California laws that largely eliminated remedial math placement in community colleges were designed to speed students toward transfer and completion, but critics including skeptical math faculty say students have been advanced into college-level sequences without adequate preparation. Nicholas Lujan’s multiple attempts to pass calculus exemplify the policy’s unintended consequence: students who might have benefited from targeted remediation are struggling in gateway courses despite co-requisite supports. New research and campus experiences are forcing community colleges to reassess placement, supports and success measures.