Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

UC San Diego Report: One in Eight Freshmen Below Middle School Math

The university says high school grades and course titles no longer reliably signal math readiness.

Students walk to their classrooms at a public middle school in Los Angeles, California, September 10, 2021. - Children aged 12 or over who attend public schools in Los Angeles will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the start of next year, city education chiefs said September 9, 2021, the first such requirement by a major education board in the United States. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • UCSD’s internal working group reports a nearly 30-fold rise since 2020, with 921 students in fall 2025 (11.8% of the cohort) placed into remedial math.
  • Remediation was overhauled: Math 2 now targets elementary and middle school Common Core content, and a new Math 3B addresses high school material.
  • Transcript signals are misaligned with skills, as 25% of students in Math 2 held a 4.0 math GPA and the average math GPA was 3.65.
  • Authors cite pandemic learning loss, the UC system’s elimination of standardized tests, grade inflation, and increased enrollment from under-resourced LCFF+ schools; by 2025–26, one in three LCFF+ enrollees needed Math 2 or 3B.
  • Recommendations include a transcript-based Math Index to predict remedial placement, earlier required placement testing, and feedback to high schools, with a warning that large-scale underprepared admissions strain resources and can harm students.