I would not be surprised if the “PSAT score” reason were a smokescreen because the real reason was something the school did not want to admit. When I went to high school, students who earned A grades in honors precalculus normally went on to BC. A student two grades ahead like the OP’s daughter would generally be viewed as one who finds all high school math courses including BC to be easy A courses.
@ucbalumnus: This kind of puzzles me. Care to say more?
What puzzles you?
The math progression in high school when I attended is actually normal in that it is just like what non-accelerated-in-math students do if they go to college with a major that requires calculus. I.e. they take precalculus in 12th grade and college calculus as college frosh. Precalculus followed by BC is the same thing for students who are one or two grades ahead in math.
The puzzling part is why high schools believe that the mostly good-at-math students need to take a slower paced calculus (AB) than the mostly typical students who are not a grade ahead in math.
Honestly, it all comes out in the wash. As long as a kid takes what they need to take , in terms of calculus, or differential equations, or AP Physics type stuff, what difference does it really make? Some of them take it in high school, some wait til college. It’s not a race. If they need it for their college degree , they’ll have to take it. Many people have no need to take calculus at all , ever, and still seem to get along in life.
Okaaay, @ucbalumnus.
But what is the allusion to the smokescreen? I can see no reason to deny a student on track to take such courses the opportunity to do so.
The school does not lose a student to the local community college, or face the possibility of a very bright student whispering that the local high school could not meet her needs. This student will not even have exhausted the school’s math offerings, as Differential is available for student’s senior year.
There are no good reasons for that. But the school may offer too few sections of BC, and may not be rationing them in a sensible manner. At worst, it may be rationing them in a way that would be embarrassing to admit (e.g. to students whose parents have the most political pull, or in a sexist fashion because they do not believe that girls can be that good at math).
Again, this is so dependent on the school that I don’t think you can even speculate about this. The OP has provided little narrative and has not returned to the discussion. For instance, in the case of my kids’ high school and in many high schools, the idea of even having “sections” of BC calculus would be laughable. There were 7 kids in the whole very large public school that were even in BC calculus as seniors when my kid graduated from high school. It’s just not that big a thing in lots of schools. CC is very skewed in that regard, in thinking there are all these kids out there taking all these advanced courses, in all the high schools out there.
No, I don’t think this " all comes out in the wash." That’s the kind of cavalier attitude toward the education of gifted students that is so frustrating. This kid has earned straight As in every math class, she’s way ahead of grade level and yet some administrator thinks it’s ok to hold her back. This is not ok. It’s not about a “race”. It’s about students being entitled to an appropriate education, of course within reason, which this appears to be.
Here’s something to think about: will your kid need math in college for her major or interests?
taking AB jr. year and BC senior year could get your kid out of a full year of math in college; and allow her to start in calc 3; your D would also have a solid foundation.
If just BC is taken as a jr, that senior year without calc might skew or hurt college placement tests and almost be a setback. We purposely chose AB and then BC for our kid; it’s turned out great.
We do know a kid who took BC as a jr, then a higher level his senior year, but bombed his AP calc test and did not get credit for it. When he started college he started back at calc 1.
I’d definitely talk to the math dept about it all. Whatever you decide, it’s good you’re an advocate for your child.
But, again, none of us know enough about this particular situation. Both my kids were in gifted education stuff from the get go. Unless there is more info, it is impossible to know what has or hasn’t been offered/ done in the past. I’m sorry if you find my attitude “cavalier.” I don’t have kids that are “severely gifted” with 160 + IQ’'s. I don’t have the impression the OP does either, but maybe I am wrong on that. Just not enough information.
Seems like there are now many high schools where there are students placed in the +2 math track who really are not great students in math (maybe good, but not great, at math, so the +1 or even the +0 math track may be more appropriate for them). Otherwise, why would it be “necessary” for students on the +2 math track to have to take a slower paced calculus (AB and BC over two years) than what the +0 math track students eventually take?
But it is unlikely that the OP’s daughter is an inappropriately accelerated student if she earned an A in honors precalculus in 10th grade.
Yes, there are, and ours is one of them. But those students are getting Bs already from the get-go in algebra1, and they are floundering in algebra 2. They are not getting straight As through honors precalc.
@sevmom says "For instance, in the case of my kids’ high school and in many high schools, the idea of even having “sections” of BC calculus would be laughable. " and I am nodding away. There was talk of it not even being offered next year due to lack of demand at our large public high school.
c.c. is not the rest of the world.
Funny, I was thinking, aren’t they lucky the school is willing to run a class with only 7 students. Our school would cancel it.
When I went to high school, there was only one section of calculus, which was BC. Only about a third of high school graduates went to four year colleges, mostly state universities. Many others went to the local community college. Nearly all of the calculus class was students on the +1 track (a +2 student only showed up every few years). Most of these students were in the honors geometry, algebra 2, and precalculus classes in previous years.
In my high school, there were no AP classes. If you wanted a college class, there was a college right down the street from the high school. I know one guy in my class did take a college math class, and a think a few took science classes when they were seniors. This was not a small school, about 600 per class. Even today the school only offers a handful of AP classes. The college is still just down the street.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
At this point, until the OP comes back and answers the questions posed, any posts that are mere speculation are serving no purpose.
At both my daughters and son’s schools if you take precalc, you are not allowed to take AP calc AB. If you want to continue with calc you have to take BC. We were told AB is a more in depth rehash of precalc. Kids could take stats instead if they did not want to take BC.
College Board does have something called AP Potential. They do not suggest denying AP classes to any motivated student. But, they do suggest that you can get an idea of how someone will do based on things like PSAT or SAT scores( and suggest that is a better predictor than grades). “What’s the best way to identify students who should take this course.?” http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/220300.html
Oh come on, the college board of course is trying to cross-promote their products to sell schools on the idea that their tests are better predictors of student performance than a years-long track record of performance and teacher evaluations. The OP’s kid performed well in every prior course. Maybe she was a little off the day she took the PSAT. Kids may be tired or anxious or sick and they still have to take the PSAT. Maybe she just not that good at speed math. There is clearly a very wide range of speeds that people work at (if you don’t believe me check out a high level Mathcounts countdown competition and see if you can even finish reading the question before they answer it) and those on the low end are now allowed disability accommodations. Maybe she’s just on the slower side.