Two weeks ago, we took a look at the recent UC San Diego report on its remedial math course, which found that the number of students needing remediation in even middle and elementary school math skills had risen sharply in the last several years. This week, we return to that report.
In addition to analyzing the number of students needing the university’s remedial Math 2 course, the report also detailed the results of an assessment the Mathematics Department developed and administered in response to the rising number of students they observed with even more deteriorated math skills. The assessment, given to Math 2 students, was specifically designed to determine where in middle school and elementary school math skills the most gaps lay. The percentages of students answering correctly for questions at each grade level are given in the table below.
Not surprisingly, there was a marked decline as a student moved through the grade levels. Some 87% of students were able to answer the Grade 1 skills questions correctly. By Grade 5, this had declined to 54%, with an increase in students answering the Grade 6 questions correctly (67%).
In contrast, only 41% were able to answer the Grade 7 skills questions correctly. Barely 1 in 5 (19%) were able to answer the Grade 8 skills questions correctly. In particular, grades 7 and 8 usually mark a student’s introduction to algebra, as evidenced by the example questions provided, the first step into higher order mathematics. Few students on the assessment were able to correctly solve, simplify, expand, or evaluate algebraic equations or expressions.
As a final element of the report, the last appendix of the report features findings from interviews with Math 2 tutors conducted in summer 2025. The tutors were asked to give insights as to, for example, the disconnect between UC admissions requirements and the observed math preparation deficiencies. From their interviews:
Tutor 1: This tutor is shocked that any of the Math 2 students could have passed a precalculus or calculus class. … He mentions that some Math 2 students commented that most students were not doing well in their high school math classes, so it was easy to pass. (emphasis added)
Tutor 2: He thought that perhaps some of their high school classes were not as rigorous or challenging as college courses. Based on his conversations with Math 2 students, the majority of them had never encountered later Math 2 topics in their previous math courses (e.g., factoring) (emphasis added)
Tutor 6: In her opinion, the biggest trend is that the students did “plug and chug” in high school and didn’t think they would need to remember the material. They went through high school just to pass but without understanding. (emphasis added)
Overall, the report paints a clear picture of inadequate preparation in mathematics skills for many UC San Diego students. The extent to which this lack of preparation is true for students across the country remains to be seen.
