Reply to AP Calculus - AB or BC

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Reply to "AP Calculus - AB or BC - Which to Take?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]He doesn't need classes higher than BC for admissions to engineering.

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[b]The switch to AP Precalc will make BC Calc harder next year. The standard approach for teaching BC is to accelerate kids steadily from Algebra 2 onward so that the latter half of precalc is spent learning introductory calculus to avoid the scenario described above where BC is rushed.[/b] However, APS has put students into AP Precalc which has slower pacing, which will leave insufficient time to introduce calculus concepts for students going to BC. So, look for BC to feel even more rushed next year. If your DC opts for BC next year, they may want to study intro calc on their own over the summer so BC feels less rushed.[/quote]

Not in FCPS but our AP Precalc teacher said just the opposite - that the AP Precalc curriculum goes faster and further and my student would be well prepared for BC Calc next year (and likely bored in AB).  But could be a difference in teaching approach.[/quote]
The AP Precalc exam is roughly 2/3 Algebra 2, so that covers less precalc content than a typical precalc class. There is an optional fourth AP Precalc unit (not covered on the AP Precalc exam) that can be done that makes the course similar to a standard precalc class. In addition to that, BC students need to start introductory calc in precalc to avoid an overly rushed pace in BC.

The wildcard is how teachers implement AP Precalc so the suggestion that a PP gave to check with your DC's teacher is sound advice. Some long-time precalc teachers may continue to teach intensified precalc and cover some intro calc concepts to prepare students for BC. That would be an optimal outcome for students headed to BC. However, if the teacher largely follows the pacing of AP Precalc and covers the fourth optional unit post-AP exam, there will be insufficient time devoted to the optional unit and certainly not enough time to cover intro calc concepts well.

The other wrinkle is that AP Precalc emphasizes modeling and includes regressions which are not needed for BC. The more time a teacher spends on that, the less time available to cover topics needed for BC. The old intensified precalc was a better match for students heading to BC than AP Precalc.[/quote]

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