A recent UC San Diego report finds that 1 in 8 incoming freshmen do not meet middle school math standards.
From 2020-25, the number of UCSD students who were performing below middle school level increased by thirtyfold. The university remedial math class that covered gaps in high school knowledge grew from about 50 students in 2020 to nearly 500 students by fall of 2023.
According to the report, the university recently decided to redesign this remedial math class to cover middle school and elementary school math after finding that their students’ knowledge gaps went further back than just a high school level.
The report attributed the shift to remote learning from the COVID-19 pandemic as a major factor contributing to the sharp decline in freshman math preparedness.
“I keep telling this every time, but unfortunately, we are not making substantial changes in the way that mathematics is taught,” said Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, an associate professor of education at USC Rossier. “So, after COVID, because kids fall behind so much, the old way of teaching math was not working. It’s not working at all for students with diverse needs.”
According to the report, the COVID pandemic is not the only presumed reason why the UCSD students are coming into college so underprepared. The report claims the University of California (UC) Board of Regents’ decision to eliminate standardized tests, like the SAT and ACT, in 2020, is another possible reason for the gaps in math education.
The report states that the Standardized Testing Task Force went against the board’s decision to eliminate tests, claiming that the standardized tests are needed as teachers had been grading more leniently because of the pandemic.
Morgan Scott Polikoff, professor of education at USC Rossier, addressed whether or not he thinks that the UCs will make any changes.
“The question is, are the UCs interested in and willing to go back to having a standardized test?” Polikoff said. “I’m guessing the answer to that question is no, but if that’s the case, then I think this is a foreseeable consequence of that, right?”
The report proposed what they called a “Math Index,” which is meant to take the data from a student’s past math performance from grades and course levels to then determine their preparedness for UCSD’s math courses and expectations while taking into consideration the major of the applicant.
“They propose, you know, a system to analyze student transcript data differently, focusing on mathematics, and I think that that’s an interesting idea,” said Polikoff. “Ultimately, I don’t think it’s likely to do as good a job as a test score.”
Copur-Gencturk said that she was not surprised by the data of lower math levels, but she was “frustrated.”
“We have to take serious measures to improve mathematics teaching and learning,” Copur-Gencturk said.