Student prepare for college using early assessment test

A total of 378,870 students completed the 2010 EAP test in English, with 21 percent of these students being deemed "ready for college" compared to 16 percent in 2009. In mathematics, 57 percent of the 178,667 students who took the 2010 EAP test demonstrated full or conditional college readiness.

 "I am pleased that for the fifth year in a row, a record number of California students in grade eleven took the EAP tests," O'Connell continued. "The latest EAP test results in English are a strong indication of the success of our efforts to raise the academic achievement levels of our students. These results reaffirm the good news I reported earlier this month concerning the increase from 40 percent to 43 percent in the number of California students in grade eleven scoring at proficient or above on the California Standards Test (CST) in English-language arts. In spite of all the challenges faced by our public education system, it is clear that our students continue to work hard and improve their levels of academic achievement.

"While I am encouraged by both the EAP and CST test results, I continue to believe that much more work needs to be done to support even higher levels of achievement for all our students and, in particular, to close the persistent achievement gaps for students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities. I encourage all students and schools to use the EAP results to make their senior year as productive as possible in preparing for success in college."

Created in 2006, the EAP is a collaborative effort between the CSU, the California Department of Education, and the California State Board of Education to ensure that the state's college-bound high school seniors are college ready in the critically important content areas of English and mathematics. As part of the EAP, the CSU's placement standards are incorporated into the California Standards Test in English-language arts for grade eleven and the CST in mathematics taken by grade eleven students who are enrolled in or who already have completed Algebra II.

Students who score high enough on the EAP test can receive exemptions from being required to take CSU English and math placement tests given to entering freshman. By receiving results prior to their final year of high school, students can make better use of their senior year to prepare them for college. For the first time, students taking the 2010 EAP tests were able to authorize the release of their EAP test results to the California Community Colleges (CCC) for use in placement decisions by those campuses participating in an EAP pilot being administered by the CCC Chancellor's Office.