UC Reviews Test-Blind Admissions as Math Readiness Falls to 44%

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 16

UC has launched a systemwide review of its standardized-testing policy after faculty across its 10 campuses warned test-blind admissions left many students unprepared for college math.
44% of tested Calculus I students in 2023 were ready or nearly ready, down from 71% in 2018-2020, while 17% answered none of eight diagnostic topics correctly.
Zvezdelina Stankova, a Berkeley math professor, said some students arrive five to eight years behind, forcing instructors to reteach fractions, algebra and linear equations in large lecture courses.
Thousands of faculty have urged UC to restore SAT and ACT requirements, arguing standardized math testing is a prerequisite for equity rather than a barrier to it.
The review comes as Columbia and other elite universities move back toward testing requirements after the 2020-era shift to test-optional or test-blind admissions.