.4 percent, failed the math entry exam that all incoming students must take.

Also, 669 individuals, or 35.6 percent, failed the placement test that qualifies incoming students to enroll in the required English composition course.

Spencer Bolich, director of the academic advising program at Chico State, said the numbers are not all that impressive, but they have one saving grace: They are better than the system average.

Of the 38,086 first-time freshmen who entered one of the 23 CSU campuses last fall, 36.7 percent couldn't meet the entry-level math standard and 48.2 percent didn't qualify for the required English composition class.
"I don't think we can be really proud of the whole rate," said Bolich.

Among incoming white students, according to the CSU figures, Chico State is hitting the systemwide average almost exactly when it comes to students in need of help to make the grade in college.

Just under 27 percent of freshmen identified as "white non-Latino" at Chico State need remedial help in math, compared to a system average of 26.3 percent. In English, Chico's rate is 32 percent for individuals needing remedial aid and for the CSU as a whole it is 30.1 percent.

However, among what the academics call "under-represented populations," Chico State freshmen are doing generally better than the system average.

Systemwide, 63.7 percent of the incoming African-American students fail to pass the entry-level math test.

At Chico State, only 39.3 percent of the entering African-American freshmen can't make the entry-level math standard.

When it comes to English, 63.5 percent of the African-American students fail the English Placement Test throughout the CSU, but at Chico State the failure rate falls to 35.7 percent.

"A higher percentage of the students we get come from high schools that better prepare them," said Bolich.

He also said part of the reason Chico State's scores are better even if they aren't stunning has to do with who comes to this university.

"We must be attracting some unique kids in terms of our recruiting," he said.

All but a relative handful of incoming freshmen in the CSU have to take the math and English exams as part of their admissions process.

CSU regulations require that all new students who can't meet the math and English minimum standards must be up to speed by the end of their freshman year.