CAMPUS
NEWS
education & legislation
STORY
KANDACE LARA
END OF REMEDIATION
L
isa Camarillo hadn’t
set foot in a school
— let alone a math
class — in 25 years
when she enrolled
part-time at Santa Ana College
three years ago. A placement
test landed her in the lowest-
level math class, four below any
transferable course.
After planning her classes to
transfer, Camarillo who also
works full-time, took three
remedial courses. But when SAC
eliminated non-transferable
math and English courses to
comply with a new state law last
year, she was left no choice but
to take Math 219 [Statistics and
Probability]. She failed.
“I think that taking Math 083
[Beginning and Intermediate
Algebra] would have been
beneficial,” she said, referring to
the last non-credit math course
which was eliminated.
Camarillo is one of thousands
of California community college
students struggling in transfer-
level courses under Assembly
Bill-705, which went into effect
statewide this fall.
The bill eliminates all placement
testing and instead uses a
combination of a student’s high
school transcript, grades and
GPA to place them in one of three
transferable math courses. In
preparing for the new regulations,
SAC educators brought back
classes last fall regardless of
whether or not they were ready
for the material.
The newly implemented
plan requires students to take
transferable classes within their
first year as the state moves to
a funding model that rewards
graduation rates for two-year
schools.
A year-long study
commissioned by the California
4
AB-705 eliminates all non-transferable math and English
courses and places students directly into classes they
may not be prepared for. It went into effect this fall.
Community Colleges State
with a professor weekly. To
Chancellor’s Office revealed that
comply with the law, support
student success rates during
classes are considered
the bill’s pilot year had remained
corequisites, and count for half a
mostly unchanged.
unit. However, it is the student’s
“I think it’s going quite well,”
decision to sign up for help if they
said State Chancellor Eloy Ortiz
do not feel prepared for the class.
Oakley when asked about the
The School of Continuing
progress at other California
Education also developed an
community colleges that began
additional free non-credit class
implementation a year early. “But
for remedial students.
it is still not uniform across the
“Our approach is going to be
state, and we need to ensure
different compared to other
that all students are receiving the
community colleges,” he said.
benefit that we all desire for them “Some have completely gotten rid
from AB-705.”
of pre-transfer level courses. We
Yet, not every college is
are not headed in that direction
succeeding.
… we believe there will always
Enrollment at SAC in the three
be a need for pre-transfer level
transferable math courses grew
courses,” Sill said.
by more than 600 in the last three
Professors and tutors at SAC’s
years, including nearly 300 new
Math Center say they have
students between fall 2017 and
seen an increase in students
fall 2018 alone. However, the
seeking help since the program’s
number who earned passing
implementation.
grades in a transferable math
Tutor Harley Villanueva said
class dropped by 9% over the
that she and others work daily
same three-year period.
with students who do not have
More than half of students
the foundation to do basic math
either failed or did not complete
problems. Students who come
the class they attempted in the
in for help are frustrated and
pilot year alone.
discouraged.
Math Department Chair Ken Sill
“I’ve been tutoring students in
is concerned that many students
Math 140, and some students
are unprepared for transferable
tell me they have no idea what
level coursework. While other
is going on in class and that they
California community colleges
want to drop,” Villanueva said.
chose not to provide remedial
State officials stress that
support as part of AB-705
it is only the first year of
implementation, faculty from
implementation and adjustments
SAC’s math department knew
still need to be made.
additional help was crucial.
“We know that some students
Both Math 140 [College Algebra] are not going to make it. We want
and Math 219 [Statistics and
to make sure that we still have
Probability] are now offered
something for them. That they
with an attached course, which
are not some casualty of this new
includes up to two extra hours
legislation,” Sill said.
el Don Santa Ana College · October 2019
Math support
on campus
Math Center | L-204
M-Th
9 a.m. - 7:50 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. -12:50 p.m.
Saturday
noon - 3:50 p.m.
Additional Suppor t | L-202
New free support hours for
Math 140 and Math 219
Monday through Thursday
from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.