Nearly one in five California 11th graders tested as ready for college-level English in 2011, a modest percentage but a notable increase over previous years.

The vast majority of the state's 11th graders took an expanded version of the Grade 11 English Language Arts California Standards Test (CST), called the Early Assessment Program (EAP), that measures skills the California State University system expects of its incoming freshmen.

The 19% of students certified as "ready for college" based on their 2011 EAP results will be exempted from taking a placement test in English should they enroll at a CSU or at many of the state's community colleges.

But the majority of 11th graders-about two thirds-were deemed "not ready for college" based on their results. This provides a signal to these students and their schools that they should spend their senior year improving their readiness. One key strategy for doing that is taking a course in expository reading and writing developed by college and high school faculty and administrators.

To find out more about how 11th graders' progress in English in 2011 compares with previous years, see this EdSource data page. 

Data: California State University, Early Assessment Program, Accessed 8/22/2011

* 5.5% of 11th graders did not take the grade-level English CST in 2011 and are not included in these numbers.

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