SAN BERNARDINO - Only 33 percent of first-time freshmen were ready to tackle freshman English at Cal State San Bernardino this year, fewer than in the seven years the university has tracked remediation rates.

About 41 percent of students were prepared for freshman math, down slightly from last year, but up from seven years ago.

Overall, students came to Cal State San Bernardino last fall less prepared than students at all but two of the California State University system's 23 campuses Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills.

Across the Cal State system, 52 percent of first-time freshmen were proficient in English, and 63 percent were proficient in math.

These rates are far short of goals the Cal State system Board of Trustees set for 78 percent English and 74 percent math proficiency in 2004 and 90 percent proficiency in both subjects by 2007.

"I want the numbers to go up," said Cal State San Bernardino'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."

Cal State San Bernardino 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 university's actual proficiency rate to 48 percent from 41 percent, said Louis Fernandez, Cal State San Bernardino's vice president of academic affairs.

Nearly 80 percent of Cal State San Bernardino students who need remediation become proficient their freshman year.

Still, students who need remedial classes are more likely to drop out of college or at least take longer to earn a degree, research from The Education Trust shows.

These aren't just the D students. Many students, like Hesperia High School graduate Ritesh Patel, are amazed when they get placed in a remedial class. Patel earned A's in his high school classes but didn't feel equipped for college.

"(High schools should) prepare us for what's coming up instead of doing their own thing," Patel said.

Many high school English teachers don't teach as much grammar as students need, said David T. Conley, director of the Association of American Universities' Standards for Success project. College expectations are often "a shock to students' systems," he said.

Laura Cocan, a 17-year-old Cal State San Bernardino student, agrees." (In high school) we didn't do sentence structure or any of the basics you need to write an essay," said Laura, who earned mostly A's and B's at Poly High School in Riverside. "I never even did a research paper until I got to college. I didn't even know what footnotes were."

Cal State's new Early Assessment Program should improve proficiency levels. This March, high school juniors can take augmented California Standards Tests in English and math. The augmented tests are voluntary but highly recommended for those who want to enroll in college.

The English augmentation consists of 15 questions and a writing sample that add about 75 minutes to the regular standards test. The math augmentation is 15 questions that require about 30 minutes.

In August, students will find out if they are exempt from Cal State's placement tests. Nonexempt students will have their senior year to improve before taking the Cal State placement tests.

"I believe that it will help significantly," said Ron Williams, coordinator of secondary school reform for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office.

Cal State would like to provide high schools with courses, programs and activities to help students prepare. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal obliterates funding for outreach programs next year.

Clark and Williams serve on the county's P-16 Council, which brings together local colleges and K-12 schools to share data and align high school and college expectations.

Too many high school students finish most of their college requirements in their junior year, slack off as seniors and end up unprepared for college work, Williams said. In her research with the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research, Andrea Venezia found the same thing.

"It's all about getting in (to college)," Venezia said. "It's not about being prepared to succeed. There's a big difference."