<p>S2 a HS sophomore is doing well - close to 4.0 UW GPA including a solid A in pre-calc.
This will afford him the option to take AP Calc BC his junior year. His HS is now implementing
a Career Technical Education requirement for everyone - no exceptions. So trying to fit this
in I was wondering if schools would look negatively on his not doing math in his senior year
and taking say Bio Tech or Engineering instead of AP Stats. He's likely pre-med.</p>
<p>The most selective universities and LACs almost unfailingly emphasize being challenged by the most rigorous available curriculum, in their admissions’ decisions. AP Calculus BC is generally/often part of that stringency (and your son’s secondary school offers it, consequently there’s no excusable – “it isn’t offered” – exemption).</p>
<p>Check if the CTE credits are available for online study, or that he doesn’t already have a computer course/elective that would count? Why not get the credits in after xmas break next semester? Mostly here we get these dunderhead credits out of the way in freshman year, summer school, online, or sophomore. You might find it easier to get the other mandatory credits done outside of school, like PE, arts etc than the CTE so reshuffle his schedule. I would not have any kid wasting time doing this in senior year when stuff like college apps, later ACT, SAT, other issues crop up. If BC calc is offered to kids in your school, he should be doing it, with AP stats as well if possible for the rigour of schedule. </p>
<p>The OP said he is dgoing to take BC in his JR year. No it is not an issue not to go further in his SR year especially if Calc 3 isn’t offered. If he takes other rigorous courses, that will be great.</p>
<p>Is the CTE going to be implemented for sophomores? I though most curriculum changes required a 4 yr notice</p>
<p>I can’t speak for pre-med, however, I have heard admissions officers (for STEM degrees) say they expect the student to take the most rigorous courses available to them, and that means if there is a nearby community college, to take math courses there if they have exhausted their high school’s resources. The most selective schools seem to expect the student to make the best use of the resources available to them, not just at their school, but in their surrounding community or online. So, yes, he should consider taking Calc III and Linear Algebra if that is what is expected to prepare for pre-med (out of my depth here…). They want the student to prepare himself however he can for moving forward.</p>
<p>It does look better if the student maintain the four cores throughout the high school unless the student has depleted the courses available. In general, if one reached AP Calc, it should be okay.</p>
<p>I have to say I think that the question should be answered as to how does a school (district, etc) suddenly intro this concept of an extra 2 yr class without forward planning and inflict it on sophomores who already are halfway through the year? Is there more to the story? There must be options? </p>
<p>he should be fine if he is doing pre-med. as long as he’s not doing engineering or any other math heavy major you have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Calculus BC level is generally enough for premed purposes. It is also higher than the typical fourth year of high school math, since he is two grade levels ahead. Some majors do require more math than the premed requirements, though that is not expected to be taken in high school.</p>
<p>However, many of the medical schools that require calculus do require it as a college course, rather than AP credit. So he may have to take calculus 3 in college anyway. Note that if he does take it at a local college as a high school senior, the grade will count for premed GPA purposes, so getting an A or A+ grade is a good way to preload GPA for premed purposes (but a grade lower than A- will be disadvantageous).</p>
<p>@Alfonsia Don’t get me started. 
Our district took the CA state requirements but hacked away the option to let foreign language or visual performing arts count in place of CTE. Plus - even if you take 10, 12, 15 AP you still have to take CTE. AND you can’t take CTE at the community college (in the summer when the kids have time would help). You <em>have</em> to take it at the high school. It makes no sense at all for the high performers.</p>
<p>@iwonderwhere I think this went through in 2012 and it affects the kids who are sophomores this year.</p>
<p>In the end S2 will probably have to drop orchestra either junior or senior year to meet this extra requirement. If he can’t get into biotech - another course that meets the requirement including cooking. Give up orchestra to be forced to take cooking. Sense makes not no this.</p>
<p>Why would he take AP Calc BC before AP Calc AB? My daughter took chemistry at the community college during the summer so she could take more math her junior and senior years. </p>
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<p>Some schools do the sensible thing and offer BC as a one year course for students who have completed precalculus. For a student two grade levels ahead in math (like the OP’s son getting a solid A in precalculus in 10th grade), it makes no sense to force them to take calculus at a slow pace (AB over a year, then BC over the next year), since they are presumably the top students in math who can handle calculus at the college pace.</p>
<p>Cooking could actually be a useful skill when he lives on his own.</p>
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<p>One could learn far more about food by watching one season of “America’s Test Kitchen” on PBS once a week on the weekends and then preparing the recipes off the website. Most HS cooking classes are more about “nutrition” than cooking. There is little you can accomplish in a 50 minute class with all the prep and cleanup that has to happen in that amount of time.</p>
<p>I will never understand schools that constantly aim for the lowest common denominator in their class requirements. Even our top rated school district seems to be full of administrators who are willing to ruin everything for Top 100 bound kids so the bottom third might perform a little better - which they won’t. Girding for the coming battle right now.</p>
<p>My older D ran into a scheduling problem with Math her Senior year so she took a Statistics class at the local CC the summer between Jr & Sr year. She wound up being able to use it for a required math credit in college which was a nice bonus.</p>
<p>I think cooking is great. But they should give us some flexibility on meeting that requirement if they just have to have our kid experience its wonders. For example we had S1 go through MIT’s online course “The Science of Cooking” in middle school one summer and that was cool. He cooked several meals and learned about capsaicin. Or more practically speaking - let the kids take the course at the community college. I’ve always thought this should be the case for the art requirement which S1 avoided until the last possible moment. Yes - he probably needed an art course more than anyone in the school and I’m glad he doesn’t get to escape without it. But I don’t think it would have hurt to let him take art at the community college. There seems to be some element of control in here which I suspect has to do with funding rather than what’s strictly best for the students. My conjecture.</p>
<p>I don’t understand how it passed in 2012 why kid wouldn’t be doing some of the credits as a freshman/soph then? They have required the credit be in jr and sr year? Have you spoken with admin? </p>
<p>@Alfonsia To clarify, the new requirement is one year, 10 credits. In the past these 10 credits would be electives which could be foreign language, visual arts or Orchestra or other things. But now they are taking away options. Just the kind of silliness that spawned home schooling movement. :-)</p>