The good news is, poor test scores have leveled off this year, Vasey added. Some who are taking it for a second or third time are hopeful of a better score. The math and English proficiency exams are not scheduled until mid-June too late, some educators say, to register for classes. Ron Dias, an academic counselor at Eureka City Schools, said HSU allows students to enroll before the math and English proficiency test results are in, but other campuses such as Chico State, do not. The failure of students to be adequately prepared affects taxpayers and students alike.
Students pay in frustration and in dollars.
They pay for books and student fees for the two-semester remedial math program, Math 40 and 44, which meets three days per week, but they do not receive credit toward the general education requirement for graduation. There is a cheaper option of combining the two semesters into one, called Math 42, but it's a gamble. Statistics show that 25 percent of the students fail a remedial class. And if they fail Math 42, they must start all over again with Math 40. HSU is adding another option, Math 103I, to its lineup for remedial students majoring in non math-intensive majors such as liberal arts, and it will count toward general education requirements.