AP Math credit

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  • June 22, 2015 at 12:24 pm
    Rebekahy
    Participant

    I would like to prepare my girls to take the AP calculus test. We are currently using Math U See – has anyone used this curriculum with success through calculus and had their child go on to pass the Calc AP test? Or should we switch – my oldest is just finishing Zeta so I’m thinking this would be a good time to switch if we need to – though I REALLY like the DVD teaching aspect of Math U See – it’s so user friendly!

    Thanks,
    Rebekah

    June 27, 2015 at 2:46 pm
    Rebekahy
    Participant

    bump – Is Bookworm still on the forum?

    June 28, 2015 at 7:15 am
    Hope to Learn
    Participant

    No matter whatcalculus curriculum you use, buy two different AP Calculus prep books. You can buy the ones in the thrift stores (e.g., Goodwill) for five bucks and they will do fine. The test has not changed and is not scheduled to change until the 2016-2017 school year, so any previous prep books will be good.  They all have the same content, but have different spins – look through and see what looks most appealing to your daughters.

    You will gravitate towards one of the books. Work in this one along side your curriculum – rigorously!  Do the model problems as you go. Pick one of the book’s sample exams (as each will have one at the end) and work through it as you work through that topic in your curriculum. Save the other exam for practice in April before you take the exam.

    You can go to the College Board website and get tons of helpful materials to study for the test:
    https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-calculus-ab

    They have many free response examples. After a few months in the curriculum you’ll be able to start doing these.

    This is actually a good way to approach any AP test. The College Board website has lots of information and practice for each of their tests. Utilize that website!

    Hope that is helpful and may your daughters score a 5.

    June 29, 2015 at 5:36 am
    Bookworm
    Participant

    Have tried MUS calculus.  We had two problems—my memory wasn’t good enough to untangle the problems where they made a mistake.  Well, I guess what I mean is I could do it–but it took a lot of time.  I was spending all afternoon every afternoon trying to find the error.  So that was hard.  And, then, just when I’d give up and contact Peter at the forum, I’d find out there was a misprint and that had been our problem.  After that happened for the third or fourth time, we decided the calculus experience would be smoother at the community college.  So that’s what we did.  We did not take the AP.  I’ve actually been disappointed in the number of colleges that will give credit for AP, and it’s even worse for CLEP.  I concur with hope to learn that whatever curriculum you do decide to use, get an AP prep book and use alongside.

    I would see no reason to change your curriculum now, regardless of whether you intend to use MUS’s calc.  If it’s working, go ahead and use it through pre-calc.  We had no trouble at all with the curriculum before then, and my sons that went straight from MUS pre-calc to college calculus had no problems.  In fact, the teacher said they were better prepared in especially trig than many of the other students he saw.

    June 29, 2015 at 3:44 pm
    Rebekahy
    Participant

    Thank you Michelle – that is wonderfully helpful. As I was thinking about this, I wondered… is calculus even necessary in high school for a child who doesn’t care for math and is not likely to pursue a career in a science or math related field? Perhaps she would be better served from allowing her to slow down, really process the information well and focus on getting her through enough math to really do well on the SAT or ACT instead of going for the AP credit. Thoughts?

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