Advanced Placement classes failing students

[ucbalumnus]

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@Beliavsky

The choice is not between an AP course or nothing. Students need to master algebra, trigonometry and the concept of functions – tested on the SAT Math subject test level 2 – before they study calculus. If they have not, they are better off in an Algebra II or pre-calculus course than in AP Calculus, and the people who are ready for AP Calculus will benefit from not having class time spent on pre-calculus topics. Similar arguments could be made about other AP courses.

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<p>This is not a choice that high schools give in math. High schools generally have a defined sequence of math courses, with algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, and trigonometry/precalculus in sequence before calculus. So only students who have completed the sequence of prerequisites will be in the calculus course. However, if the high school’s instructional quality in its math courses is poor, the problem might only be revealed when students in calculus do poorly on the AP test, or on college math placement tests they take when registering for math courses at the colleges they eventually go to.</p>