<p>I have a question for CCers whose high schools offer an Advanced Placement Calculus class. (At least in my region), for many subjects, it's standard that an AP class is the second year of that subject. For example, a student would take Chemistry one year, and then AP Chemistry the next.</p>
<p>From posts I read on here, that doesn't seem to be the case with AP Calculus; most kids (who are competent/good at math) seem to take it the year after they they took pre-calc, without taking a "regular-level" Calculus class first. Is that correct?</p>
<p>I guess what I'm asking is, if a school only offers "Calculus 12," is it any different from the "AP Calculus AB" other than that it isn't College-Board approved & all that jazz? Or is "regular Calculus" a year below "AP Calculus"?</p>
<p>At my school we have Calc 1, AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC. Almost absolutely everybody goes pre-calc to either Calc 1 (mostly seniors) or Calc AB(mostly juniors). Here they teach the exact same thing, just AP is at a faster pace. But by the end of the year, it's all the same, and Calc 1 just doesn't take the AP exam. If that was for eleventh grade, then in 12th grade if you've taken either you can take BC.</p>
<p>BC Calculus covers three semesters of college level calculus in two semesters. This course is intended for students who have a strong background in pre calculus topics, good reading skills, a desire to learn calculus at a very rapid pace and exceptionally good study habits. Students who have taken AB Calculus should be prepared to review concepts from AB which may be presented in a slightly different manner.</p>
<p>My school just offers Calculus, but that's because my school doesn't offer APs or IBs. It's equivalent to AP Calculus AB. It's kind of pointless to have a lower level of calculus before AB, since AB is already lower than BC.</p>
<p>Some other examples of this would be with the AP Physics courses. Usually no one will take regular Physics and follow it with AP Phyics B and then AP Physics C. There just isn't time for that track. More common ways of doing this is to take Honors Physics, then AP Physics C, or to take AP Physics B and then AP Physics C. I hope that makes sense.</p>
<p>My school only offers AP Calculus. Most of the people that take AP Stats are juniors that take Pre-Calculus at the same time as AP Stats. However, there are a few that choose to take AP Stats after Pre-Calculus so they don't double up on math classes. We don't have Calculus BC and don't have any honors or non-honors Calculus.</p>
<p>My school offers Calculus, AP Calc AB, and AP Calc BC. Our BC class is limited to only like 15 of the best math students in the school. All the other good students take AB. Regular calculus is for the few seniors that started out strong in math, but then slacked and still are taking a fourth year of math. The plurality of kids at my school, though, will take pre-calculus as seniors.</p>
<p>Even if the school did offer Calc BC, I probably wouldn't take it. I don't plan on continuing math in college, and I think Calc 1 is the highest math class you need to take to fulfill Gen Ed requirements.</p>