Proficiency in mathematics and English of first-time freshman who entered a California State University this past fall teetered close to last year's numbers, but remained well under the benchmark set by the CSU Board of Trustees.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS
The breakdown for fall 2003 regularly admitted first-time freshmen:

Cal Poly Pomona:
• Number of Freshmen– 2,656
• Proficient in Math – 1,889 (71.1%)
• Proficient in English –1,233 (46.6%)

Cal State San Bernardino:
• Number of Freshmen – 1,217
• Proficient in Math – 493 (40.5%)
• Proficient in English –407 (33.4%)

— Source: www.asd.calstate.edu

System-wide, freshman proficiency in mathematics remained steady at 62 percent, while English proficiency rose slightly from 51 percent to 52 percent, CSU documents stated.

The numbers are far below the 74 percent proficiency in math and 78 percent in English that the Board of Trustees expected.

"We think getting an early assessment is the key (to bringing the numbers up)," said Allison Jones, CSU's assistant vice chancellor of student academic support.

First-time freshmen find out if they have been accepted to a Cal State university the fall before they start college. They take the assessment test sometime in late winter or spring.

Since most first-time freshmen come straight from high school, the CSU and state Department of Education are teaming up to help better prepare students so they do not need remedial courses before starting a university curriculum.

"This year's results underscore the need for an early assessment program that will assess high school juniors' readiness for college English and mathematics and the need for additional math and English classes during the high school senior year for those students who aren't college-ready," said David Spence, CSU executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer.

Starting this spring, the California Standards Test, which high school juniors must take, will have an optional 30 extra questions to help measure college-level proficiency, Jones said. The test will include 15 objective writing questions and 15 math questions.

Juniors can take either the English or math or both.

"It's just the issue of trying to assess students earlier," Jones said.

If it's found that a student is not proficient, then that can be addressed during the student's senior year of high school rather than through remedial classes at a university.

When a student is not proficient in English or mathematics, they must take remedial classes at a Cal State university before they can dive into the regular curriculum. This adds more cost and time to college, Jones said.

Cal Poly Pomona exceeded the system-wide average in mathematics, but remained below the benchmark at 71.1 percent.

The university's English scores fell below the state average and the benchmark at 46.4 percent.

However, Cal Poly Pomona freshmen scored higher than freshmen at Cal State San Bernardino.

Only 40.5 percent of freshmen at CSSB were proficient in math and 33.4 percent in English.

Though these numbers appear low, universities can typically bring their students up to par by the end of their freshman year with remedial instruction, officials said.

"I want the numbers to go up," said CSSB's Dean of Undergraduate Studies Milton Clark. "But I'd rather have the numbers stay down and let kids come to college. They're students who are perfectly capable if given the chance."

The university offered a two-week intensive math class to 367 students who were close to passing the placement test. Of the 124 who enrolled, 94 passed the placement test when they retook it. This bumped the school's actual proficiency rate to 48 percent from 41 percent, Cal State San Bernardino Vice President of Academic Affairs Louis Fernandez said.

Nearly 80 percent of CSSB students who needed remediation become proficient during their freshman year.

Eighty-six percent of Cal Poly Pomona non-proficient students were proficient by the end of their first year of college, documents stated.

The large turnaround is likely due to a support system at Cal Poly Pomona, which helps students become prepared, said Cathy Schmitt Whitaker, the university's advising center coordinator.

"Not only are there the (remedial) courses, but there are the support services to go along with the courses to help students reach proficiency," she said.

The English Department has a writing center where struggling students can go to catch up and the Math Department offers free tutoring, Whitaker said.