The Early Assessment Program (EAP) is a collaborative effort among the State Board of Education (SBE), the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California State University (CSU). The program was established to provide opportunities for students to measure their readiness for college-level English and mathematics in their junior year of high school, and facilitate opportunities for students to improve their skills during their senior year.
The goal of the EAP program is to have California high school graduates enter the CSU fully prepared to begin college-level study.
More than 60 percent of the nearly 40,000 first-time freshmen admitted to the CSU are not considered college-ready in English, mathematics or both, in spite of having taken required college preparatory courses and earning at least a B grade point average in high school. The cost in time and money to these students and to the state is substantial. Moreover, these students are confused by seemingly having done the right thing in high school only to find out after admission to the CSU that they need further preparation.
The CSU Expository Reading and Writing Task Force, comprised of members from the CSU as well as K-12 English faculty and curriculum specialists, has developed a series of assignments based on non-fiction texts to use in a 12th grade expository reading and writing course that districts will be able to pilot and adopt. The course is designed to prepare students for college-level English and is aligned with English-Language Arts Content Standards.
English teachers at the eleventh and twelfth grade level are eligible to participate in free ERWC workshops.
A mathematics committee has been working on developing professional development options for high school mathematics teachers. The committee is working to identify and develop professional development, as needed, utilizing a model similar to the ERWC.
Math Success and English Success websites provide information and practice tests to help students understand and prepare for math and English college readiness.
