Math

The goals of the mathematics program are to move all students along in their mathematical skills, providing course work appropriate to their needs, to help students complete requirements for graduation, to prepare students for life after high school through college preparatory courses, SAT preparation, basic math skills, and/or consumer math skills, and to develop and enhance inquisitive aspects through math and logic.

There are two levels of math courses offered for each grade as follows:


Grade 9: Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1

Pre-Algebra - Text - 'Algebra 1/2' by John Saxon (Saxon Publishers)
The goals of this course are to strengthen and expand skills with fractions, decimals, whole numbers and to introduce directed numbers, equations, graphing, order of operation rules, ratio, proportion, area, perimeter, and word problems. This text uses cyclic review and skill-building techniques to maintain skills in these areas. Other texts and teacher-prepared materials supplement this work.

Algebra 1 - Text - 'Algebra 1' by John Saxon (Saxon Publishers)
The goals of this course are to strengthen and expand skills with numeric calculations, solving equations and order of operation rules, and to introduce exponents, systems of equations, operations with rational expressions, factoring, graphing linear equations, and special word problems. This text uses cyclic review and skill-building techniques to maintain skills in these areas. Other texts and teacher prepared materials supplement this work.


Grade 10: Algebra 1 and Geometry

Algebra 1 - As described above.

Geometry - Text - ‘Discovering Geometry’ by Michael Serra (Key Curriculum Press)
Topics include vocabulary, deductive reasoning, parallel and perpendicular lines, congruent triangles, properties of quadrilaterals, similarity, right triangles and trigonometry, circles, area and volume of polygons and solids, and basic constructions. Supplemental materials are available from Houghton Mifflin and through teacher prepared materials.


Grade 11: Geometry and Algebra 2

Geometry - As described above.

Algebra 2 - Text - 'Algebra 2' by John Saxon (Saxon Publishers)
The goals of this course are to strengthen and expand skills with algebraic expressions, solving equations, algebraic word problems, and to introduce negative exponents, uniform motion problems, chemical compound problems, non-linear systems, and solving quadratic equations. This text uses cyclic review and skill building techniques to maintain skills in these areas. Other texts and teacher-prepared materials supplement this work.



Grade 12: Algebra 2 (or Algebra 2-B) and Advanced Math

Algebra 2 - As described above.

Algebra 2-B is for students who are not ready for the challenges of Advanced Math and would benefit from reviewing and strengthening their math skills.

Advanced Math - Text – Advanced Mathematics by John Saxon (Saxon Publishers)
Topics covered include the six basic trigonometric functions, right triangle problems, Law of Sines and Cosines, several ways to find the area of a triangle, conic sections, and series and sequences. Additional texts and teacher-prepared materials are available to supplement this work.