Tackling tougher courses adds up at Souhegan

It seems to many that high school math classes keep on getting more advanced as the years go on. I doubt many parents remember even having the option of taking a calculus course as a junior. Yet, even in public schools such as Souhegan High School, it’s now commonplace for juniors and seniors to be enrolled in Advanced Placement calculus and statistics courses. So, what is causing this trend? What’s behind the students who take these courses and why do they want to take them? Much of it links back to the parent. “AP courses look good on transcripts, and a lot of students are just looking to get into college,” AP calculus teacher Terry Berna said. “But especially in this community, you find students where taking a calculus or statistics course is expected of them.” It’s easy to see where this comes from. As colleges get more competitive, students look for ways to make them stand out of the crowd, so you wind up with students who might not have any interest in pursuing math as a career taking advanced courses just to look better. You also find students who are taking a higher math not because they need it, but because it’s the logical expectation for them.