In the overall scheme of life, 92% is not struggling. In fact, in many things, it’s very good!
But if OP’s D did get into one of these reach schools, how would she feel being a 92%er and most of the rest of the students (in her major) are 98% students? Is she the type who tends to feel overwhelmed and intimidated when she is surpassed academically by many others? Or is she the type of person who will hit every office hour, buckle down and hit the books far more than her peers, and do everything in her power (including sacrificing some social life and extracurriculars if need be) in order to compete? And if so, is that what she wants?
Based on those answers, I’d be taking a careful look at finding the right fit.
While some schools offer AB followed by BC, some schools offer AB or BC as options after precalc, which seems to be the case for OP. When a school offers BC as a standalone course, they cover both the AB and BC concepts; the student is not going from precalc straight into the BC sections.
It depends on the teacher and on the school. My kids took BC and I wouldn’t describe it as covering “AB first”. They had one of the best math teachers in the school who had designed her own curriculum which covered most of the standard BC material, but covered other topics she thought the kids would love and could handle, and resulted in a few cram sessions in late April to cover some of the material that was typically on the AP test that they hadn’t covered in class. Virtually all of the kids in the class were taking AP Physics at the same time, and the physics teacher and math teacher coordinated closely…
I would not assume that BC follows the sequence of “AB first and then BC”. A good teacher is going to pace the class based on what the kids can handle and however much calc they are able to absorb on whatever timetable makes sense.
OP- does your D want BC or is this coming from you? Senior year is hard enough without her having to tackle a class she’s not really ready for… Has she pushed back with the teacher and administration on her own? it matters. The teacher may be ready to waive the policy for a kid who really, really really wants the bigger challenge, but may not want your kid frustrated by a class that’s moving too quickly if the impetus is coming from the parent…
Actually it is other way around my D wants to take BC and I am suggesting her to take AB. She is brilliant kid only 1 test grade brought her precal average to 92%.
Perhaps supplement with online programs, such as Hopkins’ CTY calculus AB or BC, take the AP calc BC test whether your daughter’s school let her in BC or not. Taking BC at a community college is another option, no? Glad to hear that your daughter is so motivated. Best wishes to your daughter.
If she wants to take BC, I would let her try. My son had a similar situation in high school. He had a 93 in Pre-calc, so was recommended for AP Calc AB. He needed a 95 to be recommended for BC. However, that was a new change since in the years prior you only needed a 92 or 93 (I forget which it was now.) His teacher agreed he could handle BC; but said she had to follow the new rubric when making recommendations for the next year. We filled out the override slip, but my rule following son was all stressed out wondering if he was really ready for BC since he “only” had a 93. He ended up getting a 99 on the precalc final which brought his year end grade up to a 97 so the teacher was able to change her recommendation to BC anyway.
Also, typically the honors precalculus (or Analysis as it was called in my high school) / BC calc sequence is for the top math students. Wouldn’t there be a “curve”?
The exam, yes. The course again depends upon the school. Mine offered it both ways, and the BC course that followed AB covered only units 9 and 10 plus additional topics from units 6-8 on the CB syllabus. And my school is not unique. So “always” is the incorrect adverb.
Regardless, to get back to topic, it appears that the OP’s BC course covers units 1 through 10.
I think the thing that is concerning here is that the school offers BC but felt that this student wasn’t strong enough to take it and others were, based on performance in precalc. If this student’s high school doesn’t think they are a top math student, then it seems they are aiming too high in choosing colleges. Most of the kids at top engineering schools were the best math students in their high schools or at least very close to the best.
I think the school should just put the responsibility on the student/parents if BC does not go well, rather than the school’s taking responsibility for that…
The school denied a request to override. This implies there was more than just a straight score cutoff. They could have waived it if they thought the student was really misplaced.
The difference between 90 and 92 appears silly and arbitrary. The difference between 87 and 90 appears silly and arbitrary. The difference between… Where do you draw the line?
I think a lot of people are assuming facts not in evidence. Not even touching the question of rampant grade inflation, how many are in this cohort of 95%+? 8? 15? 30? 100? How large is the overall class?
Only on College Confidential (and Reddit’s A2C) would users describe 92 as a struggle and tell users that their math skills suck and just forget about a good college. Context matters; we have none. I hope the OP can provide some.
Please read the thread. IT’S HER SCHOOL THAT IS TELLING HER THAT!!! I don’t need ANY more of your sanctimonious input. But of course, YOU control the discourse!!!
Have you had a conversation with the teacher and math department about why they have denied BC? My concern and that of others is that the school, for whatever reason, doesnt think she is ready. If it were mine I would be asking how many get into BC, is it capped for reasons outside of student control, or are all qualified kids allowed ? Ask them what are the specific reasons your kid has been told No ? You can still fight for it, but it seems you need more info from the school first. If it is truly just one test that was low, this seems strange they won’t give her a chance. However—if homework and participation are 75% and tests are 25% and all tests have been 80s and one test 70 or something, yet they tell you the test median was 95 for all tests, then she may really not be ready. The point is, none of us can tell. But you definitely should ask—or your D should. I have no personal experience in this area: our school does the unfortunate AB then BC absolutely required for everyone, which frankly can be slow and boringish for mathy kids, but I know many who have asked very specific questions when their kids haven’t gotten in to highest-level courses and they all have gotten good feedback on their kid and where they stand. So I think it is worth a discussion.
It is not clear from the OP’s posts what the reason for the school setting the cutoff at 95 is. Is it:
The school believes that students with <95 in precalculus will not do well in BC, or
The school is rationing seats in BC because it is full and they do not want to open more sections.
In case 1, the question would be, is the school’s assessment of the precalculus grade threshold to do well in BC accurate? It should have historical data on the subject. In case 2, it is not surprising that rationing by prior grade is used, although it can mean that some students capable of doing well in BC are excluded from taking it because of the rationing.
Note that rationing is common in college, where popular majors may require a high college GPA to declare (e.g. going from pre-nursing to nursing at some colleges may be so competitive that a 3.9 or 4.0 college GPA is needed to be competitive, and computer science at some colleges may also require a very high college GPA). So if it is rationing, think of it as a preview of what may be encountered in college.
I do not think taking Calc AB is an eliminator at all. My son got into Purdue with merit and I’m sure he would gotten into more high level schools. He got into Florida, Maryland and a few similar. NC State if I remember.
No they are not MIT, Duke,etc. but he was not put into BC, similar to here. And I don’t think there’s a huge hindrance for not taking.
The school has a rule for a reason. Perhaps they don’t see the student as ready. And that’s ok.
You can still apply to your list and it will still be hard to get in, no matter the schedule. But I don’t think taking AB is a reason for elimination.
Yes, D20’s high school required AB before BC, NO exceptions. She’d been on an advanced track, so it was like pumping the breaks for her. She was bored and spent most of the time tutoring other students in the class. She was able to increase her speed, so that has helped her in college.
Context matters; we have none. I hope the OP can provide some.