AP Calculus AB or BC
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
No, the majority of AP Precalc Units 1-3 is Algebra 2 content. Units 1-3 do not adequately prepare students for Calc BC. Why do you think some schools offer AP Precalc AB and AP Precalc BC? Even the four units of AP Precalc BC don't provide optimal background for Calc BC; the prior honors precalculus/trig went beyond AP Precalc BC content. Students headed for Calc BC absolutely need to cover additional topics. Calc BC covers 50% more content than Calc AB. Absent covering additional topics in precalculus, the pace of Calc BC would be untenable. |
Anonymous
|
The naming of AP Precalc AB and AP Precalc BC is misleading and gives a false impression of course rigor. Precalc AB is similar to the content of regular Precalc/trig. Precalc BC is the old honors precalc/trig "lite". Why does this matter? Students who will take both Calc AB and Calc BC exams will have less preparation than before. In addition, students taking the new Calc AB path will be disadvantaged in AP Physics C relative to before. Why?
Students taking the new AB path (Precalc AB + Calc AB) will never see 2D vectors, whereas they would have covered them in the old precalc/trig honors. Students taking Precalc BC and Calc BC will see 2D vectors in both courses. 2D vectors are used in AP Physics C. Can students on the new AB pathway still take AP Physics C? Yes, but they will have to work harder on their own and may not do as well because they have to learn physics + math whereas kids on the BC path will only need to learn the physics. Students that have an interest in STEM should consider taking Precalc BC even if they want to take Calc AB, in order to provide a better base for future STEM coursework. This is what would have happened under the old system - they would have taken honors precalc/trig, then Calc AB where the former would have provided them with early exposure to both calculus and the math needed for AP Physics C. If a student is thinking to take Precalc AB, Calc AB, and AP Physics C, they should ask their math/science teacher how 2D vectors will be covered. |
Anonymous
In our school district, AP Calculus AB is listed as a prerequisite to AP Calculus BC in the course catalog. You normally take them over 2 years unless you choose the block option and do AB in the Fall and BC in the Spring. It seems though that in other school districts BC is offered directly with just a precalculus course as a prerequisite. This raises questions about the role of AB and what spiraling is done here. Is requiring AB before BC the norm or is the norm to allow direct access to BC for qualified students? |
Anonymous
Strong math students with an intensified precalculus course can go from precalc to BC and have done so for decades. Many districts offer this option. However, it usually assumes accelerated content is delivered in earlier courses. A common path would be Alg2/Trig, Intensified Precalc (which covers intro calc), and then BC. FCPS's old pathway did this. They used to offer A2/Trig and prior to this year, they offered honors precalc/trig which covered intro calc in the spring. However, there is a big push in math to make it easier for students to enter math pathways anywhere along the path to avoid tracking. However, that can't happen if an earlier prerequisite course has covered accelerated content. So slowly, districts are removing accelerated content from math courses. The new AP Precalc (even AP Precalc BC) does not introduce intro calc which will make it tougher for students when they take Calc AB and Calc BC the following year. Given this, it's likely that you will see more students do Calc AB one year and then take Calc BC the next as you describe, as a response to AP Precalc's reduced content rigor relative to the old honors precalc/trig. |
pettifogger
Member Offline
Member Offline
|
Lots of misinformation in this thread:
- There is only one precalculus class from the college board, it's called 'AP precalculus', (not 'AP Precalculus AB' or 'AP Precalculus BC'). - It is not necessary to learn any calculus topics such as limits, prior to taking a calculus class (calc AB or BC). - I haven't seen evidence to the claim that Calculus BC covers 50% more topics than Calculus AB. The traditional advice is still valid: 1) Students should have a strong understanding of algebra, functions, and trigonometry (as equivalent to what is taught in an honors precalculus course) to be prepared for Calculus BC. It is not necessary to learn any calculus topics, as Calculus BC covers calculus from the beginning. 2) Students who do not feel comfortable with the faster pace of Calculus BC, or who do not feel they have a strong understanding of the fundamentals (algebra, functions, and trigonometry), would be better off taking Calculus AB. Regarding the recent trend of taking two years of calculus, i.e Calc AB followed by Calc BC, it is unnecessary for most students, mainly because much of Calculus BC is a repeat of AB. If this trend is popular now, it is likely because more students are unprepared for a calculus class but are accelerated enough in their math course sequence that they have the time to take both in two years while not having any other suitable math choices in the second (senior) year. Another contributing factor is that Calculus AB is no longer perceived as competitive for STEM majors, which puts pressure on students to take BC, if they can. I don't think this is absolutely necessary for most colleges, but I can see the logic of it in today's more competitive environment with regards to top colleges. |
Anonymous
1) No, the information is correct. There is one College Board AP Precalculus course, which gives districts the option of forming a course with the three units covered on the AP Precalc exam or the option of forming a course based on the three exam units plus an optional fourth unit. FCPS built courses accordingly and gave the name "AP Precalc AB" to the three-unit version and "AP Precalc BC" to the four-unit version. This is an FCPS forum so readers would be familiar with that. If you look at the current FCPS course catalog, you will see that there is no generic AP Precalc course listed. https://insys.fcps.edu/CourseCatOnline/frontPanel/1041/nocourselist/0/0/0/1 2) Is it necessary to cover limits and intro calculus in honors precalculus? No. Is it wise to do? Yes. Which is why FCPS (via honors precalc/trig) and many other districts have always done this. If you don't cover limits and intro calc ahead of time, BC becomes very crammed and rushed. Can you do it? Sure. Should you do that if you want students to thrive? No. 3) Calc BC having 50% more content than Calc AB comes from comparing the content/pacing of FCPS's Calc AB and Calc BC courses. FCPS teachers would regularly cite this figure in presentations before AP Precalc was introduced. Students have successfully taken honors precalculus then BC calculus for years. There is no need to slow down precalculus for advanced students which is what switching from honors precalc/trig to AP Precalc AB or AP Precalc BC does. Leave the additional time for delving into the more complex concepts of Calc BC. |
Anonymous
Thanks for this info. I think the college board discusses the four units here near the bottom. Good to know that the terminology Precalculus AB vs BC is an FCPS invention. |
Anonymous
Calc AB is basically the equivalent of first semester of college calculus, spread over an entire year. Calc BC is first and second semester of college calculus during the year. That's why BC has "50%" more material, and why taking AB then BC has you repeating content - basically the whole of the AB content is the first semester of BC. |
Anonymous
FCPS's AP Precalc course names are poorly chosen and may lead students astray. It would have been better to call the courses AP Precalc and AP Precalc Extended. Why? AP Precalc AB is the old regular precalc. But students who might previously have taken regular precalc in junior or senior year are scared off because they think Precalc AB is for students intending to take AP calculus. Equally, students that want Calc AB figure Precalc AB is best for them. But, regular precalc may not be the best prep for them. Even if they don't want Calc BC, Precalc BC would give them a better foundation for a range of STEM courses. Precalc BC is misleading too. It does not offer as good a preparation for Calc BC as the old honors precalc course which covered introductory calculus in the spring. Students who rely solely on Precalc BC will have a harder time in Calc BC than students who took the prior honors precalc. |
Anonymous
Calc BC is 1.5 semesters that doesn't include much ordinary differential equations. It's 2 quarters for colleges on the quarter system (which are actual trimesters), and students on a rigorous math track are recommended to take Calc 2 if their highest HS math is Calc BC. Students on a less mathy track can get away with never earning that diff equ material. |