SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California State University's 23 campuses are eliminating math and English placement exams for incoming freshman as part of broader changes aimed at increasing graduation rates.
Chancellor Timothy P. White announced the changes in an executive order issued late Wednesday to all campus presidents.
The exams are used to assess student readiness. Some 25,000 incoming CSU students are typically placed in remedial courses that don't count toward their degrees.
Under the new system, all students will take college-level courses immediately.
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The memo says CSU's longstanding assessment tests will be retired in fall 2018 and schools will instead look at students' SAT and ACT scores, high school grades and Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores.
Only 20 percent of CSU students graduate in four years. CSU wants to double that by 2025.
