Initial Review of CSU's Early Start Program

Initial Review of CSU’s Early Start Program MAC TAYLOR • L E G I S L A T I V E A N A L Y S T • JANUARY 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Despite numerous efforts to improve college readiness since the mid-1990s, about half of incoming freshmen to the California State University (CSU) still require remedial coursework. In 2012, CSU started a new program to improve college readiness called Early Start. This program requires incoming freshmen who do not pass CSU’s placement exams to begin remediation during the summer. Chapter 430, Statutes of 2012 (AB 2497, Solorio), requires our office to report on Early Start participation, demographics, and outcomes. About 27 percent of CSU freshmen participated in the program in 2012. Because CSU did not provide data on Early Start outcomes, we were unable to evaluate whether Early Start affected the time needed to remediate or the percentage of students who became college ready within one year. We recommend the Legislature remain focused on the broader issue of remediation rather than focusing on Early Start—a single remediation program that the state never authorized or funded. To this end, we recommend the Legislature eliminate the remaining Early Start reporting requirements and consider broader studies focused on the underlying causes of high remediation rates. Specifically, we recommend the Legislature consider: (1) the appropriateness of CSU’s placement exams and cut scores, (2) whether CSU is accepting students who fall outside its eligibility pool (the top one-third of high school graduates), (3) the rigor of college preparatory coursework in California high schools and the timing of test results that inform coursework taken during the senior year, and (4) whether existing state subsidy policies encourage CSU to address high remediation rates. INTRODUCTION In 2012, CSU began implementing its Early remedial coursework before taking their regular Start program. Early Start requires incoming coursework. Most students satisfy this requirement freshmen at CSU who have not demonstrated by enrolling in a specially designed course at a CSU college readiness in English or math to begin campus during the summer. Chapter 430 requires AN LAO BRIEF our office to report certain information about Early on Early Start outcomes, CSU was not able to Start by January 1 of 2014, 2016, and 2018. This provide data on program outcomes at this time. first report provides enrollment and demographic Below, we provide background on CSU’s college- information on Early Start participants. Although readiness efforts, report initial Early Start findings, Chapter 430 also requires our office to report data and raise issues for legislative consideration. BACKGROUND This section discusses the college readiness of longer to graduate, they may have to pay tuition for incoming CSU freshmen, CSU’s efforts to address additional semesters. Students also may pay more high rates of underprepared students, and CSU’s if they take remedial classes during the summer initial implementation of Early Start. since these classes are not covered by their regular tuition payments. Remediation Has Been a Significant Issue at CSU CSU Implements Initial Remediation Policies in the 1990s Many Freshmen Enter CSU Unprepared for College-Level Work. Under the California Master CSU Sets Goal to Reduce Remediation. In Plan for Higher Education, CSU admits students 1994, CSU Trustees expressed concern about from the top one-third of high school graduates in the college readiness of incoming freshmen. In the state. Many students entering CSU, however, 1996, the Trustees set a goal to have 90 percent of are not college ready, as measured by certain test incoming freshmen ready for college-level courses results, even though they meet CSU’s admission by 2007. (At that time, 43 percent and 53 percent requirements. Nearly every year since the late of freshmen required remediation in English and 1990s, at least 50 percent of freshmen have required math, respectively.) remediation in English or math. CSU Requires Placement Tests, Sets One-Year Remediation Can Result in Additional Limit on Remediation. In 1998, CSU began Costs for the State and Students. Remediation requiring incoming freshmen to take the English can increase costs for the state because the Placement Test (EPT) and Entry Level Mathematics state pays for students to become prepared for exam (ELM) before enrolling in college-level college in high school, then pays a second time English or math. The CSU also began requiring to remediate students after they enter CSU. The students who did not demonstrate proficiency state provides the same amount of funding to CSU based on these tests to enroll in and complete for remedial courses as it does for college-level remedial courses within one year. (Over time, the courses (except for Early Start courses, which do percentage of remedial students who complete not receive General Fund monies). Remediation remediation within one year has risen slightly— also can increase costs for students under certain from 79 percent for entering freshmen in 1998 to circumstances. In many cases, taking remedial 84 percent for entering freshmen in 2011.) classes does not change the amount a student pays CSU Adopts High School Test to Measure in tuition for a semester