AP Pre-calculus resources/study guides

[Anonymous]

Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

[Anonymous]

I don't really know how curving works officially or if I even used the correct term but in my son's class it's not a 70 to an A, but a 70 may be a 79. Everyone sort of goes up 9 points from their actually score. So if you got a 75, it's 84 in the gradebook, etc... Maybe that's not curving but that that is what we're calling it. It's done for the whole class. So the kids with 91+ all get 100! My kid has not been so lucky. He's not doing that well.

[Anonymous]

For an immediate resource, has your student tried tutor.com? All FCPS students have access, and my kid found it helpful in a similar situation as yours, where they seem to understand the material, but maybe not quite mastering enough for tests.

[Anonymous]

Some kids(yes even in AP classes) have an IEP. They do get extra time or are allowed to take test supervised in a less crowded room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

So you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to brag that your DC's teachers are jerks.

Okay. Good for you. I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

Lucky. In FCPS a 70 is a C- and one away from a D+. https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-scale
Your child would walk away with a C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

Does your kid’s top DC private count anything other than major assessments in the grade? If quizzes, homework, participation, classwork, etc. boost up your child’s grade, then that is wild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

I mean, seems silly to pay $50k/year to take the same AP courses you could have in public school for free, but that’s just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://i.redd.it/lt3g7mqpdopb1.png

I highly doubt poor grades are in any way due to the rigor or depth of the material, but instead likely poor teaching and the growing pains of using a new curriculum for the first time

According to this it's just a repeat of Alg 2 but that is not what my son is seeing in his class. He has the same teacher in AP Precalc that he had for Algebra 2 (as do many of his classmates) and he did very well in Alg 2 (A) and is doing ok in AP Precalc (B). The teacher keeps having to curve every test because the kids keep doing so poorly and the school year just started.

Can you give an example of the kind of questions your son/son's class would struggle with which he/they didn't see in honors Algebra 2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

Does your kid’s top DC private count anything other than major assessments in the grade? If quizzes, homework, participation, classwork, etc. boost up your child’s grade, then that is wild.

The only things factored into the grade are tests and quizzes. The kids very routinely get Bs and Cs in the science and math AP classes and then 5's on the AP exam.
If I had to do this again I would not.
We're keeping the third kid in public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curving tests in AP classes is standard. I teach one of the other AP math classes, and when I get together for PD with other AP teachers, we all talk about how we curve.

To pass most AP tests with a 3, you need around 50% and a 5 is somewhere around 60-70%. (Varies by test and by year, obv) Thus, most teachers turn a 50 to a C, and a 70 to an A. If the assessments are all made up of college board questions, curving tests is appropriate (not a sign of failure to teach or learn). The questions are hard!

\

This is wild. My kid goes to one of the top DC privates and a 70% stands as a C and there are many tests with a 70% average. Kids routinely get a 5 on the AP exam and a B or B- in the class.

Does your kid’s top DC private count anything other than major assessments in the grade? If quizzes, homework, participation, classwork, etc. boost up your child’s grade, then that is wild.

The only things factored into the grade are tests and quizzes. The kids very routinely get Bs and Cs in the science and math AP classes and then 5's on the AP exam.
If I had to do this again I would not.
We're keeping the third kid in public.

wow. i keep on saying the issues they had with this test administration wouldn't happen in a private school. i wouldn't pay for that either.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way for credit recovery in this course through online? My daughter has a poor grade in this course.

[Anonymous]

How was this AP Precalc class at the end the school year at McLean? Where the issues mentioned at the beginning of the year resolved?

[Anonymous]

HS math teacher here and if some students are getting extra time, it should be because they have accommodations in their IEP or 504. This is not at the teacher's discretion.