Math Curriculum

Courses

The mathematics department prepares each student for further study by providing a solid foundation in mathematical skills while encouraging organized critical thinking. By providing a caring learning environment, the department helps students become independent problem solvers. The department integrates technology in all of its courses helping students to focus on reasoning skills and visualize mathematical concepts. The department uses many different teaching strategies in its pursuit of providing students with the best possible mathematics education.

The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of a very diverse student body. Every member of the department is sensitive to the varying levels of skills and enthusiasm. We offer daily tutoring, summer math review courses, as well as an advanced math curriculum that provides both rigorous instruction and builds personal confidence.

  • Adv Alg I

    Prerequisite: Placement exam and department approval.

    Advanced Algebra, a full-year course, is a more rigorous approach to the study of algebra. Students will be involved in: exploring and discovering math concepts, connecting algebra to the real world and to other subjects and math topics, building understanding of the concepts that provide a strong foundation for future courses and careers.

  • Alg II/Trig (H)

    Prerequisite: A- for both semesters of Honors Geometry and department approval.

    Honors Algebra II with Trigonometry is a preparatory course for work in higher mathematics. Those who expect to go into Calculus are expected to take this course together with Honors Precalculus. Emphasis is placed on a functional, graphic approach, problem-solving, development of abstract thinking skills and student interaction. The course includes quadratic, logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric function, the binomial theorem, and the complex number system. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • Algebra I

    Prerequisite: Placement exam and department approval.

    Algebra I is a full-year course that focuses on the basic language of mathematics. An understanding of algebra is required for further work in mathematics and many other disciplines. The student will learn to deal with abstract concepts and apply them in a logical way, as well as to manipulate algebraic symbols in order to represent situations when solving problems.

  • Algebra II

    Prerequisite: C- for two semesters in Geometry or Honors Geometry and department approval.

    Algebra II is a full-year course that integrates the previous courses of Algebra I and Geometry. Emphasis will be placed on graphing, and understanding the relationship between graphs and equations. Functions will be used as a unifying theme in the course, and connections from algebra to geometry, data analysis, probability, and discrete mathematics will be made. Technology will be used as a problem-solving tool. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • AnalyticGeom

    Prerequisite: Enrollment in Calculus AB or BC and department Approval.
    Online Course Offered Only in the Summer.

    This one-semester online course covers these topics: Coordinates and graphs in the plane, relations, functions and their graphs and inverses, geometric transformations, review of transcendental functions and their graphs, continuity and discontinuity of graphs, finite and infinite limits of functions and their graphs, three dimensional graphing, areas and volumes of three dimensional solids, and conic sections. The TI-84 graphing calculator required.  This is a mandatory prep course for AP Calculus AB or BC.

  • AP Calculus AB

    Prerequisite: A both semesters of Honors Precalculus, department approval and successful completion of the online summer course, Analytic Geometry.


    Students taking this course will take the Advanced Placement examination in Calculus-AB. A passing score on that test can result in college credit. Topics covered include: limits, differential calculus, application of the derivative, integral calculus, applications of integration, and the calculus of transcendental functions. This course is an excellent preparation for those students intending to focus on the sciences, pre-medicine, or any college degree which requires Calculus. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • AP Calculus BC

    Prerequisite: A- or higher in AP Calculus AB, department approval and Analytic Geometry II (summer).

    Students taking the course will take the Advanced Placement Examination in Calculus BC. A passing score on that test may result in college credit. This course is not a continuation of Calculus AB, but rather a separate course which covers more of the college curriculum than is covered in Calculus AB. Calculus AB covers one semester of the college Calculus curriculum, while Calculus BC covers the first two semesters. Topics covered include all of those covered in Calculus AB as well as the following: L'Hospital's rule, improper integrals, partial fractions, infinite series, and parametric, vector, and polar functions. This course is an excellent preparation for those students intending to focus on the sciences, pre-medicine, or any college degree which requires Calculus. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • AP Computer Science A (full year, online)

    Prerequisites: B or higher in Algebra II or Algebra II Honors;  A- or higher in Programming I or a B or higher in AP Computer Science Principles; department approval; math instructor approval; One Schoolhouse Online Course Application required.  May be subject to additional tuition fees. Offered to students in grades 10, 11, or 12.
    The AP® Computer Science A course introduces the key concepts of programming in Java. The analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills that students develop in this course transfer to programming in other languages as well. This course is designed with the idea that programming should be fun, engaging and intuitive. Students will learn to apply the main principles of object-oriented software design and programming using classes and objects, constructors, methods, instance and static variables, inheritance, class hierarchies and polymorphism. Students work creatively and collaboratively with their classmates to discuss ethical and social issues relating to the use of technology, and develop a solid foundation from which to launch into a wide range of computer science areas. This course prepares students for the AP® Computer Science A Exam in May. This class is approved by the College Board and fulfills a UC “C” mathematics requirement.

  • Calculus (H)

    Prerequisite: B+ both semesters of Honors Precalculus and department approval. 

    The one-year course will cover differential and integral calculus including: limits, slopes, tangent lines, velocity, rates of change, transcendental functions, and the chain rule. These topics will be used to solve real world problems involving related rates, maxima, minima, area and volume. TI-82 or 83 graphing calculator is required.

