Trustees Approve New AP Precalculus Math Course

Huntington School Board members gave their approval to establish a new Advanced Placement Precalculus course, which will be offered for the first time across the United States in the 2023/24 school year.

“Every year, tens of thousands of American students are derailed by a common obstacle: inadequate preparation for higher-level math,” states the AP Central website. ”A third of college students spend time and money on remedial math courses that don’t count toward their degrees because they lack sufficient math skills. Precalculus is one of the most powerful math courses in American high schools. Taking it increases a student’s likelihood of completing a bachelor’s degree by 155 percent.

According to AP Central:

• AP Precalculus gives any student ready for high school precalculus the opportunity to earn college credit and/or placement and stand out to colleges.

• The course is designed for any student who’s completed both Geometry and Algebra 2. If students are in a school that offers only integrated math, they need to have completed Integrated Math 3.

• Students have access to free, digital learning and practice resources.

• Teachers can use their existing precalculus textbooks and have access to instructional supports through AP Classroom, as well as professional learning opportunities.

Huntington UFSD officials estimate the new course will enroll 75 juniors and seniors. The prerequisite is Algebra 2/Geometry. The district’s Subject Matter Council approved the new course on October 26 and the Educational Development Committee gave it a thumbs-up on November 14.

“The mathematical practices are central to the study and practice of precalculus,” states the course description.

Students will develop and apply the following practices/skills on a regular basis over the span of the course:

Practice 1: Procedural and Symbolic Fluency

Practice 2: Multiple Representations

Practice 3: Communication and Reasoning

The course is organized into units of study that comprise the content and conceptual understandings that colleges and universities typically expect students to master in order to qualify for college credit and/or placement:

Unit 1: Polynomial and Rational Functions

Unit 2: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Unit 3: Trigonometric and Polar Functions

Unit 4: Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices

“AP Precalculus was created to prepare a wide range of students to succeed with the levels of math they may encounter in college,” according to the course rationale presented to trustees. “The course framework delineates content and skills common to college precalculus courses that are foundational for careers in mathematics, physics, biology, health science, social science, and data science. The AP Precalculus course will replace Precalculus Honors; students will have the opportunity to earn AP and/or Beacon college credit upon completion of this course.”