TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1999

Bill 360 stresses earlier exams

By Suzanne Johnson

On-Line Forty-Niner

The California State University system may administer English and math placement exams a little earlier than usual if Assembly Bill 360 passes.

The bill, written by Assemblywoman Susan Davis, proposes that the English Placement Test (EPT) and Entry Level Mathematics Exam (ELM) be given to students while they are still enrolled in high school. Scores would then be used for placement when students are admitted to a state university. Currently, students do not take the tests until after they are admitted.

"Too many students arrive at the CSU campuses only to discover that their skills are not strong enough to do college level work, and they must take remedial classes," Davis said. "Over seventy percent of entering freshmen fail one or both of the tests, and they waste valuable college time taking courses which do not count toward graduation."

The CSU system will be responsible for administering the tests at selected high school campuses, similar to the way the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), a college entrance exam, is conducted. The selection of the campuses is a detail which has yet to be worked out, administrative aide Robin Hartley said.

Test scores will be distributed to students while they are still in high school. This enables schools to help students improve their skills and prepare them to do college level work, Davis said.

Failure to pass an exam does not bar a student from entering the university, it simply shows them what areas they need to concentrate on improving, Hartley said. Students who do not pass can take additional courses, review sessions or remedial classes, Davis said.

The Cal State Long Beach catalog states that the EPT must be completed before students are placed in appropriate English courses and the ELM must be completed within the first semester of attendance.

The bill was passed by the Assembly Education Committee April 21 and will now be reviewed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It could be implemented as soon as January 2000 if it receives the governor's signature.