Reply to Over 280 University of California STEM faculty members have signed an open letter calling on the UC Board of Regents to

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]"For example, for three consecutive year, 20-30% of UC Berkeley first-semester calculus students who participated in mathematical diagnostic testing displayed [i]severe[/i][b][u] preparation deficits."

Ouch.[/quote]

How is this going to be fixed by SAT scores if it is the HS math instruction that sucks? [/quote]

Most likely by admitting fewer unprepared students.  Right now UC's admit by high school.  The lower SES, URM high schools have the same admissions chances as high performing ones.  Presumably the SAT will provide cover to deviate from this and pick more Asian and white students.[/quote]
This sounds like a lot of extrapolation. The professors aren’t interested in picking and choosing demographics for their classes. They just want students entering Calc 2 who have actually taken and performed, as expected by exams, well in calc 1. Berkeley has an institutional mission to give opportunity to a wide population of California residents, not just the Bay Area and SoCal elites.

What’s really happening is professors do not have the levers necessary to improve the k-12 system, so the only tool they do have is the one standardized exam. [/quote]

Unfortunately California produces so few well-qualified black and Hispanic students in California public high schools that while the SAT might give them a better, fighting chance, at selecting a decent student, it will never be implemented.  The cry of help from faculty and isn't just from the math faculty, it's across all STEM disciplines.  This endeavor will run into the inevitable political brick wall and go nowhere.  The mission of UC's officially states that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is the critical component underlying scholarship and research. The UC's will not stray from that mission.[/quote]
The UC system is a testament that DEI doesn’t have to mean lowering standards, the issue people have is purely political issues from the k-12 system. The UC system is all about DEI, but still most of the professors are white, most of the students are white and Asian, and the rigor is real.

In general, black students are way over talked about in these discussions. California has been bleeding out black families for decades. A lot of the issues stem with Latino majority districts. There’s a whole host of issues unique to that demographic seen across the American southwest[/quote]

Not true.  There are far more Hispanic students than white students.  UC's are trying to get Hispanic undergraduate enrollment up to 53%.  So far they are up to 30% with increases every year.    They have that as the official policy: UC's are to reflect the demographics of the state.[/quote]
The UC system SHOULD be more hispanic, and over time, it naturally will be. The massive gaps between white and Latino citizens is mostly due to immigration. These gaps are much smaller once you account for higher generational households.[/quote]

SAT data says otherwise.  Hispanics across all income and generational (first, second, third) levels perform worse than the poorest whites and Asians.[/quote]
Says more about the SAT than anything else. [b]Life outcomes show that the gap closes[/b].[/quote]

What does this mean? That Hispanics earn comparable to whites and Asians? That doesn't sound true. Care to clarify or cite what you're talking about?[/quote]

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