More than 1,100 mathematics and science professors across the University of California system recently issued an extraordinary warning. They urged university leaders to reconsider the elimination of SAT and ACT testing for students seeking admission into STEM fields, arguing that many incoming students lack the mathematical preparation necessary to succeed in rigorous science and engineering coursework.
The professors' concerns extend far beyond standardized testing. They reflect a growing tension in American education between equity and excellence. For more than a decade, policymakers and educational leaders have increasingly responded to achievement gaps by reducing or eliminating measures of academic performance. Standardized tests, grading systems, selective admissions criteria, and advanced academic programs have all come under scrutiny as potential barriers to equity.
The intention is understandable. Every student deserves access to educational opportunity regardless of race, income, or family background. But opportunity and standards are not competing values. In fact, lowering standards in the name of equity often produces the opposite of its intended effect.
Equity without excellence is not equity at all.
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