Nearly half of the freshmen entering California State Universities still need remedial education in math and English, according to the latest report issued at the March Board of Trustees meeting.

The report said that 37 percent of freshmen system wide needed more help in math and 47 percent needed help in English.

Larry Glasmire, director of special programs and enrollment analysis said Sacramento State freshmen come in at 43 percent needing help in math and 55 percent needing help in English. Glasmire said Sac State numbers are higher than the system wide numbers because there are a few Cal State University that are impacted and have stricter requirements for entering freshmen.

“We take the minimum requirements,” Glasmire said. “It’s clear that these students aren’t getting the necessary skill in public high schools.”

Freshmen are required to finish their remedial classes in their first year at Sac State, and only 2 percent of Sac State courses are in remedial subjects, Glasmire said.

The Early Assessment Program (EAP), which began last spring, allows juniors in high school to take the proficiency test a year early and find out if they need more help in English and math. This gives them a year to improve their skills and make them ready for a university, Glasmire said.

Sac State’s Director of the Learning Skills Center, Roberta Ching has been on a task force with 11 other teachers, principals and CSU faculty members creating a curriculum to be used by high school students to bring their scores up in English. This fall will be the first time for the course to be used.

“I’ve devoted my career to under-performing high school students,” Ching said. “I feel optimistic (the new course) will help fill the gap.”

Ching said that part of the problem is that there are more and more students where English is their second language. This makes it hard for teachers to teach to higher standards.

Glasmire said the 40 percent of high school juniors took the EAP.

“That’s a really good percentage,” Glasmire said. “It’s mostly for students who think they might want to go to a university.”

The boards of trustees are confident that with the EAP and the new high school cirriculum, scores for freshmen will improve.