Jackson-Reed High School is offering AP Precalculus for the first time this year along with other schools throughout the country.
The course has been in development since 2021. According to CollegeBoard, “AP Precalculus prepares students for other college-level mathematics and science courses.” The curriculum contains polynomial and rational functions; exponential and logarithmic functions; trigonometric and polar functions; and functions involving parameters, vectors, and matrices.
The May 13 exam will apply concepts learned in units 1-3, spanning three hours, two for 40 multiple-choice questions and one left to a written response section. The multiple choice section will weigh 67% while the written response weighs 33% of the final score.
The Honors Precalculus curriculum is being built in real-time, students will relearn basic concepts of Algebra II and cover essential ideas before entering their calculus courses. AP Precalculus dives deeper into the concepts, while also applying the first instances of calculus.
Leland Casey and Elana Horowitz are the math teachers teaching AP Precalculus this year. The two were given a week of training over the summer by College Board and a curriculum over a month into the school year. Casey had to pick his own curriculum for the first month and has stuck with it since. “The curriculum I chose seems to be working very well,” he said.
It remains unclear whether students will be able to utilize the credit earned through taking the exam, as precalculus is not a course usually offered by universities.
According to College Board, “Precalculus can fulfill a math requirement at a diverse range of colleges and universities, including the majority of public institutions.” Casey explains that to get credit from the course, one must “take the AP test at the end of the year and pass with a three or better.”
Students’ reactions to the course are mixed. “I think the course load of AP Precalculus is a little overwhelming because Algebra II didn’t prepare me,” junior Roger Beckel said.
“AP Precalculus is way harder than any math class I have ever been in,” junior Frances Leibovich said. “I think Algebra II prepared me for it as much as any non-AP class can prepare someone for an AP class, they work totally differently.”
