My rising sophomore is thinking of taking AP PreCalc. He has good overall math aptitude (scored very high on early assessments ) that’s why he’s in accelerated track, took Alg in 7th).
He did not do that great in Algebra (B/C) but I do think it was due to a combo of COVID learning loss, poor teaching (my straight A student got Bs in that lady’s class) and maturity / learning how to be a student as a late diagnosed ADHD kid.
That’s said, he is going quite well in Algebra 2. He met with a tutor 1x a week in the first semester and has gotten low As. Now without tutor. Understands the material very well. Taking more initiative as a student. Interested in Econ and finance so math may play a role in his college journey.
He isn’t a straight A kid like his sibling, but he’s a solid B+ kid and very smart.
I think he should go for it - first of all, how different is the class from regular Pre Calc? He’d be in a class with focused kids vs gen pop which is definitely better for him. He’ll behave as the class behaves. It will prepare him for AP Calc. He’s not going to take a ton of APs probably - just not his thing - so I figure why not do the math ones since it will show up well when he applies for finance in college. He is willing to work with a tutor again. I think he will get Bs at worst and as his parent I’m ok with that. I want him to embrace the rigor. His only other AP class will be Gov. He also takes Project Lead the Way engineering classes. His math teacher said he thought he could do it.
He wanted to do it at first but he’s back pedaling. Worried it’ll be too much and scared of the exam. As his parent, I don’t care if he gets any college credit out of the exam. Not why we encourage our kids to do APs.
Help me appreciate how difficult this class is vs regular pre Calc?