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UC Berkeley professor warns of declining math standards due to admissions policies
Zvezdelina Stankova, a mathematics professor at UC Berkeley, has criticized the university’s admissions standards, stating that many incoming students lack the foundational skills required for college-level calculus.
In an op-ed for the San Francisco Standard, Stankova reported that some students are five to eight years behind in mathematics. She noted that office hours, which should focus on advanced topics like integrals, are instead being used to teach middle-school level algebra and fractions. Stankova described the current admissions process as feeling “less like careful evaluation and more like chance.”
Stankova is part of a growing group of faculty members across the University of California system advocating for the reinstatement of standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, to provide a common academic benchmark. The university system began moving away from these tests in 2020 under former president Janet Napolitano, citing equity concerns and pandemic disruptions.
Data cited by Stankova indicates a decline in math readiness: between 2018 and 2020, approximately 71% of tested Calculus I students were considered ready or nearly ready, whereas that figure dropped to 51% for students tested between 2021 and 2023.
Entities
Janet Napolitano · San Francisco Standard · UC Berkeley · University of California · Zvezdelina Stankova
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Some students are five to eight years behind in mathematics. internewscast.com · freerepublic.com · www.foxnews.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The UC admissions process has become less like careful evaluation and more like chance. internewscast.com · freerepublic.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] UC Berkeley moved away from standardized testing in 2020 under former president Janet Napolitano. internewscast.com · freerepublic.com · www.foxnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Thousands of faculty members have signed letters urging the University of California to reinstate the SAT and ACT. internewscast.com · freerepublic.com · www.foxnews.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 2018 to 2020, 71% of tested Calculus I students were deemed ready or nearly ready. www.foxnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Office hours intended for calculus topics like integrals are being used to teach middle-school level algebra and fractions. internewscast.com · freerepublic.com · www.foxnews.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 2021 to 2023, only 51% of tested students were deemed ready or nearly ready. www.foxnews.com