Berkeley Math Prof: Calculus Students Lag Behind, Forcing Fractions Lessons

UC Berkeley math professor Zvezdelina Stankova says the shift to test-blind admissions and pandemic-era policies left many calculus students underprepared, with diagnostic data showing readiness dropping from about 71% ready pre-2020 to 44% in 2021–23 and more than a third with severe math deficits; she claims instructors must teach fractions and basic algebra in place of calculus, noting some students are five to eight years behind. Berkeley has not reinstated SAT/ACT admissions requirements and won’t change its policy until fall 2028, unlike peers that have reinstated testing.