elegantlion Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've decided to try and CLEP out of a few of my college classes, college algebra being one. I probably won't try until fall and I have a few books on hand to study from. There is a CLEP college algebra and pre-calc test which my university accepts credit for both. I have some pre-calc books I could use, but should I use a "college algebra" labeled text? Also, I'm considering having ds test and learn with me, which would push back the testing a bit as he probably won't finish algebra 2 until the end of 2014. The colleges he is considering also accept CLEP credit. He's not sure what major he'll want, but at this point he's steering more toward languages instead of technology as he was before. Would it less desirable to have College Algebra vs. Pre-Calc on a transcript? Where would we go after College Algebra? Trig? The titles confuse me. Could we use a Pre-Calc book for test prep and just have him finish it to give a Pre-Calc credit on the transcript? The college algebra book my university uses gets abysmal reviews, so I don't even want to buy a used copy of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Here is a list of textbooks for college algebra to go with the CLEP test: https://clep.collegeboard.org/exam/college-algebra/resources I am not personally familiar with any of them, but on these boards, many people are singing the praises of Lial's textbooks. If you buy an old edition, it should be cheap: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0321499131/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1388712357&sr=8-2 as in $5 including shipping. College algebra would be followed by trigonometry. I would see no problem with doing College Algebra and then Trig and calling the entire course Precalculus on the transcript. I am under the impression that College algebra is only half on the precalc course, so I would make sure he also does some trig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 There's no reason he couldn't do college algebra, CLEP it, and then finish it so he has precalc on his transcript. I am just using Lial's for the first time in the spring semester for a course I'm teaching, and from reading through the book I really like it. There are far far far more problems than you really need though, so doing just odds/evens is totally reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Looking at the above list, I've liked the Dugoposki texts I've used. http://interactmath.com/home.aspx Great practice problems. The help me solve this feature should be very useful. Pick a text and do practice here, get any prior edition text for written explanations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 … The college algebra book my university uses gets abysmal reviews, so I don't even want to buy a used copy of it. I would not give much weight to a student's review of the book, especially in math. I audited college algebra a couple of years ago (my major was physics years ago, so algebra is pretty basic to me). The only instructor I could get had terrible reviews on rate my professor, but I found him to be excellent. We used the Dugopolski book and I don't remember anything negative about it. I also found interact math to be very helpful. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 At our local cc, college algebra (semester course) + trig (semester course) = precalculus (also a semester course). So you can see that the precalc course is much faster paced. This same cc uses the Lial's textbooks, and the material in the college algebra and then in the trig texts is identical to the material in the precalculus book. So you can see that the precalc text is much larger! I have purchased and worked through portions of the Lial's precalculus text (older edition...like Regentrude said...it didn't cost more than $5). I think it is excellent. The explanations are much clearer than Foerster (which we used for Alg 2), and there are LOTS of sample problems. Plenty of practice opportunities. By the way, I am finishing up "auditing" Coursera's precalc course from UC Irvine (enrolled too late to actually take full course). The short videos in that course are very well-done and helped clear up some trig issues that my rusty brain was having. :-) If Coursera offers it again in the spring, you may want to take a look at it. I have found it to be quite helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Thanks everyone. I'll probably buy the Lial's text. We're using her text for Intermediate Algebra and I like the format. Thanks for the reminder of Interact Math, I had it bookmarked and promptly forget about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I've decided to try and CLEP out of a few of my college classes, college algebra being one. I probably won't try until fall and I have a few books on hand to study from. There is a CLEP college algebra and pre-calc test which my university accepts credit for both. Another possible option to consider: Does your university have a transfer credit program with a local community college? In my area they have a self-paced College Algebra class that the university will take as credit. Sometimes these classes are available online as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 In general PreCalc at the CC is a review course for those who have taken high school PreCalc or DE CA and Trig, but not placed into Calc. CA and Trig are a semester each, 3 cr each. PreCalc is a semester, 4 credits; here it's not open to those who have taken CA and Trig. This is so variable by state and by university that you cannot really apply 'in general' to it. At many of the universities where I have been, the progression was college algebra - precalc - calc. There was no 'trig' class. At a few, students could take college algebra, then either precalc OR trig, then calc. The only reason, really, to take the college algebra clep would be if the only gen ed class you needed was college algebra. Many universities will grant placement into precalc but NOT credit for college algebra, so you would still have to take another course. Unless the student is attending this sort of university I can't see a reason for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 It does not sound like the op is in one of those u's if she is asking whether to take ca or precalc. Do the u's u have been at not give credit for placing out of ca? The state u I attended did givr me 4 credits for placing out of ca and trig. Inexpensive compared to clep. OP needs college algebra for her major and seems to be asking whether her DS should clep college algebra with her or just study the full precalc curriculum and clep that. The answer to whether he should clep at all is going to depend on where he goes, so frankly I wouldn't waste money on the test until he knows for sure where he's going and whether they accept it or just do placement tests. Most of the universities I have been at have not given credit for placement tests. There were separate tests for credit but they were usually only available for calculus and higher. At one, there was a test for the gen ed math course (covered statistics, logic, and consumer math) but specifically not for college algebra. This was because students who did not need college algebra for their major were deliberately discouraged from taking it as the general education class was