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The shocking rise of Gen Z college freshmen who can’t even do basic math — as grade inflation means graduation rates are rising
NY Post ^ | 12/03/2025 | Alex Oliveira

Posted on 12/03/2025 6:29:09 AM PST by DFG

The number of Gen Z college freshmen who are entering universities without high school math skills is skyrocketing — as SAT scores are plummeting, a stunning new report has found.

Even more shocking — many of the students can’t even do middle-school level math, meaning their skills are fifth grade or below.

Experts say this phenomenon, combined with steadily rising high school graduate rates, show that the country is suffering a massive grade inflation problem.

The University of California San Diego, for instance, has reported a staggering 30-fold increase in the number of students unable to do basic arithmetic over the last five years.

“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,” said Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow and education expert with the American Enterprise Institute.

“You can literally declare a kid a graduate.”

“The incentives are in the system to make ourselves look good,” he told The Post. “High GPA, high graduation rate, etcetera — when it’s a mirage.”

The UC San Diego example is particularly stark. Just 30 of the school’s incoming freshmen had below high school level math skills in 2020. But in 2025 that number rose to 900, the Atlantic reported, citing a shocking November study released by faculty.

That’s one in eight incoming freshmen who are unable to meet basic high school math standards — for a school that takes just 30% of applicants.

All of the students also have to have passing grades in high school math curriculum required by the University of California school system.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: arth; closekthrue12; closepublicschools; education; genz; illiteracy

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To: T.B. Yoits

21 posted on 12/03/2025 7:29:00 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: T.B. Yoits

22 posted on 12/03/2025 7:29:32 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: T.B. Yoits

23 posted on 12/03/2025 7:30:00 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: T.B. Yoits

24 posted on 12/03/2025 7:30:25 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: DFG

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND == CERTAINLY HAS MANY MEANINGS


25 posted on 12/03/2025 7:36:32 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: joe fonebone

FLASH CARDS NEED TO MAKE A COMEBACK.

ANYONE COMPANY WILLING TO START MAKING THEM AGAIN WILL MAKE A FORTUNE


26 posted on 12/03/2025 7:37:43 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: ridesthemiles

“No child left behind!, no child left behind. Oh really? It wasn’t long ago you were talking about giving children a head start. Head Start-Left Behind. Someone’s losing f___ing ground here.”

- George Carlin


27 posted on 12/03/2025 7:38:11 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: BobL

I DO NOT HAVE THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW THANKFUL I AM THAT I WENT TO A ONE ROOM SCHOOL.


28 posted on 12/03/2025 7:39:15 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: DFG
We hear that GenZ can't do basic math because the government schools did't teach GenZ anything of use.

We also hear that GenZ is being attracted more and more to demagogues like Nick Fuentes.















....








.....?

Yeah it's probably unrelated. /sarc

29 posted on 12/03/2025 7:39:23 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica (We cannot vote our way out of these problems. The only way out is to activist our way out.)
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To: DFG

This sounds like ‘gain of dysfunction’ of a certain “mind virus”.


30 posted on 12/03/2025 7:39:50 AM PST by equaviator (Nobody's perfect. That's why they put pencils on erasers!)
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To: DFG

The Democrats destroyed the education of an entire generation after COVID hit - and they never get blamed for it.


31 posted on 12/03/2025 7:40:54 AM PST by montag813
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To: kosciusko51
"One of President Reagan’s missteps was to not get rid of it before it metastasized."

Rumor has it President Trump promised to get rid of the DoEd during his second term. At this point all his administration has to do is ask Congress to pass an abolish bill.

We are still waiting.

32 posted on 12/03/2025 7:41:17 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica (We cannot vote our way out of these problems. The only way out is to activist our way out.)
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To: T.B. Yoits

ABE LINCOLN IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, IMO


33 posted on 12/03/2025 7:42:53 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Maybe all we need is a new Congress that wouldn’t need to be motivated by a President to act.

Let’s be reminded that Congress had us endure two hoax impeachments not too long ago..

Against this same President.

We eventually learned we didn’t need anything but a new President to make a difference.

Maybe we need a new Congress.

And they aren’t going to obliterate and drain themselves apparently.

So, we all have to wait for a New Congress that isn’t a Swamp.

Maybe the prosecution of criminals in Congress is the sign we can actually get a New Congress some day in the future.

And see real change for once.

We are still waiting for that, too.


34 posted on 12/03/2025 7:59:28 AM PST by delchiante
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To: BobL

The same parents who insist their kids should get an A even though they didn’t do the work, and didn’t even show up for class?


35 posted on 12/03/2025 8:00:24 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: DFG

Here’s a good thread from the Reddit Teachers forum:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1parfhf/i_started_doing_math_times_tables_in_homeroom_now/

Evidently, some of the kids know what they don’t know.


36 posted on 12/03/2025 8:03:01 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: DFG

G. Gordon Liddy was right. Bad education system.


37 posted on 12/03/2025 8:09:01 AM PST by WhiteHatBobby0701
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To: DFG

This is a natural result of living in an affluent, lazy society where stupidity and ignorance don’t have life-threatening — or even lifestyle-threatening — consequences.


38 posted on 12/03/2025 8:09:21 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man.")
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To: DFG

As long as teachers get their pay raises, everything’s fine.


39 posted on 12/03/2025 8:12:31 AM PST by Mashood
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To: Leaning Right

Well, if you are not taught “addition, subtraction and multiplication”, you won’t have the ability to see how over-taxed you are being by your government.
And, if you can’t read or write, you won’t be able to complain about how lousy your idiotcation was.


40 posted on 12/03/2025 8:14:30 AM PST by milagro (There is no peace in appeasement! There's maybe a little )
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