Cal State Professor Cautions Elimination of SAT for Inclusivity May Leave Students Underprepared

California Professor Warns Dropping SAT Requirement Leads to Unprepared College Students

A professor at California State University, Long Beach is raising concerns that the state university system’s decision to eliminate standardized testing requirements has resulted in students arriving on campus unprepared for basic coursework.

Economics professor Andrea Mays told Fox News Digital that she has observed significant “deficits in learning” among current college students, many of whom spent their formative middle school years in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Mays, the California State University system’s decision to remove the SAT as an admission requirement has contributed to these challenges.

“I teach a class that is offered for non-economics majors,” Mays explained. “I could put on an index card exactly what math is required for my class, it’s not calculus, and they are struggling with it, they’re embarrassed, they’re demoralized.”

Students frequently approach her admitting they never learned foundational mathematical concepts. “I don’t know how to calculate a percentage change,” she quoted them as saying. While some seek help, Mays noted that many others are too embarrassed to ask and end up dropping classes instead.

The professor reported that class drop rates have increased “phenomenally,” with department chairs across disciplines telling her that approximately 25% of students are dropping classes. Mathematics appears to be a particularly problematic area.

In 2022, when the CSU system eliminated SAT and ACT requirements, then-Acting Chancellor Steve Relyea stated the goal was to “level the playing field” and provide “greater access” for students. The decision followed a year-long study by the Admission Advisory Council, which concluded that standardized tests provided “negligible additional value” in predicting student success compared to high school GPA.

The university system shifted to “multi-factored admission criteria,” emphasizing high school GPA in specific courses, extracurricular activities, and socio-economic factors. However, Mays argues this approach is failing students.

“I am definitely for inclusivity on our campus,” Mays said. “We have a very diverse campus here. But I think it’s fraud to tell people that what we’re doing is so that we can be inclusive when really what we’re doing is we’re allowing people to enter that we know are really going to have a difficult time of it.”

Mays recently wrote an opinion piece in the Orange County Register titled “Bring back the SAT at CSU — or admit we are failing our own students.” In it, she argued, “Access without readiness is not opportunity. It is a disservice. If CSU is serious about student success, affordability, and equity, it must be willing to measure preparedness — and act on what it finds.”

The debate over standardized testing has intensified in recent years. Critics, including the nation’s largest teachers union, have questioned the fairness and effectiveness of tests like the SAT, with some suggesting they contain inherent biases against certain demographic groups.

Mays acknowledged these concerns but emphasized the need for some form of standardized measurement. “There’s definitely room for discussion about what kind of a standard, is it the ACT? Is it the SAT or something? The problem is that high schools are heterogeneous,” she said.

“Not all high schools are excellent even if they say they are,” Mays continued. “Students are getting passed on from high school into a four-year university is a disservice to them. They get here thinking they’re wonderful and finding out that they are at the bottom of the ability distribution for math and English.”

As an alternative pathway, Mays suggests utilizing California’s community college system for students who need additional preparation. “Go into the community system and take the lowest level English class you can so that you can write a sentence, you can write a paragraph, you could make an argument,” she advised. “Take a basic math class that will transfer onto a four-year university and learn how to do the basic math that perhaps you didn’t learn when you were in middle school online.”

The professor’s concerns come at a time when national assessment data shows declining academic performance across various subjects, particularly following pandemic-related disruptions to education. Her critique highlights broader questions about college readiness standards and how best to support students who may have experienced learning loss during the pandemic.

“There’s no reason not to use an SAT as a filter to let students know whether they’re prepared for college-level work or not,” Mays concluded.

The California State University System did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.