b) There is an argument that you are better prepared for college taking the slower AB Calculus class (one college semester) vs. the faster paced BC Calculus (two semesters). Because it's better to have a SOLID grounding in algebra & early calculus than to have speed through it.
FWIW I disagree with this - for students who are good at math. From my perspective (which may be totally skewed, except that back in the old old old days I did take AP Calc in high school (before the AB vs BC split). It seems to me that the reason there is an AB Calc is due to the push to get as many kids as possible taking AP courses - hence the need for a slower-paced Calculus course. For kids who have a good aptitude for math, there's no reason to think that taking BC Calculus should be an issue or to think that they wouldn't have a solid grounding in what is covered in the AB course (or the BC course), and there is a lot of potential up side to taking BC - I suspect it will look better in terms of setting a student apart from kids who took AB, and it will also potentially give the student more college credit.
That said, I absolutely understand the confusion over deciding what to do re grade vs challenge, so more on that in my next reply...
Best wishes,
polarbear
