The Fremont Unified School District is considering making significant changes to its math pathways for AP Calculus prerequisites for the 2025-2026 school year. These proposed adjustments aim to improve accessibility to advanced math courses and provide more opportunities for students to succeed. However, the plan has sparked debate among educators, parents, and students, with concerns about balancing accessibility and academic rigor.
Under this new proposal, middle school students struggling with math or hoping to advance a math level could take support classes alongside their regular coursework, rather than being placed in remedial courses. High school students starting Algebra 1 later could “double up” on courses like Geometry and Algebra 2 in the same year to catch up. Additionally, a new Summer Math Academy would give middle school students opportunities to qualify for accelerated math pathways.
One of the most debated additions to this proposal is the removal of the 93% grade prerequisite in Pre-Calculus for AP Calculus AB or BC, meaning the necessary grade would become optional. A district official explained that this change is aimed at “removing unnecessary barriers,” noting that many neighboring districts don’t enforce similar requirements. They have also added how removing prerequisites for some classes will encourage students to take more rigorous classes. However, the proposal has drawn mixed reactions. Some teachers fear students may undermine the rigor of AP Calculus. Mrs. Chung, the current AP Calculus AB teacher, commented, “I’m worried that students who aren’t fully prepared will struggle in Calculus, which could create challenges for the other teachers and classmates.” Ms. Mohandas, the head of the math department drew attention to course pacing and sizing, saying, “I feel like it will affect the pacing and place a lot of stress on the teacher, since if we have a lot of kids who are not prepared, that automatically brings the pace down.”
On the other hand, students who are hoping to take AP Calculus and students who have already taken AP Calculus have shared their insights. Ritika Surana (12), a former AP Calculus student, shares her thoughts on this, saying “I think that the prerequisite should be necessary to do well. And I feel like that made it so that the people in the class were well equipped to handle the material, which was pretty tough, and so I think that that enabled more people to succeed in her class than people like doing really badly because they didn’t know the base material.”
The Board has yet to finalize a proposal, but students, parents, and teachers will be closely observing how the pathways change.
