Large share of grads from some high schools require remediation at Sacramento State
Diana Lambert: 916-321-1090, @dianalambert
On his first day this summer as Sacramento State president, Robert Nelsen singled out an unnamed local high school for its abysmally high share of graduates who need to take remedial courses upon arriving on campus. It was a sign, he said, that the university needs to help certain high schools prepare their students.
New Sacramento State data obtained by The Sacramento Bee suggests where university officials may start.
Among campuses in the Sacramento region, 89 percent of graduates from Burbank High School entering Sacramento State as freshmen this fall required remediation. More than 80 percent of graduates from three other local high schools found themselves in the same situation – Woodland, Grant Union and Pioneer.
The worst-performing class of graduates came from Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, where 90 percent of incoming Sacramento State students were directed to basic math or English classes.
Each of those high schools graduated students with qualifications on paper sufficient to meet California State University admissions standards – a 3.0 grade-point average on college prep courses or a combination of lower grades and high-enough standardized test scores. But the high remediation rates call into question just how well some schools are preparing their best students for college.
Experts say the primary factors are a lack of collaboration between universities and high schools, inadequate information about the expectations of college and an increase in the emphasis on attending college for students who previously would have pursued another track.
“Until recently, there was no effort to try to align the (university and high school) systems,” said Michal Kurlaender, a professor at UC Davis who is leading a team researching college readiness. “No one felt it was necessarily important. We focused on minimum competency like the high school exit exam.”
Among all freshmen entering California State University, Sacramento, this fall, 53 percent have to take remedial courses because they couldn’t pass placement tests for college-level math, English or both.
Students who fail the math test are required to enroll in a remedial class, while those who fail the English exam are given the choice of a remedial or standard course, said university officials. All are required to take a state-mandated college preparation course over the summer. Students who do not pass their remedial class within a year are sent to community college.
Nelsen sees the high remediation rates as a hurdle to students graduating in four years, a major goal of his presidency. The high number of students playing catch-up has been a perennial problem for California State University campuses. Students who take remedial courses don’t earn college credit and take longer to graduate, resulting in higher costs forLarge share of grads from some high schools require remediation at Sacramento State | The Sacramento Bee: