High school math sequence

[Anonymous]

If a student takes honors precalculus in 10th grade, what do they take in 11th? I had assumed calc but that isn’t offered to 11th graders. So do they have to take statistics in 11th and then calc in 12th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes honors precalculus in 10th grade, what do they take in 11th? I had assumed calc but that isn’t offered to 11th graders. So do they have to take statistics in 11th and then calc in 12th?

Where are you that calc isn't offered to 11th graders but pre-calc is offered to a 10th grader? If that's the only option then stats junior year and calc senior is better than the other way round. Colleges do like to see the hardest course senior year and AP Stats is more qualitative than quantitative and more of an elective than a core math class--at best it looks like taking the foot of the gas senior year at worst it indicates a math deficiency.

But MCPS has three calc classes: Calc with applications, AP Calc AB, and AP Calc BC. Students can get credit for all three. If math isn't the focus, Calc with Apps junior year followed by AP Calc AB, will provide a slower intro to the topic while keeping skills honed. Even strong math students do well to take both Calc AB and Calc BC. Some schools have Multivariable, in which case a really strong student would take Calc BC then Multi.

[Anonymous]

Child is at Blair (non magnet, obviously). Looking at Blair website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child is at Blair (non magnet, obviously). Looking at Blair website.

I find it very, very, very, very, very, very, very difficult to believe that Blair doesn't let 11th graders take calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child is at Blair (non magnet, obviously). Looking at Blair website.

Blair offers all three calc classes to 11th graders. I have a current senior and most her friends took Calc with Applications junior year. Talk to counseling, they have strong opinions on the math sequence and made sure my DC didn't take AP Stats as a senior. Don't rush to take AP Calc BC as a junior unless the goal is to take a magnet class senior year. Otherwise the best bet is two years of calc in HS, the pre-calc teacher can recommend whether that begins with Apps or with Calc AB junior year.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Must be an error on the website.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the others..call the school. AP Calc junior year is not an unusual choice. They should have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child is at Blair (non magnet, obviously). Looking at Blair website.

Ok, so this is what you're looking at:

Calculus with Applications (12th grade; 1 credit; Prerequisite: Precalculus) — The introductory topics of this course include limits and continuity of functions, derivatives of functions, and their applications to problems. Students find derivatives numerically, represent derivatives graphically, and interpret the meaning of a derivative in real-world applications. Models of previously studied functions will be analyzed using calculus concepts. The topics developed include the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral. The understanding, properties, and applications of the definite integral are included as students learn to explain solutions to problems. Students will model real-world situations involving rates of change using difference or differential equations. The course requires a TI-83+ Graphing Calculator.

AP Calculus (AB and BC Calculus) (12th grade; 1 credit; Prerequisite: Precalculus with Analysis) — The topics studied in A.P. Calculus are those traditional offered in the first year of calculus in college, and design specifically for students who wish to obtain advanced placement in mathematics in college. Concepts are communicated graphically, numerically, analytically and verbally. The basic topics studied include limits and continuity of functions, derivatives and integrals of algebraic and transcendental functions and their applications in problems. The advanced topics developed are applied include integration techniques, convergence tests for series, Taylor or Maclaurin series, elementary deferential equations, and hyperbolic functions. The course requires a TI-83+ Graphing Calculator.

These classes are open to anyone with the pre-req/teacher rec. My DC (PP with non magnet Blair senior again) knew juniors in all three classes last year.

[Anonymous]

Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

I would probably recommend AP Calc AB as a junior, AP Calc BC as a senior. She doesn't need to take multivariable calc unless she is definitely going to be an engineer or math major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

At Blair multivariable is definitely a magnet class, so it may be different from the experience at another HS. Maybe there's an amazing teacher but generally I'd believe the material is better taught in college. I don't think many non-magnet students take it. The magnet stats electives are more popular with CAP kids, for example. AP Stats isn't the best class for a senior, but check out other stats elective options since she's at Blair. Talk to counseling or a math now to plan it out since courses may not run as frequently.

