Gov. Gavin Newsom declined to take a definitive stance on the debate surrounding standardized testing in University of California admissions, describing alarming reports from professors about incoming freshmen lacking basic math skills as "anecdotes."
Newsom was questioned at a press conference Wednesday in Hayward regarding an open letter signed by more than 1,200 University of California professors. The letter, which includes Nobel laureates and prominent scientists, expresses concern over a "severe" decline in the mathematical abilities of incoming freshmen, necessitating the simplification of advanced courses like Calculus.
"Show me the data," Newsom stated. "I have feelings about this, there’s anecdotes about this, but I want to see the data."
A working group at UC San Diego reported a significant increase in students with math skills below a high school level. According to their findings, the number of incoming freshmen with such deficiencies rose from 30 in 2020 to 900 in 2025.
Professors have linked this trend to the 2020 decision to eliminate SAT and ACT scores as a requirement for university admissions, suggesting the policy has contributed to grade inflation. Zvezdelina Stankova, a mathematics professor at UC Berkeley, noted in an op-ed for The San Francisco Standard that some students are "five to eight years behind in mathematics," leading to office hours being used for instruction on fractions and basic algebra instead of calculus.
The University of California Board of Regents is slated to address the issue next year. Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California Board of Education, indicated that the regents are reviewing various testing options should they decide to reinstate standardized testing requirements.
Newsom made these remarks at Schafer Park Elementary School, where he emphasized the state's substantial investments in early childhood education. He and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, highlighted the expansion of "community schools" offering services such as free meals, laundry, and eye care.
California's per-pupil spending has increased to over $28,000 annually. State budget allocations for special education have also seen a 43% rise, reaching $2.4 billion this fiscal year. The governor's office asserts that its universal transitional kindergarten program, launched in the 2022-2023 school year, has provided families with an average annual saving of $14,000.
Recent state data indicates that less than half of California students are considered proficient or advanced in math and reading. In 2025, 37% of students met proficiency standards in math, compared to 48% in reading. Newsom expressed confidence that the upcoming results, due in October, will reflect an improvement in these figures.