California superintendent candidate calls for return of standardized testing as basic math and reading scores sink: ‘Stop lowering the bar’

Superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw called out her opponent during Wednesday night’s debate over the state’s dismal reading and math scores, as well as the University of California and California State University systems’ decision to move away from standardized testing.

“We need to stop lowering the bar. We need to keep the bar high. This is a mental health crisis that adults are responsible for right now,” Shaw said during the debate against her Democratic opponent, Richard Barrera.

“It’s an absolute cry for help. It’s not ‘being nice’ to our kids to move them on,” she said of low reading and math skills in public schools — and the consequences students face when they reach college unprepared.

“Then you have professors signing letters saying, ‘California kids are not ready, guys. They can’t do algebra. They can’t read, they can’t comprehend,” Shaw, who currently serves as president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, added.

Barrera, who has been backed by numerous teachers unions, said he did not want to “point fingers” at university teachers.

When asked whether he supported a professor-led push to reinstate the SAT, Barrera said the test itself would not solve the underlying problem.

“The SAT doesn’t do anything to improve math instruction. All it does is exclude students from getting into our CSUs and our UCs,” he said.

The University of California stopped using the SAT in admissions in 2020, while the California State University system followed in 2022, amid legal challenges, equity concerns and a broader shift toward test-optional and test-blind admissions policies.

Last year, more than 800 UC professors and STEM department chairs signed an open letter calling for the SAT and ACT to be reinstated, arguing the tests could identify preparation gaps before students enter college.

“Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom,” the professors wrote.

Barrera argues that addressing those gaps also requires UC and CSU faculty to work with high school math teachers to align curriculum and expectations.

Shaw takes the exact opposite view, arguing that the problems now facing higher education are largely the result of students not receiving adequate preparation in K-12 schools.

“You can push them in that direction, but make sure they’re ready,” she said. “We shouldn’t be lowering the bar. This is a K through 12 failure, not the university failure.”

Barrera disagreed.

“I went to the University of California. I am seeing the same sink-or-swim attitude on the part of a lot of faculty that existed 30, 40 years ago,” Barrera, the current president of the San Diego Unified School District, said.

California’s latest assessment results show that the majority of students remain below proficiency.

In the 2024-25 school year, just 48.8% of students met or exceeded the state’s English Language Arts standard, while only 37.3% did so in math, according to the California Department of Education.

Despite modest gains, large numbers of California students are still leaving school without mastering essential reading, writing and math skills.

Beyond test scores, the candidates clashed over school choice, vouchers and charter schools, funding and district finances, teacher pay and retention, parental rights, LGBTQ+ students and transgender athletes, bullying, classroom politics and whether public schools should receive billions of dollars in additional state funding.

The Post reached out to both candidates for comment on how they thought they performed. Barrera did not respond.

“This debate highlighted the clear differences between Richard and myself, and they’re not subtle,” Shaw told the Post.

“He invoked Donald Trump in nearly every speaking window because he knows he cannot match me on the issues or the results. He tried to turn this into a referendum on a controversial president,” she added.

In the June 2026 primary, Shaw led with about 24.5% to 24.9% of the vote, while came in second with roughly 18.9% to 19.3%.

Ballots have begun to be mailed to California voters, with Election Day set for Nov. 3, 2026.