The report from this meeting will appear in 2017 as a joint

In March 2016, a group of high school teachers, mathematicians, mathematics and science education researchers, state and district supervisors of mathematics, and representatives
of organizations with a stake in these issues including the College Board and the National Academy of Sciences, met for three days in Washington, DC to clarify what we know and
what we need to know about the role of calculus in the transition from high school to college mathematics. These are a few of the graphics shared at this meeting.
The report from this meeting will appear in
2017 as a joint publication of MAA and NCTM.
AP® Calculus Exams
450,000
NSF #1550484
First College Math for those who
took Calculus in High School*
(thousands)
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
800
200,000
150,000
700
100,000
50,000
600
0
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
16
14
12
10
08
06
04
02
00
98
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
by students before grade 12
20
20
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
all exams
500
by students before grade 11
400
In 2015–16, at least 800,000 U.S. high school students were enrolled in a
calculus class. More than 130,000 students took the AP® Calculus exam by
the end of grade 11, more than 13,000 by the end of grade 10.
300
200
100
Calc II or
higher
Calc I, earn A
or B
Calc I, earn C
or lower
Business Calc,
Stat, or no math
Precalc, College
Algebra, or
lower
0
* Best estimates based on a variety of sources
The many routes to College Calculus. Nearly 30% of students taking
Calculus I in college also take precalculus in college, even though they
did well in precalculus or even calculus in high school.
Sadler, P. & Sonnert, G. (In Press.) The Path to College Calculus: The Impact of High School
Coursework. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.
Traditional Precalculus in college is of little benefit to
most students, and actually harms stronger students.
Graph shows regression discontinuity gaps in college
calculus grade through the range of cut-offs of mathematics
preparation for simulated compulsory college precalculus
placement.
Calculus in High School Improves Performance in College Calculus.
Results of a regression model (including college instructor, demographics,
and the two variables of interest, along with significant quadratic terms and
interactions) are shown, with separate curves for those students taking or not
taking high school calculus. Students with a strong preparation for calculus
composite were more likely to enroll in high school calculus than those with
weaker scores.
Sadler, P. & Sonnert, G. (In Press). The Path to College Calculus: The Impact of High School
Coursework. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Sonnert, G., & Sadler, P. M. (2014). The impact of taking a college precalculus
course on students’ college calculus performance. International Journal of
Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(8), 1188-1207.
Support for this work is funded by the National Science
Foundation under grants No. 0910240 & 1420389. The opinions
expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.