Progress and Success of English, ESL and Mathematics Students at City College of San Francisco / Steven Spurling.

This report summarizes three studies conducted during the 1997-98 school year. The studies investigated the level of academic success CCSF students achieved, and if this success varied by student background (i.e. ethnic group, age, gender), educational goal and/or placement level. Also questioned was whether certain variables connected to the institution might be altered to positively affect students' success. Study subjects were students who took the English, English as a Second Language (ESL), or mathematics placement tests in 1993 and 1994. Students' progress was followed for three years after testing. Findings include: (1) roughly half of the placement test-taking populations placed at a basic skills level; (2) placement in basic skills varied by ethnic background, with 60 percent or more of African-American and Hispanic students placing at a basic skills level in English and mathematics, 25 percent of White students placing at a basic skills level in English, and 33 percent of Asian students placing at a basic skills level in mathematics; (3) between 18 and 34 percent of all students who took the placement tests had some success at CCSF in the three-year period following testing; (4) success differed by ethnicity and educational goal; and (5) students who registered concurrently for more within-discipline classes had higher pass rates. (Contains 18 graphs and 2 data tables.) (EMH)

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