SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Nearly one in eight freshmen at UC San Diego don't meet middle school standards in math, according to a new report that highlights a dramatic decline in student preparedness.
The report focusing on first-year students shows freshmen have experienced significant drops in math performance, with some students' skills falling below middle school levels. Students have also struggled with writing and language skills.
The findings don't surprise local educators who see the effects firsthand.
"If they don't get pattern recognition at the lower levels in elementary school, it's miserable trying to do pre-algebra and algebra," said Laura Twitchell, a high school math teacher. "Those things have to kind of jump out at you to be able to solve effectively."
James Zieglerkelly, who owns a local tutoring business, said the gap reflects broader educational inequities.
"It's an investment," Zieglerkelly said. "And a lot of the parents that can't invest at the high school level, their kids are falling behind."
The report attributes the deterioration to multiple factors that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on education, the elimination of standardized testing like the SAT and ACT, grade inflation, and the expansion of admissions from under-resourced high schools.
UC San Diego acknowledged the challenge in a statement from the Executive Vice Chancellor, saying the university remains committed to serving as "a powerful engine of social mobility" while faculty and administrators work to solve the problem.
Despite the concerning trends, some students are finding ways to improve. High school student Jade Tanouye-Wiesner said her relationship with math has changed through practice and persistence.
"I used to say I hated math," Tanouye-Wiesner said. "I'm starting not to hate it anymore though. I am starting to like it. The more I get it, the more I like it, and the less frustrating it is."
Tanouye-Wiesner said she's seen improvement in her grades this semester and hopes the progress continues.
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