LOS ANGELES — More than 800 professors in the University of California system, including seven of nine math department chairs, signed an open letter calling on system leaders to reinstate SAT/ACT testing requirements for applicants to STEM majors. The letter cited a 'widening divergence in mathematical preparation levels within the same classroom' as a key concern.
The professors referenced a November report from the University of California San Diego Senate-Administration Workgroup on Admissions, which revealed that the number of first-year students with math skills below a middle school level increased nearly 30-fold since 2020. "We now observe preparation gaps so severe that instructors must reteach middle-school mathematics while simultaneously teaching the material students need for sciences, engineering, economics, and other quantitatively demanding fields," the professors wrote.
The University of California system suspended its standardized testing requirements in 2020. In their letter, the faculty argued that standardized test scores could help identify students adequately prepared for rigorous STEM coursework. "UC has been a national leader in supporting under-resourced students to do well in mathematics. However, UC has finite resources and can help only so many students, and only when the preparation deficits they need to overcome are within reach," the professors wrote.
The UC San Diego report authors hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic and increased enrollment of low-income students at the university may be driving the decline in math preparedness.
A UC spokesperson stated that the system 'will continue to focus on strengthening instruction, collaboration and support' for math readiness. Ahmet Palazoglu, chair of the systemwide Academic Senate, said he has heard 'concerns raised by UC faculty about student preparedness for undergraduate study.' Palazoglu called on the system admissions board to address 'timely topics tied to students’ college readiness and UC’s admission process.' The UC Academic Senate’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools is scheduled to meet on June 5.