How can precalc be an AP class?

[Anonymous]

Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

[Anonymous]

It is partly a cash grab by College Board. But the actual reasoning is that it is for students who will not ever take Calculus in high school, to give them an AP class to take their senior year, both for their self-image (and GPA) and for (possible) college credit. To give high school seniors a goal class and a math cap class.

But school districts already offer precal for juniors (or earlier) and it didn't make sense for them to have two different precal tracks, for calculus bound students and for non-calculus bound students. So now students take AP Precalc and AP Calc. And it doesn't make a lot of sense and is basically just a cash grab for College Board, for those students and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

[Anonymous]

The most generous reading is that by making it an AP class, the curriculum becomes standardized which should help better prepare kids from either AP calc or calculus in college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

It’s the only option between Algebra 2 and Calculus at my kid’s school, so it’s mostly sophomores on the most rigorous track. Not concerned about the credit, personally, it was just the only option available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

It’s the only option between Algebra 2 and Calculus at my kid’s school, so it’s mostly sophomores on the most rigorous track. Not concerned about the credit, personally, it was just the only option available.

Oh we had AP statistics to take that year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

It’s the only option between Algebra 2 and Calculus at my kid’s school, so it’s mostly sophomores on the most rigorous track. Not concerned about the credit, personally, it was just the only option available.

Oh we had AP statistics to take that year

Presumably you took precal at some point, before calculus, whether you took calc as a senior or junior or even earlier?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

It’s the only option between Algebra 2 and Calculus at my kid’s school, so it’s mostly sophomores on the most rigorous track. Not concerned about the credit, personally, it was just the only option available.

Oh we had AP statistics to take that year

Presumably you took precal at some point, before calculus, whether you took calc as a senior or junior or even earlier?

Some people take calculus only when they get to college. That’s why taking it in high school is considered “advanced”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

Lol, no. Your kid has it right. The may claim they are other reasons, but the College Board is almost as venal as the colleges themselves.

Do you think colleges will fall for it? I can't imagine they're going to give college credit for a non-college-level course. And I can't imagine that taking "AP Precalc" will actually be considered the most rigorous course of study.

It’s the only option between Algebra 2 and Calculus at my kid’s school, so it’s mostly sophomores on the most rigorous track. Not concerned about the credit, personally, it was just the only option available.

Oh we had AP statistics to take that year

Presumably you took precal at some point, before calculus, whether you took calc as a senior or junior or even earlier?

Some people take calculus only when they get to college. That’s why taking it in high school is considered “advanced”

Yes, not everyone takes calc in high school, but if someone takes AP Stats as a sophomore, I would assume they would at least take precal in high school if not calc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?

BINGO.

Your kid is right.

[Anonymous]

Not all states have 4 years obligatory math in high school. For example California only has 2 years mandatory, which is why precalculus could be a university class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not all states have 4 years obligatory math in high school. For example California only has 2 years mandatory, which is why precalculus could be a university class.

But wouldn't it be considered remedial? There are college English classes that cover the absolute basics of grammar and composition, and they're zero-level classes, whereas "Introductory Composition" is 101

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't precalc just regular math, probably for college-bound seniors who have no particular love of math?

(My kid told me it was just a cash grab by the College Board, but there's got to be more to it than that, right?)

It's partially a cash grab, same as AP Physics 1 and 2 and AP CS Principles - not useful for STEM majors, rarely/sometimes useful for non-STEM majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is partly a cash grab by College Board. But the actual reasoning is that it is for students who will not ever take Calculus in high school, to give them an AP class to take their senior year, both for their self-image (and GPA) and for (possible) college credit. To give high school seniors a goal class and a math cap class.

But school districts already offer precal for juniors (or earlier) and it didn't make sense for them to have two different precal tracks, for calculus bound students and for non-calculus bound students. So now students take AP Precalc and AP Calc. And it doesn't make a lot of sense and is basically just a cash grab for College Board, for those students and families.

The thing is students can already get college credit for precalc via the precalc CLEP.