Bad for students, who apply for CS or engineering, to take AP Calc AB and then BC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how they do it in the DMV area, but when I was in high school and then taught high school, there were two years of calculus. The first year covered what was on the AB exam, the second year covered the difference between AB/BC, which back then was really just series, which took a few weeks, and then the rest of the year was Calc III.

It's a nice way to waive 2 semesters of calculus and breeze through Calc III in college.

No you didn’t, you’re the poster that keeps lying in this thread.

No way a high school would condense college Calculus I, II, and III in two years. All while teaching multivariable and calling it calculus BC! The course needs to pass a college board audit, zero chance this happened.

Last, let’s be real here, you don’t have the chops for Calculus III when you primarily math education source is Wikipedia.

Yikes, I definitely struck a nerve here. The above was my only post. The school is called Towson High School in Baltimore County. That's how they did it in the 90s when I went there and how they did it when I taught there in the early 00s.

You are weirdly invested in lying about this to the point of pretending you taught Calculus. Well, that what anonymity on Internet forums leads to.

If indeed you taught the class, you’d know that for AP Calculus BC, you need to submit a syllabus and a course plan to College Board for approval, and it has to follow their guidelines, ie all AB content, parametric, series.

The chances of them approving a BC Calculus class that skips the AB content, goes over sequences and series in a few weeks, and then teaches multivariable for the rest of the year are zero.

Wow, still unhinged. You have a fetish for reading syllabi, and place too much weight on the powers of college board. This may be an anonymous forum, but I have no trouble believing, the poster is on the level and is not sock-puppeting. Maybe, re-read your own posts, and imagine how they sound. The first post you went off on read like someone entering a conversation. I've known kids at Towson, wouldn't have overlapped this poster, but it's the BC school that places on the UMD exam. Definitely a student body receptive to moving at a good clip. I don't find the PP's story suspicious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how they do it in the DMV area, but when I was in high school and then taught high school, there were two years of calculus. The first year covered what was on the AB exam, the second year covered the difference between AB/BC, which back then was really just series, which took a few weeks, and then the rest of the year was Calc III.

It's a nice way to waive 2 semesters of calculus and breeze through Calc III in college.

No you didn’t, you’re the poster that keeps lying in this thread.

No way a high school would condense college Calculus I, II, and III in two years. All while teaching multivariable and calling it calculus BC! The course needs to pass a college board audit, zero chance this happened.

Last, let’s be real here, you don’t have the chops for Calculus III when you primarily math education source is Wikipedia.

Yikes, I definitely struck a nerve here. The above was my only post. The school is called Towson High School in Baltimore County. That's how they did it in the 90s when I went there and how they did it when I taught there in the early 00s.

You are weirdly invested in lying about this to the point of pretending you taught Calculus. Well, that what anonymity on Internet forums leads to.

If indeed you taught the class, you’d know that for AP Calculus BC, you need to submit a syllabus and a course plan to College Board for approval, and it has to follow their guidelines, ie all AB content, parametric, series.

The chances of them approving a BC Calculus class that skips the AB content, goes over sequences and series in a few weeks, and then teaches multivariable for the rest of the year are zero.

Wow, still unhinged. You have a fetish for reading syllabi, and place too much weight on the powers of college board. This may be an anonymous forum, but I have no trouble believing, the poster is on the level and is not sock-puppeting. Maybe, re-read your own posts, and imagine how they sound. The first post you went off on read like someone entering a conversation. I've known kids at Towson, wouldn't have overlapped this poster, but it's the BC school that places on the UMD exam. Definitely a student body receptive to moving at a good clip. I don't find the PP's story suspicious.

