S/o math moms/moms of seniors

[SusanAR]

I talked to the director of the cc today and she said ds's ACT score places him in calculus, not college algebra. On one hand,I think it would be a bit intimidating to take cc calculus without prior calculus knowledge, but the cc might be a good opportunity and more relaxed than the university.

 

 

Or we could do it at home, but to be honest, I don't think I've got it in me to try....

 

 

Now what to do?

[nchser]

What has he taken up to this point?

[Catherine]

I think college algebra is an important precursor for calculus. It definitely covers new material that is needed in calculus. What has he already taken?

[Dana]

I'm not as familiar with the ACT, but the college I used to work at did place students based on the SAT and it was a terrible decision. You need a placement test that actually tests specific math knowledge. I don't know if the ACT does that or not.

 

Taking calculus for the first time at a cc is not necessarily a problem.

What a student needs for calculus is a solid foundation in algebra (and trig if it's a trig-based calculus).

 

For algebra, minimums include (and I may be forgetting some things): exponential rules (need these cold - they're about as important as times tables), arithmetic with rationals, solving quadratics (factoring & quadratic formula).

 

For trig, unit circle / basic trig identities (sin pi/4 etc). Pythagorean identities.

 

It's been a while since I last taught calculus, so I really may be forgetting some things. If your son is pretty confident with these concepts (can do problems with them without looking anything up), give the calc class at the cc a try. If it looks too tough in the first week he probably can still drop back to a college algebra course.

[LoriM]

I am grateful that although my daughter had completed Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, and Calculus at home with me, we chose to start at College Algebra when she entered the CC at 16. I've said it before and I'll say it again (grin), I think there is plenty of time for your child to move into higher math *even if* he regresses and repeats some concepts in Algebra at the college level. My daughter actually graduated with her BA (in mathematics!) before the age of 21, after having "started over" at College Algebra at 16. So don't worry about putting him behind, or making him "bored." It should help him firmly master algebra and give him a taste of the pace and demand of a college course on material he's already fairly familiar with.

[SusanAR]

Sorry, I mentioned in the other post that he used Chalkdust precal last year, but i didn't mention it in my s/o question.

[Teachin'Mine]

Since he's already done the pre-calc, the next step is calculus. The only question is whether to do it at the cc, or some other way. There's more options than just you teaching him, there are online course and other options too. If he did well in pre-calc and is interested in taking a cc class, the calculus might be a good idea. If he finds that it moves too fast or isn't right for any reason, he can always opt out and pick up at home where he left off.

[LinRTX]

I would put him in College Algebra. Both of mine backed up a level in college from what I knew yhey were capable of and it was a good experience. They could already do the work and learned to work at the faster pace of a college class.

 

Linda

[Guest Barb B]

What is he thinking of majoring in? If it is engineering or a pre med type thing then go with the calculus. If he has to take it again (because it doesn't transfer) or if he has to take more calculus then having it now will be invaluable. Having precalc is much more important to have before calculus then college algebra. My ds is interested in engineering, we are doing calculus this year. I don't think I saw on any college site that he would be taking college algebra at all! Just YEARS of calculus. So I want to make sure it is not all so new when he takes it in college.

Barb

[Miss Marple]

My son was in the same position when he began dual enrollment at our local university. I was unsure of where to place him because he scored very well on the ACT math. I contacted the head of the math/science department and asked him that same question. He recommended college algebra even though his scores placed him in calculus. The difference between your son and mine is that my ds had not had a formal, complete pre-calc course. He is just very math adept and can figure out things he may not have seen before. But if your son scores high and has all the pre-reqs for calculus he might do very well.

 

We went with the college algebra. He found it to be extremely easy, scoring over 100% on each exam (they give lots of extra credit). He did learn some things we had not covered at home and it boosted his confidence that he could handle college courses. And it gave him a nice 3 credit A on his transcript!

 

For us, it was important that ds be successful in the courses he chose in order to give him the knowledge that he *could* do the work. He will do trig this fall at the CC and calculus in the spring. If your son is a confident student, he may do fine with the calculus - or you could just take one step back and do trig in the fall and calculus in the spring.

 

One thing to double check is whether the calculus will transfer to the university he would like to attend. My oldest son took calculus 1 as a senior at the CC then chose to attend the state university to study petroleum engineering. The calculus did not transfer even though the text was the same. When we asked about it, we were told that the engineering calculus he needed would cover less material but in more depth each semester. So he re-took calculus 1 at the university. And he noticed a huge difference! It was much more difficult at the university level (I think he had an instructor who was more concerned that the students appreciate how smart he was rather than one who was interested in teaching).

Edited August 9, 2010 by CynthiaOK

[emubird]

Does your son have an opinion? Would he rather do an easy course where he might know everything? Or a harder course that would either transfer as credit, or make his life easier if he has to take calc over again?

 

If he's really good with algebra, I'd suggest he just go right in to calculus. If he's had the trig and other things, that will probably be enough, even if he's having a bit of trouble with the recall just now. They come back easily enough. However, a student really has to be able to do algebra quickly and confidently.

 

If his math ACT is really high and if he's pretty confident with algebra, he's likely going to be completely bored by the college algebra course. Some kids like having a course they can breeze through, but others check out and fail the course even though they knew all the material.

 

If his plan is to do something like physics or engineering, and if the school he eventually attends requires students to take calc before starting physics, then getting one semester of calc out of the way will put him

a semester ahead in the physics sequence (which will then put him a semester ahead in the engineering sequence). This depends on the school, though.

 

Also, calc in a smaller class with lots of support will likely be a lot easier than calc in a big class later. And even if he gets a C in calc now and feels he has to repeat it, he'll be ahead of the game when retaking it.

[memphispeg]

Others have said this. If he has done pre-calc, he is ready. I agree with the person who said let him try calc. He will get a good sense of how quickly college math classes move. You could supplement the class a bit with extra tutoring at home so that he doesn't get lost. The cc class would probably be just what he needs.

[April in CA]

Hi Susan,

My son used Thinkwell Calculus after completing Chalkdust PreCal. This worked very well for him! We only had time for a semester of Calc, but he jammed through tons of material with Thinkwell. There is no parent involvement required, unless you need to remind you student to log on and do the lessons. This is a good thing, since I haven't studied calculus in 29 years (college). Hope this helps!

Blessings,

April