because these classes College Readiness. In 2004, CSU implemented are covered with their regular tuition payments. the Early Assessment Program (EAP) to provide However, if remediation results in students taking a measure of college readiness to high school 2 Legislative Analyst’s Office www.lao.ca.gov AN LAO BRIEF students in their junior year. If junior-year students conference on remediation in October 2008. demonstrate proficiency in both English and math Several presenters described existing “early start” based on the EAP, they are deemed college ready. programs (such as Summer Bridge) that addressed Students who receive a score of “conditional” or gaps in student preparation prior to freshman “conditionally ready” on the EAP can demonstrate year. At the time, more than two-thirds of CSU proficiency by enrolling in an approved course campuses offered some kind of early start program during their senior year and earning a C grade or for underprepared students. In May 2009, the better. The CSU also has specially designed high CSU Board of Trustees directed the Chancellor school classes in English and math that allow to study existing summer remediation programs CSU-bound students who complete the classes and establish a systemwide policy for early during their senior year of high school to place into remediation. In March 2010, the Trustees adopted college-level courses as CSU freshmen. If students a policy requiring early remediation systemwide do not demonstrate proficiency through the EAP, and called the new program Early Start. (Though they are required to take the EPT and/or ELM at a the Legislature directed our office to analyze the CSU campus on a designated test day during their results of the Early Start program, the state was not senior year. (Eighty-three percent of students who involved in the creation of Early Start.) took the junior-year state assessment also took the CSU Sets Goals for Early Start. Early Start EAP in 2013, up from 72 percent in 2006.) only requires students to demonstrate that they Campuses Take Various Other Approaches have started remediation prior to the fall of their to Remediation. During this time, CSU campuses freshman year. Students are not required to pursued a variety of other approaches to address complete remediation or even to pass into the next college readiness. At first, some CSU campuses course in the remedial sequence. However, CSU has began offering Summer Bridge, a program for voiced several broad, overlapping goals for Early low-income and first-generation college students Start that go beyond beginning remediation earlier, during the summer before freshman year. Summer including: Bridge includes remedial classes in English or • Reduce the time it takes students to math as well as college orientation and counseling. remediate. More recently, many CSU campuses have adopted “stretch” English programs. These programs are • Reduce time to graduation. two-semester courses taken in the fall and spring • Increase degree completion. that cover remedial material at a slower pace and with extra support. The CSU campuses have also • Reduce costs for CSU and students. pursued other remedial strategies, including a Campuses Implement Early Start in Two one-week math boot camp held immediately before Phases. In the summer of 2012, the first phase of fall classes begin. Early Start began. All admitted freshmen who were CSU Implements Early Start deemed “at risk” in English or “not proficient” in Across System in Summer 2012 math based on their proficiency exam scores were required to enroll in Early Start. (At-risk refers to Early Start Policy Inspired by Existing the bottom quarter of all test takers, whereas not Summer Programs. To build on these existing proficient also includes higher scoring students remedial efforts, CSU convened a systemwide www.lao.ca.gov Legislative Analyst’s Office 3 AN LAO BRIEF who did not pass the exam.) The second and final a “legacy” summer program (such as Summer phase of Early Start implementation begins in the Bridge) that predates Early Start. Alternatively, summer of 2014. In this phase, all students who are CSU policy allows students to fulfill Early Start not proficient in English will have to enroll in Early by enrolling in an approved summer course at a Start. (A few groups of students are exempt from community college, though this option has not yet the Early Start requirement, including out-of-state been implemented. and international students.) Differing Campus Philosophies Guide Early Early Start Supported by Student Fee Revenue Start Offerings in English. Early Start offerings and State Lottery Funds. For Early Start courses, in English at each campus are partly determined CSU charges students $182 per unit, roughly the by campuses’ philosophies on remediation. In same per-unit rate it charges full-time students particular, English instructors at some campuses during a regular academic semester (assuming informed us that they believe remedial English 15 units per semester). Early Start is primarily should not be compressed into a shortened summer supported by this tuition revenue, while state experience and that isolating reading and writing lottery funds cover the cost of providing financial skills from the rest of students’ freshman-year aid. Students with expected family contributions curriculum reduces