The College Board is responding to the brewing changes of today's Common Core era by revising the Advanced Placement program so that the focus is on fewer concepts and more depth.Replacing AP Calculus with AP Algebra is a step backwards--and that's putting it nicely.
In an AASA conference session, Advanced Placement in the Common Core Era: Changes and New Developments in the AP Program, on Saturday morning, Trevor Packer, senior vice president of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program, told superintendents that his organization would integrate Common Core standards in AP course standards and AP exams administered each May...
Despite these measures, there are still difficulties in reconciling many AP courses with the Common Core. In particular, AP Calculus is in conflict with the Common Core, Packer said, and it lies outside the sequence of the Common Core because of the fear that it may unnecessarily rush students into advanced math classes for which they are not prepared.
The College Board suggests a solution to the problem. of AP Calculus “If you’re worried about AP Calculus and fidelity to the Common Core, we recommend AP Statistics and AP Computer Science,” he told conference attendees.
Moreover, the College Board may offer an AP Algebra course (although no plans are definite), which may supplant AP Calculus, particularly in schools rigidly adhering to the Common Core standards.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Common Core Will Doom AP Calculus
It's a sad day when people in the education field plan for AP Calculus to go away:
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12 comments:
Look for an increased push for voucher systems. Parents who can will get their kids out of the public system any way they can if this continues.
The system will be even more bifurcated than it is now between wealthy and poor kids.
What is AP algebra?
Polynomial algebra is a high school course.
How do you get college credit for a high school course?
-Mark Roulo
Exactly.
In my suspicion of CCSS math, people have countered that this new "common floor" is not a "common ceiling" and won't limit higher level math. This is disturbing on many levels. And the NCTM better respond.
Just curious: do you have any experience with AP Cal? I teach AP English (Lang and Lit) and have had long discussions with my colleague who teaches AP Cal. She says AP Cal is vastly different than the freshman Cal classes at our state universities and for that reason, the schools aren't offering course credit for AP Cal. We teach at a private school and aren't required to teach Common Core, but she's still frustrated with the AP curriculum. Personally, I don't support Common Core and am anxious about the effect it will have on the AP exam and the changes I may have to make in order to prepare the students for the exam.
As far as I'm concerned the NCTM is part of the problem, has been for years. They were the ones who pushed fuzzy math in the 90s, and look how that turned out.
I have heard only anecdotes about universities' not accepting AP Calculus scores.
I have experience in the taking of both HS AP calculus and college level Calculus, and have taught it, once. My experience, though quite some time ago, was that Calculus AB was virtually identical in difficulty level to that which I had at UC Davis; when I taught it my one time about 20 years later, it was much harder than either, since it relied so heavily on weird trig … just cuz. I'm really worried about the Common Core thing … my daughter is currently taking AB Calc, and doing well … as a junior. She plans to take BC or statistics next year. My son, who is in seventh grade, and who has never missed a single math question on the standardized test he's been given (really. not even one missed bubble) likely will not be able to take even AB Calc due to the fact that Common Core is preventing capable students … what school districts need to realize is this: the natural effect of this dumbing down will be that the smartest kids will be leaving campus to take classes no longer available to them. That means declining enrollment, and fewer math teachers --teachers who I'm guessing would be entirely willing to promote the class. And AP Algebra is a joke. Algebra is considered beyond remedial at the college level.
As to whether or not the colleges accept the scores? It is true that they are accepting fewer, and with limitations. At UCD, my 5 on AP calc counted as 5 units of math credit; my three on AP Physics counted as ten units … but only for elective credit. Nowadays, public universities tend to accept 3s or better for at least some credit … but lots of private ones are only taking 5s, or only giving elective credit, or not accepting them at all …you just need to know what universities you're applying to, and what their rules are.
If college kids can take algebra for credit, then why not an AP algebra class? Yes, it's silly and a massive climbdown from AP Calc--the two classes are literally 5 years apart in the usual curriculum path--but if bad math students can get math credit in college for algebra, and if AP are supposed to be just like college classes (which was the original intent, even if they have drifted very far from this), then AP Algebra (and geometry, trig, and pre-calc) makes some sense.
AP is killing its own brand, sacrificed on the alter of the Common Core. Perhaps they think they have the market locked and don't need to worry about losing students, but many kids have access to universities and community colleges and can pick up actual college credits instead of phony AP test credits.
My school has AP Calc, plus four semester courses past that - Calc III, Differential Equations, Abstract Math, and Linear Algebra. Our top students are well served by AP Calc as a precursor to these higher level classes, and they are much better prepared for their college classes. So, regardless of colleges taking AP Calc credit, it's an important step for our top students. And the CC emphasis on Algebra and AlgII is being done at the expense of our highest achieving students. The argument about the US falling behind the rest of the world will actually worsen with this dismissal of the needs of our best and brightest.
Auntie Ann -- you pose a good question. But students who need remediation at the University level must take the class, pay for it, and do NOT receive credit towards their degree. Horrible waste of money ...
I have a senior, as well as a niece I'm helping put through college, so I've looked at several college's lists of credit/placement policies for AP exam scores. Calc BC is usually worth something, if you get a 4 or a 5, while Calc AB is often worth much less. One of the schools, I forget which now, said that the best indicator that a student would do well in a STEM field was a good score on an AP Physics C exam (there are two - Mechanics and E&M), even more than a good score on one of the Calculus exams.
Our local high school appears to be trying to get rid of AP Calc BC by boring the kids to death. They have had strong classes in the past, but one of the top teachers retired last year. This year, the Calc BC students are watching video lectures during class for the whole first semester. There's a teacher in the class, but they just sit at a desk reading while the video plays. Apparently there will be an actual instructor for the class during the second semester, but the kids are finding the class completely worthless so far - it's all been review for one thing. (They had to take Calc AB last year, school policy to do AB first, then BC.)
While admissions offices may adapt their expectations in light of Common Core and the lack of high school calculus classes in public schools, college professors are much less likely to do so. So that will be interesting.
Anonymous … while I sympathize with your situation? A first year calculus teacher is almost doomed to suck. I did. I still managed an 80% pass rate, but … I was awful. Maybe … it's a lack of effort, which is bad. But I spent easily triple the time on my calc class than I did on any other … and I still wasn't very good. I'll grant you …playing videos is lame (I never did that … once) but still
As to admissions? Colleges have a financial interest in making the student re-take calculus at college prices …don't expect any sympathy there.
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