> The difference between someone entering college > with either one or two years of calculus and > someone entering with precalc completed is huge... I

> The difference between someone entering college > with either one or two years of calculus and > someone entering with precalc completed is huge... I am not so sure about that. Too many students enter college with a half-assed grasp of math because they were rushed and pressured through the subject matter before they were ready to handle it. Combine that with grade-inflation and the fact that so many students just can't focus on one thing at a time, leads to a really sub-optimal outcome IMHO. Students who go through private schools with mastery-based curriculum are far better prepared for rigorous college math, not because they take 2 years of calculus, but because they've actually mastered the subject matter that they've studied. There should be no shame in slowing things down but keeping the course work rigorous for college-bound students.