UC Berkeley Math Professor Sounds Alarm on Student Preparedness Amid 'Test-Blind' Admissions

A mathematics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has expressed serious concerns regarding the academic preparedness of many students entering college, attributing these challenges to the University of California system's "test-blind" admissions policies.

Professor Zvezdelina Stankova, in an op-ed published recently, detailed her observations from large lecture halls. "Three days a week, I stand in front of lecture halls with 500 to 1,400 students. By the second week of the semester, I already know who is in trouble," she wrote. Stankova noted that some students demonstrate a foundational knowledge gap, being "five to eight years behind in mathematics." She described how office hours, intended for advanced topics like integrals, frequently devolve into teaching basic algebra and fractions typically covered in middle school.

Declining Preparedness in the Classroom

Stankova presented compelling data illustrating a marked decrease in student math readiness following the UC system's decision to discontinue considering standardized tests. Between 2018 and 2020, before the test-blind policy, diagnostic tests for approximately 2,200 Calculus I students revealed that 71% were either ready or nearly ready for the course, with a minimal 0.14% testing below basic algebra proficiency.

However, after the implementation of test-blind admissions, a different diagnostic administered to about 2,800 students from 2021 to 2023 showed a sharp decline. In this period, only 51% of students were deemed ready or nearly ready. This figure further dropped to 44% in 2023, and a substantial 17% of students answered none of the eight tested topics correctly.

"Those of us teaching such courses don’t experience the consequences as abstractions. We watch students struggle through material they were expected to master years earlier. We pause lectures to reteach linear equations instead of expanding students’ understanding of differential equations," Stankova emphasized.

The Shift to Test-Blind Admissions

The move to phase out standardized testing, including the SAT and ACT, began in 2020 under former UC president Janet Napolitano, who previously served in the Obama administration. The decision was partly motivated by considerations of "equity." Stankova highlighted that since this change, admissions officers have been prohibited from using standardized tests, which previously offered "the one standardized measure that provided a common academic benchmark across California’s thousands of high schools." She concluded that "After UC adopted test-blind admissions, the picture changed dramatically."

Thousands of faculty members across the University of California’s 10 campuses, including Professor Stankova, have co-signed open letters advocating for the reinstatement of the SAT and ACT in the admissions process.

Faculty Challenge to 'Equity' Rationale

In a June open letter from UC STEM faculty, instructors directly addressed and rejected the argument that standardized math requirements posed an obstacle to equity.

"The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it," the letter asserted. "Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome. An admissions process that ignores foundational readiness does a disservice to the most vulnerable students. True access requires an honest assessment of the support students need and where, within California’s public higher education system, they can best receive it."

UC System Review and National Trends

Amidst these ongoing discussions, the University of California announced in the same month that it would initiate a review of its standardized testing policy. University of California President James B. Milliken stated at the time that the Board of Regents and university leadership were taking "very seriously the critical issue of college preparedness." He added that the UC Academic Senate had proposed "a comprehensive, data-driven review to support its recommendations to strengthen student readiness and success at UC," emphasizing that "There are few things more important on our agenda."

The concerns raised by the Berkeley professor align with a broader trend among elite universities that are reconsidering test-optional policies, which gained popularity around 2020. For instance, Columbia University, in June, joined seven other Ivy League institutions in reversing test-optional policies. It announced the reinstatement of standardized testing requirements for undergraduate applicants, effective next year, according to reports. The issue of student preparedness at top-tier institutions is not confined to California alone.