Reply to AP Calc AB and/or BC curriculum vs. AP Precalc (Precalc Trig Hns) curriculum in FCPS

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Reply to "AP Calc AB and/or BC curriculum vs. AP Precalc (Precalc Trig Hns) curriculum in FCPS"

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[quote=Anonymous]Do FCPS math teachers use a standard College Board syllabus/curriculum to teach AP Calc AB and/or BC?    Or do they do their own version of teaching Calculus I and/or II, and just call it "AP Calc __"?

I'm asking b/c DC is in AP Precalc and it's been kind of frustrating.  DC got a perfect score on the PSAT math section, and has always done pretty well in Hns math classes (A's and A-'s, never anything lower).  But, AP Precalc is ... not going well according to DC's grade in the class (particularly grades on the exams).  Recently, DC took the AP Precalc practice test questions provided by the College Board (at home) and got all but one correct.  DC seems to be learning what College Board expects.  DC said the questions were far easier than what is on the tests in AP Precalc class.  Clearly, there is a divergence between what FCPS is using as the curriculum for AP Precalc (which supposedly is their former Precalc Trig Hns curriculum with the label of "AP Precalc" slapped on it) and what College Board is using to measure readiness for AP Calc.

My questions:

(1) If you can pretty much ace the AP Precalc exam questions, does that mean you would do fine in AP Calc BC?    Are College Board's exam questions for AP precalc good measures of one's readiness for AP Calc BC?

and

(2) Regarding the curriculum for AP Calc AB and/or BC -- do FCPS teachers actual follow College Board's curriculum?  Or do some FCPS math teachers do their own thing for teaching Calc AB and/or BC?  (making it harder than what College Board does for those classes)

It's odd that DC can ace the College Board's AP Precalc test prep questions, and yet, DC's grade is  a low C or C-in AP Precalc.  DC's teacher told everyone in the class to not even think about taking AP Calc BC unless they have an A or A- in Precalc.  So, it's just a really weird disconnect that one can be acing the published practice questions, and yet be doing so low in the class that they are discouraged from taking the higher of the two AP Calc classes.

Thoughts?  And info on how AP Calc AB or BC is taught?  Which class is the right class for next year?[/quote]

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