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LONG BEACH — The number of California State University freshmen needing help with college math courses has dropped, while the number needing remedial English has remained the same, according to a report released Tuesday. 

The report to the CSU’s Education Policy Committee also found that nearly 80 percent of incoming freshmen who need remedial education completed the courses by the end of their first year. 

CSU, the nation’s largest public university system with 23 campuses, established guidelines in 1997 to improve remedial levels by requiring students to improve math and English skills within a year or leave the CSU system until they could prove proficiency. 

CSU officials have pledged to reduce the number of incoming freshman needing remediation to 10 percent by fall 2007 from a high of 68 percent in 1996. 

“We’re doing better. We’re on the trajectory to exceed the math standard. But we’re not having the same success with English and we’re going to have to take a look at that,” CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said.  

“We think, but we’re not sure, part of it might be the number of people who are English language learners – where English is not the first language in their home.” 

The report found that of the 33,822 freshmen entering CSU in 2000, 15,289 students, or 45.2 percent, needed assistance with college-level math.  

That number was down 3 percentage points from the previous year. 

But there was little improvement in the number of students not needing remedial English.  

According to the report, 15,448 students, 45.6 percent of entering freshmen, needed remedial English. 

“On balance, it’s good news. But it does tell us we need to look at English learners,” said David Spence, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer. 

In assessing each student, not all needed a full semester of math or English in order to pass the proficiency exam, while others needed an intensive curriculum, Spence said. 

Some students sought tutors while others attended classes or summer session. 

However, the report found a continuing disparity between the number of white students and minorities needing remedial education at CSU. 

The report found 73 percent of black students and 60 percent of Hispanics needed math remediation compared with 37 percent of whites.  

It also found 65.8 percent of blacks and 58 percent of Hispanics needed English remediation compared to 28 percent of whites. 

“It’s a socio-economic situation. Many of these groups have fewer education opportunities,” Spence said. 

Reed noted that CSU was increasing outreach to kindergarten through 12th grades in urban areas with fewer educational opportunities in hope of reducing the number of incoming freshmen needing remedial classes. 

“It’s going to take a lot more work and partnerships in the public schools.  

“I think that’s where the action has to be” to get the numbers down, Reed said.