opportunities for cross- of less than $5,000, as determined on their Free curricular learning. English instructors at these Application for Federal Student Aid, receive a full campuses typically offer only one-unit Early fee waiver. (This is the same threshold used for Start English courses. These one-unit courses are federal Pell Grant eligibility.) Unlike other remedial designed only to fulfill Early Start requirements courses taken during the fall and spring terms, and are not intended to remediate students fully Early Start is not supported with state General or advance them to a higher level. Many campuses Fund monies, according to CSU. rely heavily on one-unit English classes to enable students to meet the Early Start requirement. Campuses Implement For example, about two-thirds of the Early Start Early Start in Various Ways English courses offered during the summer of Variety of Early Start Options Available. The 2013 were one-unit classes. English instructors at CSU requires campuses to offer, at a minimum, other campuses, however, offer three-unit Early a one-unit option for satisfying the Early Start Start English courses, which are designed to allow requirement in English and math. (The Maritime students to complete remediation or advance to a Academy is not required to offer Early Start higher level. A similar pedagogical divide does not programs, but its students must still fulfill the exist in campuses’ approaches to math remediation. requirement at another campus.) Aside from this One-Unit Early Start Math Courses Do Not requirement, CSU has left it up to the campuses to Always Allow Students to Demonstrate Mastery. develop specific Early Start programs. Early Start In Early Start math courses offered for two or three options at the campuses include both in-person and units, students typically demonstrate mastery of online courses, ranging from one to three units. material by earning a passing grade in the course. Students may enroll in these courses at the campus Students then are able to pass out of one semester where they will enroll in the fall or at a campus of remediation or remediate fully. In some cases, closer to where they live. Some students may satisfy students in one-unit math courses have similar the Early Start requirement by participating in opportunities to demonstrate mastery. For 4 Legislative Analyst’s Office www.lao.ca.gov AN LAO BRIEF example, at one campus, students who completed completing a one-unit Early Start math course. a one-unit, online course were invited to campus For example, faculty at one campus told us that to take exams that would enable them to pass students who completed their one-unit course out of one or two semesters of remedial math. could theoretically retake the math proficiency Some campuses, however, did not have such clear exam but this exam was not offered at that campus pathways for students to demonstrate mastery after at that time. INITIAL EARLY START FINDINGS This section reports enrollment and students who enrolled in Early Start fulfilled the demographic data for students participating in requirement. (Campuses set different criteria for Early Start during the summer of 2012. As noted meeting the requirement but generally students earlier, CSU did not provide us with sufficient data have to show a good faith effort to complete the to evaluate program outcomes. Figure 1 shows a list course.) Specifically, 91 percent of participants of the statutory data requirements and which data systemwide satisfied the English requirement, while CSU was able to provide. 95 percent satisfied the math requirement. At most campuses, more than 90 percent of students who Enrollment in Early Start participated in Early Start English or math satisfied Early Start Participation Varied by Campus. the Early Start requirement in that subject. In 2012, 15,214 students (27 percent of CSU’s Demographics of Early Start Participants freshman class that year) registered for Early Start systemwide. (In that same year, 44 percent of CSU Higher Percentages of Latinos, Blacks, freshmen required remediation. Fewer students and Financially Needy Students in Early Start. registered because only a subset of students needing Figure 3 (see next page) reports demographic remediation in English were required to participate information for 2012 Early Start participants. in Early Start the first year.) As shown in Figure 2 Compared to the entire 2012 freshman class, the (see next page), the Figure 1 percentage of freshmen Reporting Requirements Specified in Chapter 430 who participated in Early Start at each campus Sufficient Data Reporting Requirement Provided by CSU? varied significantly, from Number of enrollees in Early Start and the number Yes a low of 2 percent to a completing the program. high of 58 percent. Much Demographic information on Early Start participants. Yes of this variation likely is Information on how Early Start affects remediation rates No due to differences in the compared to 2010-11. preparedness of entering Information on how Early Start affects time taken to No students at each of the remediate. campuses. Number of Early Start enrolles (1) becoming proficient, No Most Students Met (2) not remediating, and (3) disenrolling from CSU one year after completing the program. Early Start Requirement. The vast majority of Chapter 430, Statutes of 2012 (AB 2497, Solorio). www.lao.ca.gov Legislative Analyst’s Office 5 AN LAO BRIEF Early Start program had Figure 2 higher percentages of Early Start Enrollment by Campusa Latino and black students. 