Ok troll, you’re just too dumb to deserve a conversation, and you don’t even realize how transparent your sock puppetting and lies are. You don’t know what it takes to pass an AP class through an audit, or or what’s in the syllabus, and overall you have nothing to offer to the thread. Of course College Board has all the power if you want to have a course called Advanced Placemnent and take their exam, it’s their product and their intellectual property! I can’t believe you’re so idiotic. Bye!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how they do it in the DMV area, but when I was in high school and then taught high school, there were two years of calculus. The first year covered what was on the AB exam, the second year covered the difference between AB/BC, which back then was really just series, which took a few weeks, and then the rest of the year was Calc III.

It's a nice way to waive 2 semesters of calculus and breeze through Calc III in college.

No you didn’t, you’re the poster that keeps lying in this thread.

No way a high school would condense college Calculus I, II, and III in two years. All while teaching multivariable and calling it calculus BC! The course needs to pass a college board audit, zero chance this happened.

Last, let’s be real here, you don’t have the chops for Calculus III when you primarily math education source is Wikipedia.

Yikes, I definitely struck a nerve here. The above was my only post. The school is called Towson High School in Baltimore County. That's how they did it in the 90s when I went there and how they did it when I taught there in the early 00s.

You are weirdly invested in lying about this to the point of pretending you taught Calculus. Well, that what anonymity on Internet forums leads to.

If indeed you taught the class, you’d know that for AP Calculus BC, you need to submit a syllabus and a course plan to College Board for approval, and it has to follow their guidelines, ie all AB content, parametric, series.

The chances of them approving a BC Calculus class that skips the AB content, goes over sequences and series in a few weeks, and then teaches multivariable for the rest of the year are zero.

Wow, still unhinged. You have a fetish for reading syllabi, and place too much weight on the powers of college board. This may be an anonymous forum, but I have no trouble believing, the poster is on the level and is not sock-puppeting. Maybe, re-read your own posts, and imagine how they sound. The first post you went off on read like someone entering a conversation. I've known kids at Towson, wouldn't have overlapped this poster, but it's the BC school that places on the UMD exam. Definitely a student body receptive to moving at a good clip. I don't find the PP's story suspicious.

Ok troll, you’re just too dumb to deserve a conversation, and you don’t even realize how transparent your sock puppetting and lies are. You don’t know what it takes to pass an AP class through an audit, or or what’s in the syllabus, and overall you have nothing to offer to the thread. Of course College Board has all the power if you want to have a course called Advanced Placemnent and take their exam, it’s their product and their intellectual property! I can’t believe you’re so idiotic. Bye!

Meh, you're not the OP. I've posted several times, including defending this PP, and another that you went off on, and I agreed with. I haven't misrepresented myself in any way and I've been on topic.

The answer to OP's question is that no one is harmed by taking BC. That's it.

I'd go farther and say that any more acceleration is of limited value for *admissions* (knowledge gained is it's own reward). As I said up thread, I have one DC who took AB followed by BC. I have another that took BC in 10th and scored a 5. We didn't have different expectations with respect to admissions, which is good because they didn't have different outcomes. Just restating since the topic seems to be derailed.

[Anonymous]

Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

Other quotes from the same page.

AP Calculus BC is similar to AP Calculus AB. It explores the same concepts and applications, only it adds a few new topics. In other words, AP Calculus BC covers more content than AP Calculus AB, though both courses require you to apply the same skills.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are included in AP Calculus BC.

Because both courses and exams cover many of the same topics, the prerequisites needed for both courses and exams are comparable. Recommended mathematics courses to take before either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC include those in which you study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions.

No reason to take AB as a prerequisite to BC, because you’ll end up repeating AB in the BC class. I’m not sure why schools do this, I’m wondering if it’s to save money or because they wouldn’t have a cohort of strong students to fill a BC only class. It usually is small (private) schools that do this. It just seems like a trade off that’s not in the interest of the top students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is a prerequisite for BC, that seems to be unfair for middle school students that have access to accelerated math only through Algebra 1. In high school they could only advance to Calculus AB.

