The University of California's landmark decision to eliminate standardized testing has now come under scrutiny as professors shed light on the extreme proficiency failures undergraduate students have demonstrated. 

Multiple mathematics professors and one law professor at UC Berkeley authored an open letter calling on the university administration to mandate the SAT and ACT for the fall 2027 semester. 

More than 600 professors have signed the letter, pushing back on the argument that standardized tests eliminate equity in the application process. 

'The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,' the professors said. 

'Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.'

Standardized tests have been a frequent subject of debate in academia. Those in opposition have argued that students who can afford standardized test preparation and attend well-funded high schools have an advantage over lower-income communities. 

In 2020, the Board of Regents unanimously voted to suspend standardized testing requirements through 2024 and eliminate them altogether by 2025. 

John A. Pérez, the chair of the board at the time, hailed the decision as an 'incredible step in the right direction.' 

The decision came after a 2019 lawsuit filed by UC students, the Compton Unified School District and other advocacy groups claimed that college entry tests discriminate against applicants based on their socioeconomic status. 

After the Board of Regents voted to phase out the tests, students argued that allowing voluntary submissions did not eliminate the discriminatory practices. 

UC later reached a settlement with the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and the university eliminated standardized tests in the application process. 

Six years later, professors have said that the decision, coupled with the impacts of the pandemic, has poorly impacted students. 

'We now observe preparation gaps so severe that instructors must reteach middle-school mathematics while simultaneously teaching the material students need for sciences, engineering, economics, and other quantitatively demanding fields,' the professors wrote. 

Mathematics professors Zvezdelina Stankova, Svetlana Jitomirskaya, John W Lott and Mina Aganagic authored the letter alongside law professor Chris Jay Hoofnagle. 

The professors noted that mathematics in particular proved to be a struggle for undergraduates. 

The letter noted that at least 20 percent of Berkeley first-semester calculus students showed a lack of proficiency in their exams.