Photo courtesy of Ben Bradfield

An additional way AP Precalculus differs from the Honors version of the class is its focus on rates of change. Rates of change are introduced in the very beginning of AP Precalculus, while they are barely mentioned in Honors.

The debut of AP Precalculus in replacement of Honors Precalculus has caused a stir among students, with many frustrated about missing out on the advantages of AP Precalculus.
¨I was a little annoyed at first when I found out that other juniors will be getting college credit and the prestige of an AP that I was never offered,” said junior Avril Barcheck, who took Honors Precalculus her sophomore year.
Although AP Precalculus does offer potential college credit, it’s unlikely to be useful towards a calculus-requiring major, such as one in STEM.
“Most colleges don’t even offer a precalculus course. So having that AP Precalculus credit is not going to help students towards a STEM major,” said AP Precalculus teacher Becky Barnes. “It’s really only going to help students who are maybe trying to finish off a general education credit.”
Despite the perks of AP Precalculus not being as beneficial in reality as they appear on paper, students currently taking AP Precalculus were still understanding towards feelings of irritation.
“I’ve heard that [students think] AP [Precalculus] is pretty much just a joke,” said sophomore Annabelle Schulz, who is taking BC Precalculus. “It’s basically just Honors with an extra GPA boost. I definitely understand why some people would be frustrated that they didn’t get the option to take an AP when it’s not that different.”
Some even didn’t agree with the creation and implementation of the class in the first place.
“I think this was not too good of a decision to make [Honors] into an AP,” said sophomore Olive Han, who takes BC Precalculus. “It’s unfair to the people before me.”
The rigor of AP Precalculus in comparison to Honors has also ruffled student feathers, as both classes are of a similar caliber in terms of difficulty and complexity.
“I wouldn’t say one is more difficult than the other,” said AP Precalculus teacher Shannon Rapoza. “They’re just different. In fact, what students are doing in AP Precalc this year, we have not done in previous years in [Honors] Precalculus.”
Another way AP Precalculus differs itself from Honors Precalculus is that students can choose between AB and BC options. AB and BC Precalculus are not official College Board models but were created by WS to categorize each class according to the amount of material taught.
“AP Precalc BC is going to cover everything on the AP exam plus additional content students need to be successful in BC Calculus,” said Barnes. “AP Precalc AB is only going to cover the required content for the exam.”
If given the chance, some of last year’s Honors students would have opted to take the AP version of the class.
¨I would have taken [AP Precalculus] because it would have been the same as Honors but with added benefits,” said senior Daniel Hamzai, who took Honors Precalculus his junior year.
According to Rapoza, while students may feel frustrated, the advent of AP Precalculus was inevitable. In the end, it was impossible to avoid disserving certain students.
“Yes, it doesn’t seem fair, but it had to happen at some point,” said Rapoza. “I feel for [Honors Precalculus students] big time because they took a very difficult class last year. They didn’t get the opportunity for college credit. And I understand that.”