Calculus Pacing
AP Calculus AB & BC across the Beta four-day calendar — ~144 instructional days, mapped to College Board units and front-loaded for the early-May AP exam.
This is an AP Calculus AB/BC course following the College Board Course & Exam Description (CED) — a collegiate Calculus I–II sequence, not a Texas TEKS/STAAR course. AB ≈ Calculus I (Units 1–8); BC ≈ Calculus I + II, adding series and parametric/polar/vector calculus (Units 9–10). The Beta four-day calendar provides ~144 instructional days (GP1 31 + GP2 36 + GP3 36 + GP4 40). Because the AP exam lands in early May — roughly three weeks before the year ends — instruction is compressed so all five modules finish by late April. Module totals: M1 22 · M2 26 · M3 26 · M4 28 · M5 24 = 126 teaching days, with the remaining ~18 GP4 days reserved for AP review and the post-exam BC capstone / project window. Day spans below are cumulative across the year.
| Topic | Days | Cumulative | AP Units | Emphasis | Target GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1 — Limits & Continuity | |||||
| Limits — graphical, numerical & algebraic | 12 | 1–12 | Unit 1 (1.1–1.9) | AB + BC | GP1 |
| Continuity, IVT & infinite/limit-at-infinity behavior | 10 | 13–22 | Unit 1 (1.10–1.16) | AB + BC | GP1 |
| Module 2 — Derivatives — Definition & Techniques | |||||
| Definition of the derivative & basic rules | 13 | 23–35 | Unit 2 (2.1–2.10) | AB + BC | GP1 → GP2 |
| Chain rule, implicit & inverse differentiation | 13 | 36–48 | Unit 3 (3.1–3.6) | AB + BC | GP2 |
| Module 3 — Applications of Derivatives | |||||
| Contextual rates & related rates | 9 | 49–57 | Unit 4 (4.1–4.7) | AB + BC | GP2 |
| Analyzing functions — MVT, extrema & concavity | 12 | 58–69 | Unit 5 (5.1–5.12) | AB + BC | GP2 → GP3 |
| Optimization, L’Hôpital & BC parametric/polar derivatives | 5 | 70–74 | Unit 5 + Unit 9 (9.1–9.4) | + BC topics | GP3 |
| Module 4 — Integration & the Fundamental Theorem | |||||
| Riemann sums, definite integrals & the FTC | 13 | 75–87 | Unit 6 (6.1–6.7) | AB + BC | GP3 |
| Antiderivatives, substitution & BC techniques (parts, partial fractions) | 9 | 88–96 | Unit 6 (6.8–6.14) | + BC topics | GP3 |
| Accumulation, area, volume & arc length | 6 | 97–102 | Unit 8 (8.1–8.13) | AB + BC | GP3 → GP4 |
| Module 5 — Differential Equations, Series & BC Extensions | |||||
| Differential equations & slope fields (Euler’s method, logistic — BC) | 11 | 103–113 | Unit 7 (7.1–7.9) | AB + BC | GP4 |
| Infinite sequences & series, convergence tests (BC) | 13 | 114–126 | Unit 10 (10.1–10.15) | BC only | GP4 |
| AP Review & Exam | |||||
| Cumulative review — MC timing drills + FRQ rubric practice | ~14 | 127–140 | All units (full CED) | AB + BC | GP4 |
| Post-exam applied capstone / modeling project | ~4 | 141–144 | Synthesis — ungraded by AP | Foundational | GP4 |
Emphasis tags follow the College Board CED: AB + BC topics are tested on both exams; BC only topics (series, parametric/polar/vector calculus, Euler’s method, integration by parts & partial fractions) are added for BC students — AB sections use that time for extra review and depth. AP unit/topic codes reference the official CED, not Texas TEKS. Grading-period targets are planning guides; actual transitions shift slightly with the live calendar (make-up Fridays, breaks). The five modules total 126 teaching days so all AP-tested content lands well before the early-May exam, with the GP4 remainder devoted to review and a post-exam project.
Assessment Calendar
Daily Do Now, mid-module checkpoints, end-of-module unit tests, a mid-year benchmark, and a full-length AP mock — mapped to the calendar and built backward from the early-May AP exam. Unit tests use the AB/BC blend of multiple choice plus free-response so the May rubric is routine, not a surprise.
Do Now · warm-up
A 3–5 minute spiral warm-up opens every class — one item on yesterday’s skill, one on a prior unit (limits, derivative rules, integral forms). It doubles as the daily check-for-understanding and keeps cumulative AP content fresh all year.
Checkpoint · low-stakes
A short formative checkpoint at each module’s midpoint (between topics). Lightly weighted — it tells us whether to keep moving or add a review-game / FRQ-rubric day before the unit test.
Unit Test · graded
A cumulative, AP-styled unit test (no-calculator + calculator sections, MC + FRQ) closes each module, scheduled so the prior session is a deliberate review / re-teach day.
| Module · Unit Test | Recommended test window | Mid-module checkpoint | Grading period |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 · Limits & Continuity | Week of Oct 5–8 | ~Sep 21 (after algebraic limits) | GP1 · before Oct 8 close |
| M2 · Derivatives — Definition & Techniques | Week of Nov 30–Dec 3 | ~Nov 9 (after basic rules) | GP1→GP2 · test in GP2 |
| M3 · Applications of Derivatives | Week of Jan 25–28 | ~Dec 14 (after related rates) | GP2→GP3 · test in GP3 |
| Benchmark · Mid-year diagnostic | Week of Feb 1–4 | Cumulative M1–M3 (limits → derivative apps) | GP3 · local diagnostic |
| M4 · Integration & the FTC | Week of Mar 15–18 | ~Feb 22 (after Riemann sums & FTC) | GP3→GP4 · test in GP4 |
| M5 · Differential Equations, Series & BC | Week of Apr 19–22 | ~Apr 5 (after differential equations) | GP4 · last module before review |
| Full-length AP Mock (AB & BC forms) | Week of Apr 26–29 | Timed MC + FRQ — scored to the AP rubric | GP4 · opens review window |
| ★ AP Calculus AB & BC Exam | First full week of May | College Board national administration | GP4 · ~2 weeks before year-end |
Unit-test windows land in the last days of each module so the prior session can be a review / FRQ-rubric day. The mid-year benchmark (early Feb) is a cumulative diagnostic. The full-length AP mock (late April) is scored to the official rubric and launches the ~2-week review window that ends on the early-May exam date. After the exam, the remaining GP4 sessions support a post-exam capstone / modeling project. All windows are planning targets — shift them a few days with make-up Fridays and breaks on the live calendar, and confirm the exact AP exam date against the current-year College Board schedule.