Berkeley Math Professor Says UC 'Test-Blind' Policy Correlates With Drop In Student Math Readiness

A University of California, Berkeley mathematics professor has warned that the systemwide shift to "test-blind" admissions correlates with a marked decline in incoming students' preparation for college-level mathematics.

In an op-ed for the San Francisco Standard, Professor Zvezdelina Stankova described teaching large lecture courses—"three days a week, I stand in front of lecture halls with 500 to 1,400 students"—and said she can often identify struggling students by the second week of the semester. "Some students are five to eight years behind in mathematics. Office hours that should be spent discussing integrals instead become lessons on fractions and basic algebra you would expect students to learn in middle school," she wrote.

Stankova and thousands of STEM faculty across the University of California's 10 campuses have signed open letters urging the system to reinstate standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT as part of the admissions process. The piece notes that in 2020 UC leadership moved to phase out standardized testing across the system, citing equity concerns.

A growing consortium of University of California professors is urging the state university system to bring back standardized testing.

Diagnostic Data Cited

To illustrate changes in readiness, Stankova presented diagnostic test data from incoming Calculus I cohorts. Between 2018 and 2020, roughly 2,200 students who were tested showed that about 71% were "ready or nearly ready," while only 0.14% performed below basic algebra. For the 2021–2023 cohorts, a different diagnostic administered to about 2,800 students found only 51% were ready or nearly ready; in 2023 that share fell to 44%, and 17% of students answered none of eight basic 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," Stankova wrote, describing pauses in lectures to reteach linear equations instead of progressing to differential equations.

Faculty Concerns and University Response

In an open letter published in June, UC STEM faculty argued that an SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity but a prerequisite for it. They wrote that failing to measure preparation gaps simply moves barriers into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome, and that honest assessment helps target supports to the students and campuses best positioned to provide them.

The University of California announced a review of its standardized testing policy and said system leadership is pursuing a comprehensive, data-driven approach to strengthen student readiness and success. Leaders emphasized that college preparedness is a critical priority.

Professors are warning that too many students are woefully unprepared for college-level classes.

Broader Context

The debate at UC mirrors a wider reassessment among selective institutions. Some elite universities have moved away from test-optional policies adopted during the pandemic era and are reinstating testing requirements. At the same time, other campuses are experimenting with different approaches to support student wellbeing and academic transition, such as temporary changes to first-year grading policies.

Stankova and many colleagues contend that measuring incoming students' quantitative preparedness makes it easier to identify gaps early and provide targeted remediation—especially for the most vulnerable students—whereas ignoring those measures can leave instructors to remediate large cohorts in already crowded courses.

Berkeley did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The debate over standardized testing continues as university leaders, faculty and policymakers weigh equity goals against concerns about classroom readiness and the resources required to remediate underprepared students.