  • Geometry

    Prerequisite: C- for the two semesters in Algebra I or Advanced Algebra I and department approval.

    Geometry supports the development of patterns of logical thought utilizing the principles of inductive and deductive reasoning. This one-year course is normally taught between Algebra I and II, since its concepts comprise one-third of the PSAT and SAT exam. Topics include: geometric figures, proofs, parallelism, congruence, constructions, polygons, similarity, and right triangles. Algebra skills are reviewed on a regular basis. TI-83 graphing calculator required.

  • Geometry (H)

    Prerequisite: B+ both semesters of Advanced Algebra I, placement exam (incoming 9th grade) and department approval.

    Honors Geometry is a rigorous approach to plane and solid geometry for students who are accelerated in math. It is a preparatory course for work in higher mathematics. Deductive and inductive reasoning are stressed with challenging proof writing. Topics include: geometric plane and solid figures, SAT formulas, parallelism, congruence, similarity, polygons, circles, right triangles, and an integration of algebra through coordinate and analytical geometry.

  • Linear Algebra (OSG)

    Prerequisite: Successful completion of AP Calculus BC and department approval. This course is offered through the Online School for Girls (OSG).

    Linear algebra is the study of vectors, the spaces in which they live, and linear mappings between those spaces. It gives us a powerful new way to think mathematically, and it has many applications in science, engineering, economics, and any field in which multiple variables interact in ways that can be modeled by systems of linear equations. It’s therefore a required and very useful subject in college for many science and engineering majors. This yearlong course will cover a typical one-semester college linear algebra curriculum, with topics including matrix algebra, vector spaces, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and applications to differential equations. In the sequence of standard math courses, linear algebra can be studied either before or after multivariable calculus. It’s a great fit for the student who has completed AP Calculus AB or BC, who is passionate about challenging herself to think in new ways, and who wants to increase her ability to tackle problems in the real world.

  • Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations (OSG)

    Prerequisite: A for two semesters of AP Calculus BC and department approval.
    This course is offered through the Online School for Girls (OSG).

    Advanced Mathematics: Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations will cover a number of other topics beyond the AP Calculus BC curriculum, including: calculating volumes by using shells, surfaces of revolution, and centers of mass and centroids. The course also explores topics that are studied in a typical college level third semester calculus course, including vectors and vector valued functions, differentiation in several variables, optimization in several variables, multiple integration, and line and surface integrals. Advanced Mathematics concludes with an introduction to Differential Equations. Topics include solving exact first-order equations, solving second order homogeneous and non-homogeneous linear equation, and exploring applications to various scientific fields. This course will feature discussions, projects, and other activities that will help students to develop their advanced math skills in a collaborative and creative way.

  • Precalculus

    Prerequisite: C- in Algebra II or Honors Algebra II/Trig and department approval.

    Precalculus is a one-year course that blends together the concepts and skills that must be mastered prior to enrollment in a college-level calculus course. This course includes college algebra, trigonometry, logs, analytic geometry and exponential functions. The foundation of calculus will be stressed throughout the materials. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • Precalculus (H)

    Prerequisite: B+ in Honors Algebra II/Trig and department approval.

    Honors Precalculus is a one-year course that blends together all of the concepts and skills that must be mastered prior to enrollment in a college-level calculus course. This course includes college algebra, trigonometry, logs, analytic geometry and mathematical analysis. The foundation of calculus will be stressed throughout the materials. TI-84 graphing calculator required.

  • Statistics

    Prerequisite: C- or better in Algebra II and department approval.

    The aim of this Statistics course is to ensure that students develop the confidence and
    competence with statistical techniques to enable them to apply those techniques flexibly to
    solve statistical problems through a practical program of study, with the expectation that:

    All students will develop confidence and competence with the content enabling them
    to apply the methods to varying types of problem solving situations.

    All students will be assessed on the application of the course content.

    All students will develop an appreciation that different approaches, including the use
    of technology, may be appropriate at each stage of the statistical inquiry cycle, and
    that statistical conclusions are developed through an iterative process of retesting
    and refinement.

  • Statistics: Honors Research Seminar

    Prerequisites: Successful completion of H Pre-Calculus,  Honors Calculus  or AP Calculus.

    Honors Statistics: The Future is Green: Business and Entrepreneurship
    How is the world of business responding to climate change and the demands of environmentally-conscious consumers? What is the future of fast fashion, gas-powered vehicles, single-use plastic, and other consumer products that are increasingly losing popularity among Gen Z’s activism-oriented youth. How are companies like Patagonia and Starbucks ‘going green’, and is this the way of the future for all viable businesses? These are the types of questions students will ask in the Honors Statistics course. The course content will be a combination of basic statistical skills, graphing packages, statistical calculations, conclusions and evaluations. Research topics would be chosen in line with the students’ main focus of interest and hypotheses would be tested on relevant existing data to prove or disprove a theory or belief. The content of the course will be taught during the first semester alongside journaling and research mainly completed as homework. The second semester will consist of setting and testing their hypotheses and using appropriate statistical methods to draw conclusions. 
    Note: This course is recommended for students with an interest in pursuing careers and further studies in business, finance, entrepreneurship, environmental issues, and other social sciences.

Math Faculty

I like how challenging calculus is. It is not just an individual class since the entire class works together.
Helena L.

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