Pre-calc does not prepare kids for calculus!

[Anonymous]

I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

Who’s “we”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS and its schools and departments have a lot of inconsistent and outdated info on this on the internet. It’s frustrating.

Last year my kid took Calc AB at WJ after taking regular pre-Calc. Passed the AP test with a 4 and got credit this year for college Calc 1. He was not alone in his class at WJ. Kids do take this route. It wasn’t always easy and many did have tutors. Pre Calc teacher makes a recommendation at end of year.

This is exactly what my WJ Junior is set to do this year. He found regular Pre-Calc to be very easy and was recommended for AP Calc AB. This thread is upsetting me because everything in the WJ materials and after speaking with both his math teachers last year I thought AP Calc AB would be the right choice for him.

I would trust your kid's math teachers, not DCUM.

Thanks for the reality check!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

Who’s “we”?

God I hope that’s rhetorical and that you just disagree. If so, does your school leave kids proficient with writing proofs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

Who’s “we”?

God I hope that’s rhetorical and that you just disagree. If so, does your school leave kids proficient with writing proofs?

Yes it does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

Who’s “we”?

God I hope that’s rhetorical and that you just disagree. If so, does your school leave kids proficient with writing proofs?

Yes it does.

Nice, which school?

[Anonymous]

My kid started writing proofs in RSM in 6th grade. Highly recommend supplementing with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid started writing proofs in RSM in 6th grade. Highly recommend supplementing with them.

100% agreement, RSM is fantastic. That region of the world knows the value of building a deep conceptual understanding of math. If you are the poster who said your school teaches proofs, good on you for enrolling them in RSM. If not, still waiting to hear what MCPS school actually teaches writing proofs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at BTSN tonight and learned that students who take on grade level pre-calculus (so not honors) will not be prepared to take Calculus AB the next year. This greatly concerns me. I understood that dropping out of the honors track wouldn't prepare my child for BC, but I thought it would prepare her for AB.

All of her friends scared her and told her that honors would be so much work so she dropped down, but now I am really upset for letting her. How is it that this course was not designed to prepare students? SHould I force her back in the honors track even though she doesn't want to (her math is strong, but she does not "like" it)? I'm a very upset parent tonight!

Simply not true. Both of my kids dropped down to regular pre-calculus and then took Calc AB their senior year. They both did fine. FYI this was a "W" school and many of their friends did the same thing. Not sure what's up with that teacher.

+1 This is very common at DC's school which is Whitman but I just looked at their math dept. presentation and I see slides that seem to imply that regular Precal only leads to Calc with Applications, Stats or Financial math.

But if you look at the MCPS math curriculum page Precal and Honors Precal are supposed to cover the same material so everyone who takes either should be well prepared for any of the AP Calcs.

Different schools are advising students different things which is not how it's supposed to work given the curriculum is supposedly standardized everywhere.

It is no wonder OP is confused and upset.

That's obviously false.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math/hs/

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/curriculum/math/high/precalculus/ccss.precalculus.unit-5.systems-and-matrices-for-parents3.pdf

Ctrl-f "honor"

There are extremely few topics that aren't covered by Precal as compared with Precal Honors. I have kids who took both and looked at the curriculum closely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid started writing proofs in RSM in 6th grade. Highly recommend supplementing with them.

100% agreement, RSM is fantastic. That region of the world knows the value of building a deep conceptual understanding of math. If you are the poster who said your school teaches proofs, good on you for enrolling them in RSM. If not, still waiting to hear what MCPS school actually teaches writing proofs.

AOPs is better than RSM in our opinion (more advanced, less repetitive) and it's "American". Plenty of Americans have a deep understanding of math. They just have little influence on educational policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid started writing proofs in RSM in 6th grade. Highly recommend supplementing with them.

100% agreement, RSM is fantastic. That region of the world knows the value of building a deep conceptual understanding of math. If you are the poster who said your school teaches proofs, good on you for enrolling them in RSM. If not, still waiting to hear what MCPS school actually teaches writing proofs.

I am not that poster - just sharing in case useful to others! - PP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid started writing proofs in RSM in 6th grade. Highly recommend supplementing with them.

100% agreement, RSM is fantastic. That region of the world knows the value of building a deep conceptual understanding of math. If you are the poster who said your school teaches proofs, good on you for enrolling them in RSM. If not, still waiting to hear what MCPS school actually teaches writing proofs.

AOPs is better than RSM in our opinion (more advanced, less repetitive) and it's "American". Plenty of Americans have a deep understanding of math. They just have little influence on educational policies.

PP here. My kid did AOPS for ELA. It was good. I personally like RSM because they have different levels. AOPS math is like the hardest RSM level (honors) from what I hear - and that's too intense for my kid. For him, the middle level (advanced) has been great. But I think kids can do well with both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

I actually think it has gotten much better with "new math"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be surprised by this. Who said this? So many kids drop down from Honors Pre-Cal to On Level PreCal that it would be strange for it not to prepare kids for Calculus. Especially since some of this occurs Sophomore year for some.

+1

Find the “don’t know why you’d be surprised” post unhelpful and obnoxious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean we don't even teach math in this country, we just memorize a bunch of random garbage without understanding any theory. Might as well just completely ignore what is being "taught" and find some other way to actually learn the material.

What??? The biggest complaint from parents is that the math curriculum is too slow. When the whole point is to teach kids how and why things make sense and multiple strategies.

It’s mostly the parents that just want kids to memorize and do it the quickest way all the time.