December 5, 2025—As California community colleges rolled out new condensed calculus preparatory courses this fall under Assembly Bill 1705, EdSource reporter Michael Burke reached out to PA’s Deputy Director of Higher Education & Senior Staff Attorney Jetaun Stevens, to discuss whether these courses align with the law’s original intent.

Stevens, whose organization advocated for AB 1705’s passage in 2022, was interviewed as part of EdSource’s investigation into how the controversial law is being implemented across California’s community college system. With over 60 colleges offering new “innovative” preparatory courses that condense multiple semesters of prerequisites into one, questions have emerged about whether these courses undermine the law’s purpose.

The law was designed to prevent STEM students from getting trapped in lengthy sequences of math prerequisites—sometimes never reaching the calculus courses needed to transfer to four-year universities. But as colleges like Pasadena City College and Modesto Junior College launched their condensed prep courses, Stevens raised concerns that even one semester-long preparatory course could perpetuate the barriers the law sought to eliminate.

“The issue is the attrition and that these preparatory courses essentially act as barriers to students getting to calculus and getting on the STEM pathway,” Stevens told EdSource.

Her comments highlight the ongoing tension between the law’s backers, who believe all STEM students should start directly in calculus, and math faculty who argue students need foundational preparation to succeed.

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