considered more relevant. At one, college algebra was the minimum gen ed course and students who passed the placement test did not receive college credit but were exempted from the math requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 To answer a few questions: There is no other CC close that is cheaper. For me, I'm trying to avoid taking any math classes. My major only requires one general ed math class, choice of several. I tested out of remedial classes, so I placed into college math, but there is no credit given for the placement. The lowest CLEP test they accept for credit is College Algebra. I'm also trying to cut my 5 year BA plan down to 4 with some strategic planning. Of the few colleges ds is currently considering, they also accept credit for the CLEP College Algebra, as well as the higher ones. They likelihood he will stay in-state for school is quite high. He's not sure where his major will lie yet, the only STEM field would be in technology. If he has CLEP credit for College Algebra he'll have a general ed out of the way, and won't have to retake it at the college level. He could even wait and do the PreCalc test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 For YOU, I think CLEP college algebra is totally reasonable. For your son, I would be much more inclined to do precalc if he does a test at all. If he changes his major to something that requires precalc he wouldn't have to retake it. I don't think I'd make that decision now, though -- by the time he gets close to testing it should be near the end of 11th grade or maybe beginning of 12th, and he'll have a much better idea of where he's looking at college then. I'd save the $80 until he's sure he's attending somewhere that takes it AND doesn't give credit for placement examinations AND doesn't have an in-house exemption exam. Some colleges give their own exams if a student wants to try to earn credit for a class. Some colleges will allow this but do not advertise the policy. As an undergraduate, I went to the department to try to earn credit by examination for a specific class. They rarely had requests but allowed me to take the comprehensive final along with the students who were enrolled in the class. When I earned an A on the final, they recorded me as having taken the course and earned an A. The biggest difference will be that college algebra won't require trig and analytic geometry. Precalc will. You could easily just follow along with your son through the chapters of a precalc text that have to deal with algebra, and then when he gets to the trig/geometry part of the text, stop learning new stuff and start studying with a clep-specific test prep book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 For YOU, I think CLEP college algebra is totally reasonable. For your son, I would be much more inclined to do precalc if he does a test at all. If he changes his major to something that requires precalc he wouldn't have to retake it. I don't think I'd make that decision now, though -- by the time he gets close to testing it should be near the end of 11th grade or maybe beginning of 12th, and he'll have a much better idea of where he's looking at college then. I'd save the $80 until he's sure he's attending somewhere that takes it AND doesn't give credit for placement examinations AND doesn't have an in-house exemption exam. Some colleges give their own exams if a student wants to try to earn credit for a class. Some colleges will allow this but do not advertise the policy. As an undergraduate, I went to the department to try to earn credit by examination for a specific class. They rarely had requests but allowed me to take the comprehensive final along with the students who were enrolled in the class. When I earned an A on the final, they recorded me as having taken the course and earned an A. The biggest difference will be that college algebra won't require trig and analytic geometry. Precalc will. You could easily just follow along with your son through the chapters of a precalc text that have to deal with algebra, and then when he gets to the trig/geometry part of the text, stop learning new stuff and start studying with a clep-specific test prep book. I might study for my test over the summer and wait until ds is done with pre-calc to do his. My university only does test outs in a few subjects, no math. Ds works slowly on math, however, and it might be better for him to do a college algebra year, then trig the first semester of his senior year. I'm not making any decisions for him right now, yet I like to have options lined up as we move forward. And why does it have to be so cold today, it's like my brain is frozen too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I might study for my test over the summer and wait until ds is done with pre-calc to do his. My university only does test outs in a few subjects, no math. Ds works slowly on math, however, and it might be better for him to do a college algebra year, then trig the first semester of his senior year. I'm not making any decisions for him right now, yet I like to have options lined up as we move forward. And why does it have to be so cold today, it's like my brain is frozen too. Studying ahead is a good plan. I hope I wasn't unclear, but what I meant by not making decisions is -- while keeping the options open, and thinking about the future, I wouldn't go ahead and do the test now. I'd have him do the precalc book, however long it takes -- if it takes one year, call it precalc -- if it takes 1.5 years, call it a credit of college algebra and a half-credit of trig/analytic geometry. Precalc books are jam-packed and most college courses don't finish the whole book, so giving more than 1 credit seems absolutely reasonable if it takes more than a year. Honestly I think a lot of high school students (not the very top ones of course) would be better off taking more time on algebra and precalc instead of hurrying to calculus. Unfortunately I don't make the educational policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 You might want to check out http://www.aleks.com/ as well. They send out codes for two free months frequently. My dd's college will allow her to use aleks as her math instead of a CLEP. My friends daughter was able to use three courses through Aleks to count towards her maths for college. This girl was really good at math to begin with and was able to knock off all three credits in those two free months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 You might want to check out http://www.aleks.com/ as well. They send out codes for two free months frequently. My dd's college will allow her to use aleks as her math instead of a CLEP. My friends daughter was able to use three courses through Aleks to count towards her maths for college. This girl was really good at math to begin with and was able to knock off all three credits in those two free months. I used Aleks to help me with the placement test. My university uses it for remedial classes. Where you do find the two month free codes? On their site I only found like 3 days or 1 week, which required a lot of cramming on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 You can try here http://www.aleks.com/webform/c239 Usually, I learn about the codes through our local homeschool group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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