My kid did exactly that. But it was with Pre Calc Honors in 10th (which, confusingly, is a higher math track that AP Pre Calculus). They decided to not do Calc BC in 11th as planned, and instead they did Calc AB and then BC in 12th. It worked perfectly. No regrets. Also a humanities major.

Anonymous wrote:Do AB then BC.

Better to understand the material.

No reason to skip AB.

Does not matter whether they are a humanities major or any other major take AB.

Please listen to this poster. This is what you should be focusing on, his understanding of the material.

Better to get A/A- than Bs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of dropping down in rigor? Sacrificing high school education in hope for a better/safer college result?

I don't think it's worth it. As long as you can maintain B and above, I would go ahead and challenge myself.

You may end up at a slightly lower ranked school but you will be much better prepared for college. And college performance is where you should care about the most.

T20 or T50 doesn't make too much difference.

The purpose is that with math, it benefits kids to have a very strong foundation before moving up a level. Some kids benefit from a slower intro of new concepts and speed of is e even if they end up in same place later.

Our school district found the heavy push in acceleration in middle school had worse outcomes in high school then when they backed off. Too many kids were pushed ahead without clear grasp of algebra basics.

This is not the OP's case. OP is freaking out by an A-. If it's a C that is concerning. Since when A- is a sign for lacking strong foundation?

I am not freaking out about n A-. He really should have more like a B- if you are just looking at test grades. He gets As on the homework and quizzes which brings the grade up a lot. But I would not be freaking out about a B- either. If anyone is "freaking out," it is DS because As have been easy for him to this point. I'd prefer he stay on the previously planned track but school has never been hard for him (and the other 6 classes still aren't) so I don't think he knows how to be challenged. He is taking 3 other APs--it isn't like he isn't trying to challenge himself. But one class is hard and he is talking about dropping down for next year.

Which AP's is he taking and what are his grades so far? It might just be that he has a lousy teacher for pre-Calc.

AP World, AP Stats, and AP Seminar. All As. Very, very high A in AP World. Many other kids struggling in all three of those classes, so not easy.

I'm a 3rding (or 4thing) going with AP Calc AB and then going with AP Calc BC. My kid is in 12th taking AP Calc BC and finding that a good chunk of it is review of AP Calc AB. During this crazy busy fall (fall sport plus college app essays), they are relieved to have an easier time with math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dropping down in rigor because of an A-? I swear this forum is bananas.

Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if it was just me...

If you read OP's second post, they said their kid should have a B- (and understands things at a B- level) but has an A- is because of easy/extra points.

This is the problem with grade inflation. The teachers feel pressure to go out of their way to give kids better grades than they earned. So there are all sorts of easy points to boost the grade.

But this kid knows he doesn't actually understand precalc, and he's worried that is going to be an even bigger problem when he gets to calc next year. He's right. He needs to find a better way to learn precalc, whether it's studying differently, going to see the teacher after school, or getting a good tutor.

Again, the A- is a red herring in this case. Grade inflation is masking the real problem, and OP's kid is smart enough to realize that.

OP here. Thank you. You get it. I assume the prior post was yours, too, and it is good advice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dropping down in rigor because of an A-? I swear this forum is bananas.

Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if it was just me...

If you read OP's second post, they said their kid should have a B- (and understands things at a B- level) but has an A- is because of easy/extra points.

This is the problem with grade inflation. The teachers feel pressure to go out of their way to give kids better grades than they earned. So there are all sorts of easy points to boost the grade.

But this kid knows he doesn't actually understand precalc, and he's worried that is going to be an even bigger problem when he gets to calc next year. He's right. He needs to find a better way to learn precalc, whether it's studying differently, going to see the teacher after school, or getting a good tutor.

Again, the A- is a red herring in this case. Grade inflation is masking the real problem, and OP's kid is smart enough to realize that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of dropping down in rigor? Sacrificing high school education in hope for a better/safer college result?

I don't think it's worth it. As long as you can maintain B and above, I would go ahead and challenge myself.

You may end up at a slightly lower ranked school but you will be much better prepared for college. And college performance is where you should care about the most.

T20 or T50 doesn't make too much difference.

The purpose is that with math, it benefits kids to have a very strong foundation before moving up a level. Some kids benefit from a slower intro of new concepts and speed of is e even if they end up in same place later.

Our school district found the heavy push in acceleration in middle school had worse outcomes in high school then when they backed off. Too many kids were pushed ahead without clear grasp of algebra basics.

This is not the OP's case. OP is freaking out by an A-. If it's a C that is concerning. Since when A- is a sign for lacking strong foundation?

I am not freaking out about n A-. He really should have more like a B- if you are just looking at test grades. He gets As on the homework and quizzes which brings the grade up a lot. But I would not be freaking out about a B- either. If anyone is "freaking out," it is DS because As have been easy for him to this point. I'd prefer he stay on the previously planned track but school has never been hard for him (and the other 6 classes still aren't) so I don't think he knows how to be challenged. He is taking 3 other APs--it isn't like he isn't trying to challenge himself. But one class is hard and he is talking about dropping down for next year.

Again, refocus him on next week. Not next year.

It may not be conscious, but my guess is he's already talking about dropping down next year in order to ease his discomfort with what's happening this year. As you said, it's the first time he's struggled academically. Sure, he has an A-, but that's because of easy points. Grade aside, he feels like he's in over his head. Given that school has been easy for him until now, that must be REALLY uncomfortable for him!