In our MD district, the advanced math kids take Algebra I in 8th grade. DC's high school then had them double up in 10th with Algebra 2 (full year), trig (half yr), & stats (half yr). Then took AB in 11th and BC in 12th. They weren't allowed to take BC without AB first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is a prerequisite for BC, that seems to be unfair for middle school students that have access to accelerated math only through Algebra 1. In high school they could only advance to Calculus AB.

In our MD district, the advanced math kids take Algebra I in 8th grade. DC's high school then had them double up in 10th with Algebra 2 (full year), trig (half yr), & stats (half yr). Then took AB in 11th and BC in 12th. They weren't allowed to take BC without AB first.

When did they do precalculus then? It’s a very odd sequence which I don’t think would prepare students well for calculus. It sounds like one of those algebra 2 and precalculus compaction courses that are an absolute terrible idea.

it sort of makes sense why you need two years for calculus, but it’s a head scratcher for sure.

It was in the news in the SFUSD, when they introduced this kind of course hybrid. UC rejected this course as advanced because it doesn’t satisfy standards for precalculus.

https://www.educationnext.org/san-franciscos-detracking-experiment/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

Other quotes from the same page.

AP Calculus BC is similar to AP Calculus AB. It explores the same concepts and applications, only it adds a few new topics. In other words, AP Calculus BC covers more content than AP Calculus AB, though both courses require you to apply the same skills.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are included in AP Calculus BC.

Because both courses and exams cover many of the same topics, the prerequisites needed for both courses and exams are comparable. Recommended mathematics courses to take before either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC include those in which you study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions.

No reason to take AB as a prerequisite to BC, because you’ll end up repeating AB in the BC class. I’m not sure why schools do this, I’m wondering if it’s to save money or because they wouldn’t have a cohort of strong students to fill a BC only class. It usually is small (private) schools that do this. It just seems like a trade off that’s not in the interest of the top students.

I know schools offer BC directly, or AB then "BC post AB" course. I don't think the "direct to BC" class is the same as "BC post AB" class ... That is what some posts say that their schools require AB before BC. I think those type of BC course really is "BC post-AB" course. I don't think there is one straight answer about whether this route of AB then BC post-AB is good or bad. It all depends on each student's unique situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

Other quotes from the same page.

AP Calculus BC is similar to AP Calculus AB. It explores the same concepts and applications, only it adds a few new topics. In other words, AP Calculus BC covers more content than AP Calculus AB, though both courses require you to apply the same skills.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are included in AP Calculus BC.

Because both courses and exams cover many of the same topics, the prerequisites needed for both courses and exams are comparable. Recommended mathematics courses to take before either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC include those in which you study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions.

No reason to take AB as a prerequisite to BC, because you’ll end up repeating AB in the BC class. I’m not sure why schools do this, I’m wondering if it’s to save money or because they wouldn’t have a cohort of strong students to fill a BC only class. It usually is small (private) schools that do this. It just seems like a trade off that’s not in the interest of the top students.

I know schools offer BC directly, or AB then "BC post AB" course. I don't think the "direct to BC" class is the same as "BC post AB" class ... That is what some posts say that their schools require AB before BC. I think those type of BC course really is "BC post-AB" course. I don't think there is one straight answer about whether this route of AB then BC post-AB is good or bad. It all depends on each student's unique situation.

I don’t think the issue is a school going above and beyond with the contents of their classes. I’d be more weary about the school cutting corners and using AB as remedial precalculus, that’s far more likely to happen, then finding a qualified teacher for multivariable.

[Anonymous]

I have one DC that went straight to BC Calc. The other did AB then BC. Both ended up at HYPSM (engineering major)

[Anonymous]

My DC did AB as a junior and BC as a senior. Later he won the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize. Taking AB didn’t hurt him one bit, it was a good foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

Other quotes from the same page.

AP Calculus BC is similar to AP Calculus AB. It explores the same concepts and applications, only it adds a few new topics. In other words, AP Calculus BC covers more content than AP Calculus AB, though both courses require you to apply the same skills.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are included in AP Calculus BC.

