SACRAMENTO, CA - Governor Davis and others point to slight upticks in state test scores as proof that things are getting better in K-12 education. However, the recently released figures on remedial instruction at the California State University (CSU) show that the state has a long way to go before it can claim that it has turned the corner on student achievement.

To determine proficiency, entering CSU freshmen must take tests in English and math. Those who fail must take remedial courses. In 2002, a shocking 59 percent of CSU freshmen had to take remedial courses in English and/or math. Even this high figure probably understates the problem because CSU's math test was "dumbed down" more than a year ago.

Remember that those admitted to the CSU are supposed to come from the top one-third of graduating high school seniors. In other words, even the supposedly best and brightest students are coming up short on basic skills and knowledge. The story is even worse when one examines various subcategories.

Among Mexican Americans, 67.1 percent needed remediation in English, while 68.6 percent of African Americans needed remedial help in that subject. At CSU Los Angeles, more than 64 percent of entering freshmen needed remedial instruction in math and nearly 78 percent needed English remediation. Also, 85.4 percent of Mexican-American freshmen at that campus needed English remedial instruction. These abysmal numbers have come despite increased spending on public education.

In 1994-95, total K-12 spending per pupil was about $5,500. In 1994, 49 percent of entering CSU freshmen needed remedial English. In 2002-03, total K-12 spending per pupil had risen to around $9,000. In 2002, 49 percent of entering CSU freshmen still needed remedial English. And for those who say that this consistent record of failure is due to more students coming from non-English-speaking homes, even CSU officials such as
executive vice president David Spence say that this argument can't be used as an excuse.

After taking remedial courses, nearly 80 percent of the freshmen become proficient in the subject area. This quick turnaround points to something seriously wrong in the K-12 system. CSU system chancellor Charles Reed says that the remedial test results show a long-term systematic failure in the public schools. According to Reed, "A whole generation of kids can't read." The CSU, however, is not totally blameless in the K-12 disaster.

CSU schools of education turn out a majority of the teachers for California classrooms. As PRI's 2001 report "Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher Training in California's Schools of Education" detailed, CSU teacher training programs often emphasize so-called "progressive" teaching methods that have little empirical support and ignore those methods, such as teacher-centered direct instruction, that are empirically proven. To the extent that CSU graduates employ ineffective methods, CSU must bear partial responsibility for poor student performance.

The news on remedial instruction is another indication that, for all the talk of reform and accountability, the public school system is failing to educate adequately the bulk of its students, even the supposedly better ones. Until it does so, legislators should reject pleas for higher taxes for education spending.

Lance Izumi is a Senior Fellow in California Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached via email at lizumi@pacificresearch.org.