The University of California's landmark decision to eliminate standardized testing has come under renewed scrutiny as professors highlight severe proficiency failures among undergraduate students. Multiple mathematics professors and one law professor at UC Berkeley authored an open letter calling on the university administration to mandate the SAT and ACT for the fall 2027 semester.
Professors' Open Letter
More than 600 professors have signed the letter, pushing back against the argument that standardized tests undermine equity in the application process. 'The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,' the professors stated. 'Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.'
Background of the Debate
Standardized tests have been a frequent subject of debate in academia. Opponents argue that students who can afford test preparation and attend well-funded high schools have an advantage over those from lower-income communities. In 2020, the Board of Regents unanimously voted to suspend standardized testing requirements through 2024 and eliminate them altogether by 2025. John A. Pérez, then chair of the board, hailed the decision as an 'incredible step in the right direction.'
The decision followed a 2019 lawsuit filed by UC students, the Compton Unified School District, and other advocacy groups, claiming that college entry tests discriminate based on socioeconomic status. After the board voted to phase out tests, students argued that voluntary submissions did not eliminate discriminatory practices. UC later reached a settlement with the plaintiffs, eliminating standardized tests entirely.
Impact on Student Preparedness
Six years later, professors say the decision, compounded by the pandemic, has poorly impacted students. '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.
Mathematics professors Zvezdelina Stankova, Svetlana Jitomirskaya, John W Lott, and Mina Aganagic authored the letter alongside law professor Chris Jay Hoofnagle. The professors noted that mathematics, in particular, proved a struggle for undergraduates. At least 20 percent of Berkeley first-semester calculus students showed a lack of proficiency in their exams.
Stankova's Perspective
Stankova argued that standardized tests ensure equity rather than diminish it. Reflecting on her 30-year teaching career, she described her 2023 calculus II class as an unprecedented challenge. 'Something had changed drastically. The bottom was taken out, and there were 25 to 30 percent of the students who were in free fall. There was nothing you could do for them. They were just not prepared,' she told the Los Angeles Times. She acknowledged the letter would be controversial but believes reinstating tests will not harm diversity. 'I actually see it helping it, because you have right now the lack of SATs hurting the underrepresented minorities. You give them a ticket, an entrance ticket to a great university system like UC, only that they fail. How is that diversity?'
Opposing Views and University Response
Advocates for eliminating tests point to the record number of applications UC received in 2021. The university admitted a record number of students, hailing the class as its largest and most diverse ever. Administration officials also loosened application requirements that year due to the pandemic.
UC spokesperson Rachel Zaentz told the Daily Mail, 'In light of concerns raised by UC faculty about student preparedness for undergraduate study, in March I called upon our systemwide faculty Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) to address timely topics tied to students’ college readiness and UC’s admission process. BOARS is in the process of proposing a roadmap of policy work and partnership building with other state and K-12 education leaders in the next academic year and beyond.'
Ahmet Palazoglu, chair of the UC systemwide Academic Senate, said he has heard 'concerns raised by UC faculty about student preparedness for undergraduate study' and added that the board 'is in the process of proposing a roadmap of policy work and partnership building with other state and K-12 education leaders in the next academic year and beyond.' The university stressed that mathematics proficiency challenges have been exacerbated by remote instruction during the pandemic, suggesting standardized tests are not solely to blame.