One other point, Blair has reworked pre-calc this year, and that may be why your DC is bored. The previous pre-calc teacher (no longer at Blair) was also the BC teacher, so the focus was very much on smoothing the transition directly to BC. Not sure how this will play out for this year's students (I have one, too).

[Anonymous]

The magnet stats class that leads to the AP exam is only 1 semester long which makes it a very different experience then the traditional 1 year AP Stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

At Blair multivariable is definitely a magnet class, so it may be different from the experience at another HS. Maybe there's an amazing teacher but generally I'd believe the material is better taught in college. I don't think many non-magnet students take it. The magnet stats electives are more popular with CAP kids, for example. AP Stats isn't the best class for a senior, but check out other stats elective options since she's at Blair. Talk to counseling or a math now to plan it out since courses may not run as frequently.

One other point, Blair has reworked pre-calc this year, and that may be why your DC is bored. The previous pre-calc teacher (no longer at Blair) was also the BC teacher, so the focus was very much on smoothing the transition directly to BC. Not sure how this will play out for this year's students (I have one, too).

Yes, I agree that the change in Honors Precalc this year might be part of the problem. We were told at BTSN that Honors PreCalc was previously thought to be too hard, and is now geared so that the next step would not necessarily be AP Calc BC, or even AP Calc AB, but Calc with Applications. I'm not sure why HONORS PreCalc has to serve all three of those classes, instead of regular PreCalc being the normal precursor to Calc with Applications. But I would say the issue isn't just this year. She generally finds the math class she is in easy. Do you have magnet stats electives you recommend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

I would probably recommend AP Calc AB as a junior, AP Calc BC as a senior. She doesn't need to take multivariable calc unless she is definitely going to be an engineer or math major.

I thought AP Calc BC covered the same material as AP Calc AB, with just one extra section at the end, meaning the pace was faster. That's how a math teacher described it. So, for a good student, that doesn't seem like a normal junior-senior path, to take both classes -- it would be too repetitive. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could sonmeone comment on how hard multi variable calculus is at Blair for a senior year class. My kid is not a math genius but finds Honors Precalc as a 10th grader quite easy. That seems to put her on a path for AP Calc BC junior year, right. If she doesn’t want to look like she’s phoning it in by taking AP Stats senior year, but maybe couldn’t hold her own against magnet kids, what’s a good path for her?

At Blair multivariable is definitely a magnet class, so it may be different from the experience at another HS. Maybe there's an amazing teacher but generally I'd believe the material is better taught in college. I don't think many non-magnet students take it. The magnet stats electives are more popular with CAP kids, for example. AP Stats isn't the best class for a senior, but check out other stats elective options since she's at Blair. Talk to counseling or a math now to plan it out since courses may not run as frequently.

One other point, Blair has reworked pre-calc this year, and that may be why your DC is bored. The previous pre-calc teacher (no longer at Blair) was also the BC teacher, so the focus was very much on smoothing the transition directly to BC. Not sure how this will play out for this year's students (I have one, too).

Yes, I agree that the change in Honors Precalc this year might be part of the problem. We were told at BTSN that Honors PreCalc was previously thought to be too hard, and is now geared so that the next step would not necessarily be AP Calc BC, or even AP Calc AB, but Calc with Applications. I'm not sure why HONORS PreCalc has to serve all three of those classes, instead of regular PreCalc being the normal precursor to Calc with Applications. But I would say the issue isn't just this year. She generally finds the math class she is in easy. Do you have magnet stats electives you recommend?

Well, to over simplify, it used to be honors math at Blair was easy until pre-calc, now it continues to be pretty easy in pre-calc. I think some correction was necessary, but this is probably too much. Pre-calc is still a more rigorous class than algebra 2, but it used to be a dramatic step up. The previous teacher was demanding but the problem sets, notes, and tests were all very well organized. For now they seem to be using a subset of those materials for honors pre-calc. The new BC teacher is doing something else.

Although AB and BC have redundancies they are designed to be a two year sequence and most school systems use them that way. Your DC sounds like someone who could go directly to BC, but then she is more dependent on the quality of the courses.