2012 Specifically, 57 percent of Percent of Early Start participants Students in Total Freshman in Campus Early Start Freshmen Early Start were Latino, compared to Bakersfield 528 1,328 40% 41 percent of the entire Channel Islands 285 756 38 freshman class, while Chico 459 2,714 17 8 percent of Early Start Dominguez Hills 700 1,214 58 East Bay 690 1,572 44 students were black, Fresno 896 3,139 29 compared to 5 percent Fullerton 1,081 4,526 24 of all freshmen. A lower Humboldt 235 1,237 19 Long Beach 1,166 4,276 27 percentage of whites and Los Angeles 1,226 2,908 42 Asians were in Early Start Maritime Academy 26 198 13 compared to all freshmen. Monterey Bay 329 902 36 Northridge 1,324 4,149 32 Additionally, a higher Pomona 609 3,120 20 proportion of Early Start Sacramento 1,000 3,151 32 students, 65 percent, San Bernardino 905 2,448 37 San Diego 223 4,240 5 qualified for financial aid, San Francisco 1,249 3,807 33 compared to 51 percent of San Jose 654 3,384 19 the entire freshman class. San Luis Obispo 72 3,635 2 San Marcos 643 1,783 36 Women in Early Start Sonoma 527 1,749 30 Outnumbered Men by Stanislaus 387 1,109 35 More Than Two-to-One. Totals 15,214 57,345 27% a Women made up Data shown reflects campus where student is enrolled for regular academic year, but a student may take Early Start at a different campus. 69 percent of Early Start participants, compared to 31 percent who were Figure 3 men. The entire freshman Comparison of Early Start Participants class showed a gender With All CSU Freshmen imbalance, but not to the 2012 same extent: 57 percent Early Start All CSU of freshmen were women, Demographic/Category Participants Freshmen compared to 43 percent Latino 57% 41% who were men. White 15 26 Asian 14 17 Black 8 5 Other ethnicity 6 11 Female 69 57 Male 31 43 Eligible for financial aid 64 51 6 Legislative Analyst’s Office www.lao.ca.gov AN LAO BRIEF RECOMMENDATIONS Focus on Remediation More Broadly, Instead • Eligibility Standards. Is CSU accepting of Requiring Reports on Early Start. Typically, the top third of California’s high school the state focuses on setting overarching goals and graduates, consistent with the state’s priorities for CSU, while allowing the university Master Plan for Higher Education, or is it to design and implement the specific strategies drawing from beyond this eligibility pool, needed to accomplish these goals. This approach which could result in higher numbers of acknowledges that the university has more students requiring remediation at CSU? expertise in designing educational programs, • High School Preparation. Is current high as well as a governing board that is responsible school preparation adequate for college for overseeing university programs. For these success? Should CSU strengthen required reasons, we recommend the Legislature eliminate high school coursework, for example by the remaining Early Start reporting requirements requiring a fourth year of math? Why and stay focused on the overarching policy goal of are students not becoming college ready improving college readiness rather than focusing during their senior year after taking the only on a single remedial program that the state EAP in their junior year? Does the timing never authorized or directly funded. of the junior-year assessment and reporting Explore Possible Causes of Remediation. As of results need to be better aligned with noted above, about half of CSU’s entering freshman senior-year course selection? class requires remediation each year. Despite many efforts to address remediation over the years, the • Financial Incentives. Are financial reasons why so many students entering CSU are incentives encouraging CSU to address not college ready remain unclear. The Legislature high remediation rates? Should the state could authorize broader studies that explore the pay for remedial coursework at CSU at the main reasons remediation rates remain so high. same rate it pays for college-level courses, Specifically, we recommend the Legislature explore as is current practice during the fall and the following possible explanations: spring terms? Alternatively, should the • Placement Exams. Do CSU’s placement state fund these courses at the community exams, the EPT and ELM, accurately college credit rate or enhanced noncredit predict performance in college-level rate (to reflect the fact that remedial classes? Do the exams test skills and courses cover pre-collegiate material)? knowledge that are consistent with state Alternatively, should the state not subsidize priorities and essential for college success? these courses at all, as is CSU’s current Are the cut scores for the exams set at an practice for Early Start remedial classes appropriate level? Do the cut scores result taken during the summer term? in too many students identified as needing remediation? www.lao.ca.gov Legislative Analyst’s Office 7 AN LAO B R I E F LAO Publications This brief was prepared by Jameel Naqvi and reviewed by Paul Golaszewski. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a nonpartisan office that provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature. 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