Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone posted this on another thread about AP precalc: https://saratogafalcon.org/content/precalculus-honors-classes-should-not-transform-curriculum-to-conform-to-ap-precalculus/

It’s not MCPS, but it makes some important points about the potential lack of rigor in the AP course compared with the base honors course. The AP course is intended to expand access to AP math for those who otherwise would not get there. I’m not sure why anyone whose child did honors algebra 2 successfully would take it. The MCPS honors class should be more rigorous.

Well I'll tell you why. It's because at my kid's school, there were only 2 options. Regular precalculus or AP precalculus.

DP This is the aspect that doesn't make sense. AP precalculus credits are of no use to kids who will go on to take AP calculus and/or attend colleges that don't recognize precalculus as college-level content and therefore won't accept the AP credit. AP precalculus does make sense for kids who will not take calculus in high school and/or will attend community college or a four-year college that will accept AP precalculus credits or at least allow students to place out of college math requirements using the credit. Districts should offer AP precalculus instead of regular precalculus and offer honors precalculus for kids who will take calculus in high school; this approach would be consistent with the intent of the AP precalculus course designers who have said that they expect most kids taking AP precalculus will be seniors.

Anonymous wrote:Someone posted this on another thread about AP precalc: https://saratogafalcon.org/content/precalculus-honors-classes-should-not-transform-curriculum-to-conform-to-ap-precalculus/

It’s not MCPS, but it makes some important points about the potential lack of rigor in the AP course compared with the base honors course. The AP course is intended to expand access to AP math for those who otherwise would not get there. I’m not sure why anyone whose child did honors algebra 2 successfully would take it. The MCPS honors class should be more rigorous.

Well I'll tell you why. It's because at my kid's school, there were only 2 options. Regular precalculus or AP precalculus.

Anonymous wrote:Someone posted this on another thread about AP precalc: https://saratogafalcon.org/content/precalculus-honors-classes-should-not-transform-curriculum-to-conform-to-ap-precalculus/

It’s not MCPS, but it makes some important points about the potential lack of rigor in the AP course compared with the base honors course. The AP course is intended to expand access to AP math for those who otherwise would not get there. I’m not sure why anyone whose child did honors algebra 2 successfully would take it. The MCPS honors class should be more rigorous.

DP School without Walls had a similar article in March: https://www.swwrookery.com/post/new-ap-precalculus-course-makes-no-sense-teachers-and-professors-say

"Walls will not be implementing the class in the near future, according to Assistant Principal ... both [teachers] thought the added pressure of another AP course might be harmful for students. “Our kids are already really overloaded with AP stuff, I don’t know that another AP is going to add a lot of benefit in light of the amount of stress I think it would cause,” ...a professor of mathematics at George Washington University, said “although some universities offer it, precalculus is high-school-level material, not university-level material, and so offering AP credit for it makes no sense.” ... the chair of the GW mathematics department, agreed, saying the university would not offer credit for a subject that “is not university-level material.” "

Someone posted this on another thread about AP precalc: https://saratogafalcon.org/content/precalculus-honors-classes-should-not-transform-curriculum-to-conform-to-ap-precalculus/

It’s not MCPS, but it makes some important points about the potential lack of rigor in the AP course compared with the base honors course. The AP course is intended to expand access to AP math for those who otherwise would not get there. I’m not sure why anyone whose child did honors algebra 2 successfully would take it. The MCPS honors class should be more rigorous.

Con: This is a new AP exam, so college admissions officers might not be comfortable with it yet, and teachers might not know how to teach it well. When teachers are not trained well in teaching AP courses, students don't fare as well on the exam.

Pro: the College Board is a respected entity with a scoring system that allows the comparison of students nationwide. An AP class will usually weigh more seriously than an Honors class from Podunk high school. I think they'll just count it as just another of the "easy" APs: like AP Psychology, AP Human Geo, things like that.

Conclusion: if your kid is on track to do AP Calc BC or beyond, and there's a chance they'll have a dozen APs by the end of 12th grade... I don't think AP Pre-calc is necessary. But if you want the GPA boost, sure. If your kid won't have that many APs, I think it's a question of weighing the risk of having an inexperienced teacher compared to the GPA boost.

Also.
There seems to be at an anti-AP-precalc troll on this thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is correct, PP. honors is more challenging thank AP.

Depends on what honors class we are talking about, there’s a huge variability depending on school and teacher. AP is a known quantity.

AP precalc is a known quantity with a low bar

This may prove true in the future, but isn’t AP pre-calculus new this year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is correct, PP. honors is more challenging thank AP.

Depends on what honors class we are talking about, there’s a huge variability depending on school and teacher. AP is a known quantity.

My kid, a sophomore at Seneca Valley is taking AP Precalculus. It's a hard class. There's no Honors version.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is correct, PP. honors is more challenging thank AP.

Depends on what honors class we are talking about, there’s a huge variability depending on school and teacher. AP is a known quantity.

AP precalc is a known quantity with a low bar

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Paint Branch and Seneca Valley are offering it.

Do you know if they'll let outside people take it? My kid is taking precalc in home school, and wants a score that proves that he knows the content.

Yes, home school students may take AP exams at their local homeschool. Contact the test administrator at the high school for which you are zoned. I would do that soon as schools are already starting to plan for test administration.

That's the whole point... very few MCPS high schools are offering this, so won't be hosting any students for AP PreCalc. PP - go to the Homeschooling Forum and read the related thread there.

Anonymous wrote:That is correct, PP. honors is more challenging thank AP.

Depends on what honors class we are talking about, there’s a huge variability depending on school and teacher. AP is a known quantity.

That is correct, PP. honors is more challenging thank AP.

Northwood AP pre-call teacher said at BTSN that all of her students would be registered for the AP test, so it sounds like Northwood is offering it?

I’m curious how other strong math students are finding this new AP class. My DC says it seems to be moving more slowly than the Honors class. She’s considering switching for that reason (but has an A so far in AP).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Paint Branch and Seneca Valley are offering it.

Do you know if they'll let outside people take it? My kid is taking precalc in home school, and wants a score that proves that he knows the content.

Yes, home school students may take AP exams at their local homeschool. Contact the test administrator at the high school for which you are zoned. I would do that soon as schools are already starting to plan for test administration.

I know he can take AP exams at our assigned school but I don’t think they are offering this one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wootton offers it but…what is the point of taking it? Once your kid takes AP calculus that’s the one that will count toward college credits. What’s the point of AP precalculus?

Improves the GPA since colleges will discount the silly honors classes as regular classes.

AP precalculus is a silly AP class discounted as a regular class.

Anonymous wrote:Wootton offers it but…what is the point of taking it? Once your kid takes AP calculus that’s the one that will count toward college credits. What’s the point of AP precalculus?

Improves the GPA since colleges will discount the silly honors classes as regular classes.