Reply to AP Precalculus vs Honors Precalculus

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]AP Precalculus is unique from all other APs because Precalculus is not a college-level class. Michele Breen, Math Department Head, says, “Typically, AP classes are for college credit. Precalculus is a senior-level course so it is a new thing for the College Board to offer a non college-level class as an AP”.

The College Board says the goal of the new AP Precalculus course is to prepare a much broader group of students to thrive in college math courses by giving them an opportunity to take a class at the college-level intensity in high school, regardless of where they start in high school math.[/quote]
College algebra is basically the same thing as precalculus, and it is offered at the vast majority of colleges. Most colleges have 10 sections of college Algebra for every section of Linear Algebra or Multivariable Calc. This matches the math many people actually take as first year college students.[/quote]
College algebra content varies by college but often has a curriculum similar to traditional Algebra 2 with some additional precalculus content added in. (Traditional Algebra 2 content can be seen in Khan's Algebra 2. Reform math has been steadily shifting Algebra 2 content to Precalculus to make Algebra 2 more accessible to a wider range of students, taking out logs and trig and decreasing overall Algebra 2 rigor.) While college algebra is the most popular college math course, this is heavily skewed by community college enrollment. At selective colleges, it may not be offered at all.

AP Precalculus is useful for students who take Algebra 1 in 9th grade and wish to build a strong foundation for any math they might ultimately take at college. However, a prior PP asked whether it was the best preparation if a student wants high school calculus. In that case, a high school Precalculus course designed to prepare students for calculus would likely be better. For instance, the AP Precalc exam does not cover parametric equations, conic sections, limits, matrices, or vectors, all topics which are often covered in Precalculus courses designed to prepare students for high school calculus.[/quote]

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