Welcome Parents and Students to theAP Calculus AB

Parent-Student-Teacher Meeting for 2015-2016

Agenda

• Introductions• What is AP?• Why do we do AP?• How do we do AP?• The Syllabus• Course Requirements• Professional Development opportunities, AP Student Club

Introductions

• Ms. Alicia Garrett Mrs. Alicia McWilliams oFinishing my 2nd year at GHS, LOVE IT!oVoted as the May 2015 GISD Teacher of the MonthoOriginally from Austin, TX, attended UNT, just keep moving north!• Future Students• Former Students: Hannah Gerken, Alex Huerta, Morgan Moore• Current Students: Jacob Goldsworthy and Jordan Moore

What is AP?

• AP stands for Advanced Placement• AP Courses are designed and developed by the College Board, the same parent

company in charge of SAT and ACT• AP Courses are yearlong courses taken in high school of college material• Summative test in May that can earn you college credit if you receive a passing

score• Tests are graded on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best.• Tests cost approximately $91• There are 37 different AP courses and exams that are offered by College Board• To receive weighted credit for this course, you are required to take the exam at the

end of the year.

What is AP Calculus AB?

There are two types of AP Calculus classes offered by College Board:Calculus AB and Calculus BC

• Here at GHS, we only offer Calculus AB• The difference: BC contains 50% more material than AB. Imagine having 3

semesters worth of material crammed into two.• The BC exam would give more college credit if you received a 5.• Some schools offer both AB and BC like we would Precal then Calculus. Some

schools let students take BC in lieu of AB, like most of you have taken an Honors course instead of taking a regular course.• Once the AP Calculus program is established here at GHS, Cal BC might be an

option.

What is AP Calculus AB?

• Calculus AB does get you college credit. • Acceptable scores from surrounding colleges and universities:

NCTC UNT UT Austin A&M Texas Tech Texas State OU

Math-Calculus AB 3, 4, or 5 Calculus I MATH 2413 4

Calculus AB 3, 4, 5 4 MATH 1710

Calculus AB 4,5 MATH 1426

Calculus AB 4* MATH 151 4

MATH1451 1 AP: Calculus AB 4 4

Calculus AB 3 4 MATH 2471

Math —

Calculus AB

3 -

MATH

1823

4 - MATH

1914

5 - MATH

1914

What is AP Calculus AB?

• The College Board is completely responsible for this course. This course is NOT governed by Texas, it is not a required course. This course does not have TEKS like all other previous math courses. However…• The College Board has redesigned many of the AP Courses and Exams

recently. One of these courses is the AP Calculus AB and BC.• The redesign of this course includes Mathematics Practices for AP

Calculus, Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Learning Objectives

in other words: specific skills and ideas set up in a TEKS way

The Mathematic Practices for AP Calculus (MPACs)Shown below is an example of MPAC 1.

• Lasting Understandings that are not unique to Calculus, but translate to all levels and genres of math.

• Can (and will) show up throughout the year

The Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Learning Objectives

The Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Learning Objectives

AP vs. Dual Credit

With our partnership with NCTC, why would we offer AP courses?• NCTC can give you college credit without relying on one single test

grade, but…If taking Calculus 1 at NCTC, you would first have to meet their

prerequisites, College Algebra and Trig or PrecaculusIf taking Cal 1 at NCTC, you have a semester to learn what we get

a year to learnIf taking Cal 1 at NCTC in the fall, you are left with NO options for

the Spring of 2016, as the Gainesville campus has not offered Cal 2 in recent years.

So why take AP?

• If we have dual credit through NCTC, then why is AP Calculus an option?

In 2013, the College Board published a study “Are AP® Students More Likely to Graduate from College on Time?” By Krista D. Mattern, Jessica P. Marini, and Emily J. Shawa

This study tracked students who took AP courses and exams in HS and their four-year graduation rates.

Out of students who don’t take AP courses, 38% will graduate college in four years.

On average, 69% to 71% of students who take AP courses and score a 4 or 5 on the exam will graduate college with in four years.

The AP Calculus course’s rigor and material prepare students for college and universities! Pair that with the dual credit you are almost all taking, and you WILL be college ready.

Lasting effects for GHS students.

I have asked a few former students to talk about their experience with this AP Calculus AB course in relation to their academic success. Alex HuertaMorgan MooreHannah Gerken

I have also asked some current students to speak about taking their experience in AP Calculus AB this year, their academic success, and taking dual credit courses at the same time as this course.Jacob GoldsworthyJordan Moore

How do we do AP Calculus?

• Use the “Notecard” system: Colored paper for each vital topic that will be on the AP exam.• Notecards are numbered, currently there are 79. • Notecards will also be annotated for the new objectives.• Class structure

A hands on activity, a real world question, or a conversation that leads into the topic.

Go over the notecard, complete examples from the AP exam starting with Notecard #1

Tests structured like AP exams

The Syllabus: The highlights

• Goals• Materials• Late Work• Calculators• Online assignments and videos: http://gainesvilleisd.org/Domain/463 • Corrections• Study Buddies• My contact information• Year-at-a-Glance

Course Requirements

• Grade: Precalculus grade must meet the requirements set by the administration and counselors to qualify for an honors/AP course.

• Summer Assignment: must be completed by the first day of school.

A few good things…

• I will be attending two AP Conferences over the summerOne from the College Board, specifically for Calculus ABAnother from the technology company HP. Upon completion, GHS will get a

$5,000 grant for new calculators for the classroom!• AP Student Club

All students in an AP course are considered members.We will raise money throughout the year to subsidize the costs of the AP

exams, purchase materials we need in class for activities, purchase study materials, and possibly pay for field trips.

This year the AP student club has raised $2,200, reduced the cost of the test from $91 to $25.

Thank you so much for attending this meeting!

It is so important to me that we are all working together to make our seniors

successful!

My email: agarrett@gainesvilleisd.org