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More NJ students not ready for college math

Report says skills no longer mastered in early grades

By: Mary Ann Koruth
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... High school graduates in New Jersey are increasingly unprepared for college-level math, according to a new report that says the state's much-touted public school system has not been meeting its own standards.
..... More freshman admitted to Rutgers University are struggling to pass - or failing - their math placement tests, and they are often surprised to learn that they need to pass remedial course to proceed through their desired majors in college, says the report from K-12 policy expert Chad Aldeman for the Collaborative for Student Success.
..... A growing number of each year's freshman at Rutgers are not ready for calculus, Aldeman said, increasing from 23% in 2019 to 31% in 2025.
..... "This is indicative of a decade of weakening reforms and standards," Aldeman said. "Students and their families are not told early on that they have these gaps and that they matter. Schools are not putting in place supports to help students master these skills at an early age."
..... "There is a system-wide lack of urgency to address this and it trickles downstream" to become a burden that colleges eventually bear, he said.
..... "I'm not calling for new tests," Aldeman said. Instead, he suggest that the state should use the information it already collects to act and inform parents and students honestly.
..... There's also a bifurcation of student math abilities occurring, he said. "Some students are doing quite well. they're maybe taking AP calculus or a dual-enrollment course while in high school and are able to pass into the higher-level math courses at Rutgers," Aldeman said. "But our report was focused on the ires at the bottom, how that's affecting Rutgers, and what it means for those students."
..... The share of college freshman needing to take remedial courses increasing because their high school education has not pr operated them for the rigor of studying for STEM and science-related majors at the university level, a trend that existing research shows affects their morel, slowing down degree completion - and costing their families more in tuition.
..... It strand faculty, too. Math instructors at Rutgers find themselves redesigning remedial coursework to cater to students, many of whom struggle with fractions and algebra, despite their acceptance to college, the report said. Asked whether it agree with the report's conclusion, Rutgers said in a statement that it commits to supporting students at "different levels of math preparation and providing pathways to college-level coursework."
..... Math gaps need to be addressed in third grade when tests best predict high school outcomes, Aldeman said.
..... Math screenesr in elementary school could tell parents and teachers if their children are absorbing basic concepts, said Peter Shulman, co-founder of Wake Up Call New Jersey, a nonprofit created to educate public school parents about their children's schools, and Paula White, of JerseyCAN, an advocacy group.
..... They agreed that New Jersey has not held students to the state's standards in Math, which are designed to prepare them for college and the workforce.

Not just in New Jersey

..... K-12 math readiness has been an ongoing problem in New Jersey and nationally, say experts.
..... In 2024, only 44% of New Jersey fourth graders and38% of eight graders were proficient in math on the federal government's standardized test, the National Assessment of Education Progress.
..... New Jersey moved to provide alternatives to the high school graduation exam in recent years. That further diluted accountability, Aldeman said.
..... New options cerated by the state since 2022 have made it possible for 11th graders who did not meet math and English proficiency on the state's benchmark exam, the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, to get a high school diploma by submitting SAT or ACT scores or a portfolio of work.
..... The state pushed portfolios and SAT scores after the pandemic;s disruptions as an option for high-poverty students and students who do not test well.
..... "Setting one honest, fixed benchmark inside of a menu of alternative test with lower bars and creating college-ready diploma tracks" for students interested in college degrees will help students to actually meet state K-12 standards, Aldeman said.
..... In 2021, under former Governor Phil Murphy, the state changed its language, no longer describing a New Jersey high school diploma as "college and career ready" but as "high school graduation ready," Aldeman said.
..... New Jersey also reduced its cut score from 750 to 725 for its high school graduation test, the NJGPA, in a controversial and highly debated move, approved in a 6-5 vote by the state Board of Education in 2023.
..... Opponents of the exam argued hat it was an "Exit test" that discouraged students who face challenges in academics and in personal circumstance, such as urban students. Supporters, including Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, the Senate majority leader argued that the tests acted as a necessary benchmark measure for college readiness.
..... There "softening" of requirements over the past few years amount to lowed expectations for kids on bit ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, and they are on Governor Mikie Sherrill's radar, said Chris Cert, education commissioner under former Governor Chris Christie.
..... The state Department of Education did not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Woes date back to 2010

..... The problem is not showing up only among Rutgers incoming freshman. The decline in math readiness of first-year students at New Jersey community colleges has been a problem since 2010, said Yvonne Greenbaun, president of the New Jersey Association of Mathematics Teachers Educators.
..... As far back as 2010, 60% of freshman admitted to community colleges in the state were required to take premedical math, she said. Yet 74% of students taking the high school graduation test were marked proficient that year, showing a disconnect with the large shear of local students testing into remediation classes, she said.
..... In 2025, only 26% of students were required to take remedial courses, even though only 38% of high school graduates hit the state's proficiency mark.
..... "It's a conundrum" that fewer students are taking remedial courses over time even thorough fewer still are college-ready, said Greenbaun, who used to teach at Mercer County Community College. That's because of grade inflation at the K-12 level, and changes at the community college level that i don't believe are for the better. Nor do I believe it's serving students the way they need to be served."

Issues show up early

..... Math gaps tend to start early, Aldeman told NorthJersey.com . From numeracy to time tables, fractions and algebra, students struggle cumulatively if they don't master basics.
..... On the college level, too, in programs that train nurses and pubic school teachers, a walk foundation in math can hurt trainees. During the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption, standardized tests were suspended in K-12 schools and as a criteria for college admissions. That also ended up diluting accountability, Aldeman said.
..... Rutgers University does not currently require SAT or ACT test scores for admission, though the United States has seen a wave of universities reinstating the tests.
..... "You have to hold the line on high expectations for all students," said Cerf, the former education commissioner. "It's not right to be walking into any urban classroom, say, in Newark or Camden, that purports to be teaching algebra, where they're teaching you how to balance your checkbook, and then to walk into a classroom in Millburn, where they're teaching algebra by doing pre-calculus.
..... "You have to have high expectations for all kids, not Just the wealthy," he said.
..... There are many ways state officials and policy makers can respond, such as doing a better job at teaching kids, he said, but "let's not set the bars in a way that gives our grades and passes students along. that is the politically easy path.
..... "I would argue till my last breath that is not in the interest of students and definitely not in the interest of kids who are in the bottom 10% and having trouble passing," Cerf said.

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