Title: "I teach calculus at Berkeley. Some of my students can't do middle school math

Since the University of California abandoned the SAT and ACT, thousands of faculty say it's admitting students who aren't prepared for the coursework. Will UC listen?"

https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2026/08/15/uc-berkeley-sat-test-blind-admissions-math-scores/

Excellent read. Thanks for sharing.

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One student I'll call him Elias was admitted to a top University of California engineering program. His family was thrilled though surprised. Math had been his weakest subject in high school, but they assumed the university had seen something they hadn't.

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I thought these students with deficient math backgrounds were majoring in humanities, it's outrageous that they are admitted to Cal STEM programs.

From the article, for those who will not read it:

"Both (Nadia and Elias - pseudonyms) took California's standardized math assessment as juniors in 2024.

Both later applied to UC Berkeley.

Two real Bay Area high schools put numbers to this pattern. At Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, 432 of 756 juniors exceeded California's math standard in 2024, as measured by SBAC. Of the school's 542 Berkeley applicants that fall, 44 were admitted an acceptance rate of 8%.

At Mission High School in San Francisco, 193 of 202 juniors did not meet the state math standard. Yet Berkeley admitted 34 of the school's 76 applicants a 45% acceptance rate.

Based on those figures, at least 174 Dougherty Valley students who exceeded the state benchmark were rejected, and a student with Nadia's academic record would have been among them.

At least 25 Mission High students who failed to meet the benchmark were admitted, and a student with Elias' academic record could have been among them."

Doing away with standardized tests was a wild idea that never actually accomplished what its proponents said it would.

Mission HS appears to be a pretty mediocre HS - ranked poorly in the state, etc. How are they getting such an abnormally high acceptance rate?

tequila4kapp said:

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Mission HS appears to be a pretty mediocre HS - ranked poorly in the state, etc. How are they getting such an abnormally high acceptance rate?

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Are you actually asking the question or is this rhetorical? Demographics might lead you to the answer.

tequila4kapp said:

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GrinandBearit said:

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tequila4kapp said:

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Mission HS appears to be a pretty mediocre HS - ranked poorly in the state, etc. How are they getting such an abnormally high acceptance rate?

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Are you actually asking the question or is this rhetorical? Demographics might lead you to the answer.

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I am hoping it is not demographics, so I am actually asking.

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I wish and hope it isn't also but i's the only factor I see that is different, race and economic status.

Mission
Two thirds come from low income households.
71% Hispanic/Latino
10% Black/African American
7% Asian
7% White

Dougherty
Affluent community, high income households.
80% Asian
7% White
5% Hispanic/Latino
2% Black/African American

tequila4kapp said:

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GrinandBearit said:

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tequila4kapp said:

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Mission HS appears to be a pretty mediocre HS - ranked poorly in the state, etc. How are they getting such an abnormally high acceptance rate?

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Are you actually asking the question or is this rhetorical? Demographics might lead you to the answer.

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I am hoping it is not demographics, so I am actually asking.

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It's likely their attempt to do affirmative action without doing it.

If you google Mission and ranking it's pretty well crap according to multiple separate sources. About the only thing it seems to have going for it is the number of kids who get accepted to ucb.

I don't mind some of the demographic stuff being used as sort of a "tie breaker", but when you totally compromise academic qualifications and achievements, you get crap... for everybody involved. And that's the problem with GPA / grade inflation / no SAT. Tons of kids apply with a high GPA but it doesn't mean that much.

Big C said:

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I don't mind some of the demographic stuff being used as sort of a "tie breaker", but when you totally compromise academic qualifications and achievements, you get crap... for everybody involved. And that's the problem with GPA / grade inflation / no SAT. Tons of kids apply with a high GPA but it doesn't mean that much.

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Yup, this is kind of why you needed the SAT, as another way to weed out the kids who benefitted from grade inflation or other things.

Cal88 said:

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At the very least, if a kid from a disadvantaged background showed a lot of promise, leadership and potential but had some gaps in their academic baggage, send them to JC on a deferred admission conditional on doing well with the required coursework.

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Do UC's still do this? Is so, yes to this for sure