Overview
- UC Berkeley mathematics professor Zvezdelina Stankova published an op-ed publicizing classroom observations and diagnostic data that she says show many incoming students lack middle-school math skills.
- Stankova’s cited diagnostics show a drop in Calculus I readiness from about 71% before 2020 to roughly 44% in 2023, with about 17% of recent students answering none of eight basic topics correctly.
- Thousands of UC faculty across the system have signed open letters urging the University to reinstate SAT and ACT scores so admissions include a common measure of foundational math readiness.
- The University of California has launched a comprehensive, data-driven review of its testing and preparedness policies but has not announced any systemwide return to considering SAT or ACT scores.
- Some elite peer universities have already moved back toward requiring tests, and the debate could affect classroom instruction, advising, and which applicants are steered to remedial support or other campuses.