Recently, math lovers rejoiced after the College Board announced that they will be introducing a new course, AP Precalculus, into their vast list of Advancement Placement classes. Although this felt like an easy 5.0 for the number fanatics, others saw this as the reason why they dropped a class for the first time.
AP Precalculus is significantly different from its predecessor at Lambert, Accelerated (Accel) Precalculus, due to the fact that The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) will not be creating the syllabus for this class anymore. Taking over GaDOE, the College Board aims to create a syllabus that explores everyday situations as well as implementing the basic math course.
AP Precalculus was originally designed to bridge the gap between the pre-AP math class, a course offered at other schools in the nation, and precalculus. Although the Forsyth County District does not offer Pre-AP courses, the College Board’s intention was to introduce a more precalculus heavy course instead of having to reteach Algebra 2 to those taking this math class.
“It’s really to help the kids kind of get in that level of rigor and critical thinking skills that they need from an Algebra 2 type class all the way to AP Calc,” AP Calculus BC teacher Melissa Wilson stated.
For those who took Accel Precalculus before, this class felt like a blessing come too late. Lambert Senior, Kashish Palla, took Accel Precalculus his sophomore year and remembers it in spite.
“I think it’s kind of unfair that they release AP precalculus after we took Accel precalculus because I got a B in that class, and if it was [an] AP, it would’ve helped my GPA,” Palla said. “Also, AP students don’t have to take the final, so that might help those taking AP Precalculus right now as well.”
Palla believes that AP Precalculus is an opportunity to maintain a 4.0 GPA for those struggling to keep an A in this math class. He emphasized that the title of “AP” also gives teachers the ability to add curves and additional grade boosters, something that he did not have the privilege of receiving.
From an outsider’s perspective, AP Precalculus sounds like the perfect bridge for those planning on taking AP Calculus courses or math courses offered by Georgia Tech, but for those taking the class, AP Precalculus is much different than what they expected.
“I took some tutoring for precalc over the summer and there was trig [trigonometry] in the curriculum, but now we are literally doing stuff that people do in calculus,” sophomore Arpita Jagga states.
She stresses how the course’s rigor makes her wonder if there should be a class between Algebra 2, the class she took the previous year, and this AP class.
“You need the base for this class,” Jagga mentioned. “You need another class before this one to really do [well] in AP Precalc.”
This evokes the question of whether the Forsyth County District will implement pre-AP courses for those struggling with this new syllabus.
While opinions on the controversial nature of this class differ between Lambert students and faculty, it’s important to note that the College Board remains committed to the continuation of AP Precalculus. Teachers urge students to stay patient with them as they navigate through this new class.