Because both courses and exams cover many of the same topics, the prerequisites needed for both courses and exams are comparable. Recommended mathematics courses to take before either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC include those in which you study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions.

No reason to take AB as a prerequisite to BC, because you’ll end up repeating AB in the BC class. I’m not sure why schools do this, I’m wondering if it’s to save money or because they wouldn’t have a cohort of strong students to fill a BC only class. It usually is small (private) schools that do this. It just seems like a trade off that’s not in the interest of the top students.

I know schools offer BC directly, or AB then "BC post AB" course. I don't think the "direct to BC" class is the same as "BC post AB" class ... That is what some posts say that their schools require AB before BC. I think those type of BC course really is "BC post-AB" course. I don't think there is one straight answer about whether this route of AB then BC post-AB is good or bad. It all depends on each student's unique situation.

Agree. The course will be taught a differently with the knowledge that everyone in BC was required to take AB. In many cases this would be the same teacher for two years or the same cohort of students together for two years. It's clear how much review is needed and how to keep things challenging both years. The teacher will show up first day of BC with expectations. Consider an English sequence, the important thing isn't so much the topics covered each year but the continued practice and reinforcement. Skills are maturing from junior to senior year in ways that are more important than the exact assignments. Math isn't so different. Every course can be catered to the abilities of the students, the course title isn't all important, the goal is a quality class all four years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Below is from college board website --
It is not just two more unites in BC. There are some additional contents in other units too.
-----------------------------------------------
How AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are different
AP Calculus AB focuses on topics that are taught in the college-equivalent first-semester calculus class. AP Calculus BC focuses on topics covered in both first- and second-semester calculus classes.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are also included in AP Calculus BC. However, AP Calculus BC contains two additional units (Units 9 and 10), plus some extra topics in Units 6─8.

These topics are only taught in AP Calculus BC:

Additional techniques of integration (Unit 6)
Euler's method and logistic models with differential equations (Unit 7)
Arc length and distance traveled along a smooth curve (Unit 8)
Parametric equations, polar coordinates, and vector-valued functions (Unit 9)
Infinite sequences and series (Unit 10)

Other quotes from the same page.

AP Calculus BC is similar to AP Calculus AB. It explores the same concepts and applications, only it adds a few new topics. In other words, AP Calculus BC covers more content than AP Calculus AB, though both courses require you to apply the same skills.

All topics in the eight units of AP Calculus AB are included in AP Calculus BC.

Because both courses and exams cover many of the same topics, the prerequisites needed for both courses and exams are comparable. Recommended mathematics courses to take before either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC include those in which you study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions.

No reason to take AB as a prerequisite to BC, because you’ll end up repeating AB in the BC class. I’m not sure why schools do this, I’m wondering if it’s to save money or because they wouldn’t have a cohort of strong students to fill a BC only class. It usually is small (private) schools that do this. It just seems like a trade off that’s not in the interest of the top students.

I know schools offer BC directly, or AB then "BC post AB" course. I don't think the "direct to BC" class is the same as "BC post AB" class ... That is what some posts say that their schools require AB before BC. I think those type of BC course really is "BC post-AB" course. I don't think there is one straight answer about whether this route of AB then BC post-AB is good or bad. It all depends on each student's unique situation.

I don’t think the issue is a school going above and beyond with the contents of their classes. I’d be more weary about the school cutting corners and using AB as remedial precalculus, that’s far more likely to happen, then finding a qualified teacher for multivariable.

I'm wary of people speculating on course sequence without first hand knowledge. I'm leery of people who go on and on about math but mix up 'then' and 'than.'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC did AB as a junior and BC as a senior. Later he won the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize. Taking AB didn’t hurt him one bit, it was a good foundation.

LOL, god bless DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC did AB as a junior and BC as a senior. Later he won the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize. Taking AB didn’t hurt him one bit, it was a good foundation.

That happens here in Lake Wobegon. After all, all the children are above average. Even our special needs kids are always 2E.