By Dustin VisseringStaff Writer
Three of the main educational agencies in California have workedtogether to develop a program to help high school students be betterprepared for college.
The Early Assessment Program is the result of efforts from theCalifornia Department of Education, California State University andthe State Board of Education. It aims to better align the assessmentsof what is being measured and expected in high school with thoseexpected of incoming freshman in college, Ron Fox, administrator ofIntersegmental Relations for the California Department of Education,said.
The program will help high school students more easily enter anyCSU school by improving their proficiency in math and English, StateSuperintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said in a CSUnews release.
Fox said the EAP uses existing K-12 tests, which will include someadditional questions in the math and English portions, as well as awriting sample, which previous tests never had.
He said the extra questions are voluntary for the students andwill be available at every school in California.
Computer science junior Jason Miller said many high schoolstudents may not realize the importance of knowing how much they needto learn before they get to college.
“I think some high school students just assume they knoweverything and believe they are ready for college,” he said. “Eventhough these tests are available to them, I’m sure many won’t takethem, because that would mean extra work.”
After taking the test, which students can take during their junioryear of high school, they will receive a report indicating whetherthey are ready for CSU college-level work or need additionalpreparation.
Fox said CSU trustees have a goal to reduce the number of studentsrequiring remedial work in math and English to no more than 10percent of incoming freshman by 2007.
“The EAP will help make for a more meaningful senior year for manystudents because they can address these needs while they are still inhigh school,” he said.
Psychology junior Melanie Miller said high school students need tobe made more aware of the type of coursework they will be facing incollege.
“For a lot of people in high school, their main goal is just tograduate,” she said. “Once they get to college, they realize how muchstuff they didn’t learn, and then they have to take all theseintroductory courses just to catch up.”
Fox said the three agencies quickly focused on making the EAP analternative to the entry-level math and English proficiency test forCSU.
According to the news release, a pilot project was launched duringthe 2002-03 school year, which was made up of 100 high schoolsthroughout the state that volunteered to participate in the EAP.
Fox said although results so far have been very positive there issome concern for the future of the program because it is currentlyonly being funded by CSU, which has been hit hard by the recent statebudget cuts.
“The state faces a lot of tough choices, but the EAP is a goodexample of a smart investment that ultimately saves money over time,”he said.
