A report Nov. 19 by the university in The Atlantic magazine said U.S. high schools are graduating more students each year, but SAT scores and basic skills are rapidly declining among Gen Z.
SAT is a standardized test used for college admissions in the country. It said the number of freshmen unable to perform basic calculations has risen thirty-fold in five years.
Hundreds of first-year students are starting college unable to handle fractions, exponents or simple equations, which are normally taught in middle school. The university’s survey of 900 incoming students found 12% lacking fundamental math skills.
Many students had near-perfect GPAs but failed the placement test, and the declining quantitative skills have forced it to open emergency remedial classes. The same trend is appearing across universities nationwide.
College students’ writing and language abilities are also falling below high school standards, the report lamented.
Observers blame the Covid-19 pandemic, some college’s removal of standardized test requirements and general admissions policies.
But education experts say the core issue is grade inflation by schools to meet graduation targets and secure funding, according to the New York Post.
Robert Pondiscio, an education analyst at the far-right American Enterprise Institute, said: “A lot of data in education is subject to manipulation. You can raise graduation rates. You can give a kid a grade he or she may not really have earned.”
He said high schools are under pressure to raise graduation rates to receive state funding, which leads to more lenient grading.
National graduation rates have risen from 74% to 87% in two decades, while average SAT scores have dropped by nearly 100 points.
Experts say the problem began with the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, which required states to monitor and raise graduation rates or face penalties.
The Economist said many schools responded by looking for loopholes and produced students with strong transcripts but weak skills.
“This is not the kid’s fault…Shame on the adults who put that kid in the position of having to use these mechanisms to finish,” Pondiscio said. “If you graduated high school and didn’t really earn it, that catches up to you in the workplace.”
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