Of course, he may be in over his head. Or he may just need to learn how to "get comfortable being uncomfortable" so he can focus on learning learn the material and doing well without all the extra points etc.

So yes, you are right - this is an opportunity for him to build resilience. He has three more quarters to learn how to perservere when struggling . . . how to embrace a difficult task or risk by pushing himself to figure it out, even if it means getting additional help/tutoring.

IMHO, it's really important that high-achieving kids experience this type of challenge before college. When things level up freshman year, the fear of failure can be overwhelming for many kids. But having a positive experience working through it in high school can be a huge help.

So step one is to teach him to stop focusing on hypotheticals in the future. Literally cut him off every time he mentions it. Teach him to block that out and double-down on the present. For example, what is one thing he do tonight/this weekend/next week to better understand and conquer Precalc? One small step at a time, painful though it may be.

Anonymous wrote:Dropping down in rigor because of an A-? I swear this forum is bananas.

Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if it was just me...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of dropping down in rigor? Sacrificing high school education in hope for a better/safer college result?

I don't think it's worth it. As long as you can maintain B and above, I would go ahead and challenge myself.

You may end up at a slightly lower ranked school but you will be much better prepared for college. And college performance is where you should care about the most.

T20 or T50 doesn't make too much difference.

The purpose is that with math, it benefits kids to have a very strong foundation before moving up a level. Some kids benefit from a slower intro of new concepts and speed of is e even if they end up in same place later.

Our school district found the heavy push in acceleration in middle school had worse outcomes in high school then when they backed off. Too many kids were pushed ahead without clear grasp of algebra basics.

This is not the OP's case. OP is freaking out by an A-. If it's a C that is concerning. Since when A- is a sign for lacking strong foundation?

I am not freaking out about n A-. He really should have more like a B- if you are just looking at test grades. He gets As on the homework and quizzes which brings the grade up a lot. But I would not be freaking out about a B- either. If anyone is "freaking out," it is DS because As have been easy for him to this point. I'd prefer he stay on the previously planned track but school has never been hard for him (and the other 6 classes still aren't) so I don't think he knows how to be challenged. He is taking 3 other APs--it isn't like he isn't trying to challenge himself. But one class is hard and he is talking about dropping down for next year.

Which AP's is he taking and what are his grades so far? It might just be that he has a lousy teacher for pre-Calc.

In math, every kid hits the wall at some point. You don't know where that point is until you hit it.

If he's struggling now, plan to move him to AB Calc next year. There's nothing wrong with doing that. The more the concepts are reinforced, the stronger the foundation and the easier the subsequent math classes will be.

I am pragmatic and strategic. I would stick with calc AB and get an A/A-. Particularly if not leaning toward stem. Better grades give u more options later, particularly for state flagships that care more about gpa. If kid decides next year that they want stem, add another course the following year or pursue the topic outside school. We were strategic about which advanced classes our kid would take and focused rigor in their strengths and areas of interest both in school and in ECs. I think the craze to push kids to take all advanced AP is not good. Better to engage, Get good grades and have time to excel at stuff outside school. That is what we did and kid is at a t10 now. Our school counselor said this particular school wanted kids with calcBC, and my kid got in without it. I think its better yo create a plan that works for your kid vs following the sheep in a particular track. Junior year is tough and stressful - kids know that grades matter - set your kid up for success.

Dropping down in rigor because of an A-? I swear this forum is bananas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of dropping down in rigor? Sacrificing high school education in hope for a better/safer college result?

I don't think it's worth it. As long as you can maintain B and above, I would go ahead and challenge myself.

You may end up at a slightly lower ranked school but you will be much better prepared for college. And college performance is where you should care about the most.

T20 or T50 doesn't make too much difference.

The purpose is that with math, it benefits kids to have a very strong foundation before moving up a level. Some kids benefit from a slower intro of new concepts and speed of is e even if they end up in same place later.

Our school district found the heavy push in acceleration in middle school had worse outcomes in high school then when they backed off. Too many kids were pushed ahead without clear grasp of algebra basics.

This is not the OP's case. OP is freaking out by an A-. If it's a C that is concerning. Since when A- is a sign for lacking strong foundation?

I am not freaking out about n A-. He really should have more like a B- if you are just looking at test grades. He gets As on the homework and quizzes which brings the grade up a lot. But I would not be freaking out about a B- either. If anyone is "freaking out," it is DS because As have been easy for him to this point. I'd prefer he stay on the previously planned track but school has never been hard for him (and the other 6 classes still aren't) so I don't think he knows how to be challenged. He is taking 3 other APs--it isn't like he isn't trying to challenge himself. But one class is hard and he is talking about dropping down for next year.

It's too early to think about this, let alone decide it.

They got an A- first quarter. That's fine. See how the next quarter goes, and maybe even the third quarter, too.

If they have to sign up for next year's classes before the end of third quarter, go ahead and pick Calc BC. They can always change it later.

In the meantime, stop thinking, worrying, and especially talking about this with DC.

Instead, find the first day of the third quarter, and put a note on your calendar to pick up the issue and possible decision again then. In the meantime, let it go and give DC some space to navigate this and see how it goes.

Not everything needs to be decided so far in advance.