Exclusive: Less Than 25% of L.A. Public School Seniors Last Year Took the Type of Elective Class California State University Wants to Make a Requirement
11/18/2019Cal State math proposal would create an unfair barrier for black and Latino students, critics say
11/21/2019
Source: EdSource
California State University leaders signaled Wednesday they will move forward with a controversial plan to require a fourth year of high school math for freshman admissions — despite opposition from civil rights organizations, education groups and state leaders.
During a CSU trustee meeting Wednesday at the system’s headquarters in Long Beach, opponents reiterated concerns they have voiced for months: that CSU has not provided sufficient evidence showing the change is necessary to improve student achievement and that the change would make it harder for black, Latino and low-income students to attend the 23-campus CSU.
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The 74 reported Monday that fewer than 25 percent of seniors at LA Unified in the 2018-19 school year took a math or quantitative reasoning course, the type of course that would be required under the CSU proposal. Under the current CSU admission requirements, 46 percent of graduating LA Unified students were eligible in 2018-19, according to district data. About three-quarters of LA Unified students are Latino and more than 80 percent qualify for free- or reduced-price meals.
Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of The Education Trust-West, said in an interview with EdSource that the report from The 74 is further evidence that the proposal is a “threat to equity.”
