UC Professors Say They're Teaching Middle-School Math

University of California faculty members say life without the SAT isn't going well in their classrooms. More than 1,100 math and science professors across the UC system have signed a two-page letter pressing regents to bring back standardized test requirements, arguing that growing numbers of underprepared students are forcing them to reteach middle-school math in college-level STEM courses, reports the Wall Street Journal. The school system and several others went test-free in 2020, though some have backtracked in recent years, due in part to the issues UC professors now describe.

The letter cites data from UC San Diego showing the share of students needing remedial elementary or middle-school math before precalculus jumped from 0.5% to 8.5% between 2020 and 2025. At UC Berkeley, nearly a third of first-semester calculus students reportedly show "severe preparation deficits." The professors say reinstating tests like the SAT and ACT beginning in fall 2027 would help better gauge readiness and protect California's tech-driven workforce pipeline—putting them at odds with critics who view the exams as barriers for disadvantaged students. The Academic Senate admissions board committee has "signaled tentative interest" in the change as it prepares to submit its new educational roadmap this month, the Los Angeles Times reports.