Cal State Defends Remedial Classes

In “Congratulations! You’re About to Fail!” (Opinion, Jan. 2), Richard Lee Colvin incorrectly gives the impression that California State University students who take remedial education classes are more likely to fail or drop out. The CSU evaluates the progress of first-year freshmen needing remediation and who take remedial English and mathematics. Last year we found that of the regularly admitted, first-time freshmen enrolled in fall 2002 who needed remediation, 82% had gained full proficiency before the second year.

To ensure that students are prepared before they enter, the CSU, in collaboration with state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the Department of Education and the State Board of Education, offers an early assessment program that allows 11th-graders to take an extended version of the California Standards Test to give them an early signal of their readiness for college-level mathematics and English. Early notification of their readiness allows them to gain whatever additional preparation they need during their senior year, and is a critical step to smoothing the transition between high school and college.

David S. Spence

Executive Vice Chancellor

and Chief Academic Officer

California State University