Secondary Mathematics Sequence
Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Education developed new graduation requirements for all students in the graduating class of 2015 and thereafter, and adopted the National Common Core Standards in English and Mathematics. Part of these new graduation requirements is the implementation of end of course exams in mathematics, English, science and social studies called the Keystone Exams. Further information on the new Pennsylvania Department of Education graduation requirements and the National Common Core Standards is available by clicking on the following links.
In preparation for the new Pennsylvania graduation requirements and the adoption of the National Common Core Standards, Central Bucks School District went through the process of creating two new mathematics course offerings. These courses, Introduction to Algebra (introduced in 2011-2012) and Algebra 1 (introduced in 2012-2013) provide some students with an opportunity to complete a full study of algebra over two years. Students who follow a pathway including both Introduction to Algebra and Algebra 1 will study the same content as students taking the Accelerated Algebra 1 course, but they will complete that study over a two year period.
Additionally, the sequence of our courses after Algebra 1 or Accelerated Algebra 1 will change from:
| Algebra 2/Trig |
|---|
| Geometry/Trig 2 |
|---|
to
| Geometry/Trig |
|---|
| Algebra 2/Trig |
|---|
This change aligns to one of the pathways outlined in the National Common Core Standards (the other recommended pathway is for districts using an Integrated Mathematics program). The new sequence also aligns to the new Pennsylvania state standards, and aligns our course sequence with the top districts in the state of Pennsylvania. The National Common Core Standards for mathematics suggest students take a full course in Algebra 1 in 9th grade and recommend an option for students who are talented in mathematics to have an opportunity to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. In our sequence, we expect about 60% of our students will have completed all of the topics from Algebra 1 by in 7th or 8th grade. The courses have been developed to provide deep and meaningful mathematics instruction, and to follow the PA state and National Common Core State Standards. We are confident that by fully addressing the standards, our students will be fully prepared and will ultimately be successful on the Pennsylvania Keystone Exams, success on the SAT/ACT, and success in college level mathematics classes (whether those classes are taken as AP courses in one of our high schools or in college). Most importantly, it provides all students the opportunity to go through an extremely deep and meaningful study of Algebra 1 in either one or two years.
It was necessary for us to start the transition into this new sequence in 2011-2012, as districts are required to fully implement the National Common Core Standards by the 2013-2014 school year. The transition to the new courses will occur sequentially as our students progress through middle and high school so they are fully prepared for the rigorous nature of the curriculum. An additional benefit in this sequence will be the opportunity for students who enter 7th grade as Pre-algebra students to take accelerated mathematics courses starting as early as 8th grade (without having to take additional courses in the summer and without needing to double up in mathematics while in high school). The sequence is listed in the table below.
Notes:
1) The highlighted cells show the most typical pathway through our sequence for a student who starts in 7th
grade Pre-Algebra.
2) The Accelerated Algebra 1 course contains all of the content from our Algebra 1 course that was taught prior to
2011-2012 school year and 3 main topics previously taught in Algebra 2/Trig.
3) The Algebra 2/Trig course will be revised for the 2013-2014 school year to include 4 topics (graphing polynomial
functions, graphing rational functions, exponential functions, and logarthmic functions) that were previously taught
in Precalculus/Trig 3. Our Precalculus/Trig 3 course will be revised for the 2014-2015 school year.
All ninth grade students will follow the old sequence until they graduate. Any 8th grade student taking Algebra 2/Trig will follow the old sequence as well since they have not taken Geometry/Trig 2. All 7th and 8th grade students currently taking Math 7, Pre-algebra, Introduction to Algebra, or Accelerated Algebra 1 will follow the new sequence, taking Geometry/Trig 2 before Algebra 2/Trig.