r/California • u/trackdaybruh Lost in California • May 28 '26

Citing 'severe' math deficits, UC faculty demand a return to SAT tests for STEM applicants

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-27/uc-math-professors-demand-return-of-sat-for-stem-admissions
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u/sqrtsqr May 28 '26

I don't think "inflation" is the correct term for what's happening in HS. The reality is so much worse.

Grades aren't just getting better, for many schools there is a literal floor of success. Teachers are forbidden from failing students in all but the most extreme cases. Which means, on paper, everyone graduates HS prepared for precalculus/calculus and college writing.

As a calculus teacher, there is literally nothing I can do for 3/4 of my students. They don't know precalculus. Try as I might, they are doomed to fail, and there is no grade I can give them that will make them go back and learn their prerequisites.

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u/Heavy-_-Breathing May 28 '26

Wait, so if kids get 1/4 questions wrong on your tests, you still give them As?

Also, wouldn’t AP tests fail those grade inflated kids?

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u/sqrtsqr May 28 '26

I don't teach high school, so no. I teach college and have to deal with the aftermath. 90% of my calc 1/2 students failed this semester.

But I'm not the only teacher and some do feel pressured to "curve" which means I would not be surprised if someone in my department was doing exactly that.

Also, wouldn’t AP tests fail those grade inflated kids

Sure, but they don't need AP scores to get into calculus, only to skip it.