California superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw is advocating for the reinstatement of standardized testing, citing a significant decline in basic math and reading scores among students. Shaw, the current president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, argued during a debate that educational institutions should not lower academic standards.
"We need to stop lowering the bar. We need to keep the bar high. This is a mental health crisis that adults are responsible for right now," Shaw stated. She expressed concern that promoting students with low reading and math skills to the next grade level, or to college, does them a disservice.
Her opponent, Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified School District, countered that the SAT and ACT do not address the root causes of academic deficiencies and suggested that faculty at the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems should collaborate with high school educators to align curriculum.
"The SAT doesn’t do anything to improve math instruction. All it does is exclude students from getting into our CSUs and our UCs," Barrera said. He added that the issue lies with a "sink-or-swim attitude" among some university faculty, a sentiment he observed decades ago.
The UC system discontinued the SAT in admissions in 2020, and the CSU system followed in 2022, citing legal challenges, equity concerns, and a broader shift towards test-optional policies. However, a group of over 800 UC professors and STEM department chairs signed an open letter last year urging the reinstatement of the SAT and ACT, arguing these tests could help identify academic preparation gaps before students enter higher education.
"Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom," the professors wrote in their letter.
California's latest assessment results from the 2024-25 school year indicate that a majority of students are performing below proficiency levels. According to the California Department of Education, only 48.8% of students met or exceeded the state's English Language Arts standard, and just 37.3% met the standard in math. Despite minor improvements, a substantial number of students are graduating without mastering essential foundational skills.
Shaw believes the current academic struggles are a "K through 12 failure," not a university issue. Barrera, on the other hand, suggests that university faculty should be more involved in ensuring students are prepared.
The debate also touched upon other contentious issues, including school choice, funding, teacher compensation, parental rights, and policies concerning LGBTQ+ students and transgender athletes.
In the June 2026 primary election, Shaw led the race with approximately 24.5% to 24.9% of the vote, while Barrera secured second place with about 18.9% to 19.3%. Ballots for the November 3, 2026, general election are currently being mailed to California voters.