Remediation as a Civil Rights Issue in the California State University System

1. Remediation as a Civil Rights Issue in the California State University System Kimberly R. King Steve Teixeira Suzanne McElvoy California State University, Los Angeles

2. What is Remediation in College? • Coursework designed to develop college-level skills in math and English • Many educators prefer the term “developmental education” • Incoming CSU students determined to need remediation by scores on English and Math Placement Tests • Provided by qualified faculty and staff.

3. Remediation as a Social Justice Remedy “a remedy intended to restore opportunity to those who otherwise may be relegated to meager wages, poor working conditions, and other consequences of socioeconomic marginalization.” - Bahr (2008), Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan

4. E.O. 1048 • Chancellor Reed Established a Mandatory Early Start Program (MESP) • Students “not proficient” are required to begin remediation prior to enrolling as freshmen at a CSU • If they don’t, they will not be permitted to enroll in the Fall • Exceptions for “extraordinary circumstances”

5. The Context: CSU Budget Crisis • $1 billion cut since 2002  $500 million more cut in Governor Brown's 2011 proposal • Student fees have skyrocketed 242% since 2002 • In 2008, Chancellor announced planned enrollment cuts of at least 40,000 CSU-eligible students; 2011 plans to cut 10,000 more • One way to cut enrollment and “improve” graduation rates and is to push out students who may need longer to master course material

6. The Merit Myth: Cut the “Undeserving”The Reality: “Remedial” Students did not Fail to Prepare for CSU • Remedial students are the majority of all CSU first-year entrants who meet all eligibility requirements (58%) - over 30,000 students • At some CSUs, they are 75-93% of 1st-time freshmen • Their average H.S. GPAs are above 3.0 • CA Public k-12 spending/student is 47th in Nation • Some government leaders are failing, not our students!

7. Problems with Mandatory Early Start • CSU already has successful remediation programs – 80% remediate by the end of their first year • CSU already has EO 665 (students must remediate by end of 1st year) • Unfair to Students • “Mandatory” - Forces some students to participate in extra requirement, though they are fully qualified for CSU admission • Isn’t this a new Admissions Requirement?? • Penalizes students who have already been cheated by education system • Civil Rights issue - has more impact on students of color and poorest students

8. UCLA CIVIL Rights ProjectResearch Question: Do remediation policies and practices in the CSU have a disparate effect on students of color and students from low-income communities, unfairly reducing their educational access and retention, thus constituting a civil rights issue?

9. Remediation Need is Higher for Underrepresented Students • Higher among women, students of color, low-income students of all colors • Higher at CSU campuses serving: • more African American & Mexican American students • but number of White remedial students is large (2nd to # of Mexican American students in CSU) • more low-income students (i.e., Pell recipients)

10. Student Ethnicity % Needing Remediation African American 83.2% Mexican American 73.6% Asian American 59.9% European American 39.0% All Freshmen58.0%

11. Ethnic % Freshmen 2009 High Remediation Need AfMex Euro • Dominguez Hills • Los Angeles • San Bernardino Low Remediation Need • San Luis Obispo • San Diego • Humboldt 25% 43% 3% 7 49 4 9 48 15 0.6 8 64 4 27 36 3 17 55

12. Remedial Students more often Attended High Needs High Schools High Schools with: • More poverty • More African American + Latino students • More English Language learners • Fewer fully credentialed teachers • Lower API rank (Academic Performance Index)  High-Needs K-12 schools and their teachers and students face inadequate funding and greater challenges

13. Punitive Policies Unfairly Applied?E0 665 and Disenrollment • The higher the remedial need on a campus, the higher the rate of disenrollment of remedial students • The higher the proportion of African American and Mexican American freshmen and the lower the proportion of White students, the higher the rate of disenrollment • CSU has refused to release data on ethnicity or gender, or on remediation rates for Special Admits of disenrolled students--> Why? What does the CSU Administration have to hide?

14. Problems with Early Start • Erects new barriers to college attendance for underrepresented students • Punishes students for California’s maintenance of race and class inequality in K-12 schools • Tries to balance the budget & “increase grad rates” by decreasing access to the state’s poorest and brownest young people • Student loss of summer employment salary • Higher student fees if extended education summer school • Puts extreme burden on CSU campuses serving poorest and most ethnic minority students

15. Conclusion • CSU’s New Mandatory Early Start Program will disproportionately impact students of color, low-income students, and women because their remediation rate s are higher than other students

16. University Level • CSU should provide clear data on disenrollment by ethnicity, gender, and special admit status • Rather than replace a successful program that is effective for over 80% of students, CSU could consider an “Early Warning” program for students who don’t pass their first remedial course in Fall quarter to increase retention and prevent disenrollment. • CSU should convene conference to address campus disparities in remediation, proficiency and disenrollment rates and examine best practices

17. University Level • CSU should provide supplemental funding to high remediation need CSUs • The CSU Chancellor and Board of Trustees need to use their influence to organize and lobby for full funding for the CSU • In the meantime, don’t balance the budget by perpetuating inequality by decreasing access to the state’s poorest and brownest young people