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

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.  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.

“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 Remediation as a Social Justice Remedy

E.O 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”

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

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 47 th in Nation Some government leaders are failing, not our students!

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 1 st 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 Problems with Mandatory Early Start

UCLA CIVIL Rights Project Research UCLA CIVIL Rights Project Research 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?

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 (2 nd to # of Mexican American students in CSU) more low-income students (i.e., Pell recipients)

Student Ethnicity % Needing Remediation African American83.2% Mexican American73.6% Asian American59.9% European American39.0% All Freshmen58.0%

Ethnic % Freshmen 2009 High Remediation Need Af Mex Euro Dominguez Hills Los Angeles San Bernardino Low Remediation Need San Luis Obispo San Diego Humboldt 25% 43% 3%

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

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?

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

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

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

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