ALGEBRA I (341)

MODULE 1 MODULE 2 MODULE 3

SECONDARY MATHEMATICS VISION

Allegany County Public Schools is committed to providing a secondary mathematics program which supports the vision of the school system:

“To raise up all children to their potential with caring relationships, high expectations, and rigorous and relevant learning so that all students graduate ready for college and career.”

The ACPS secondary mathematics curriculum adheres to the Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS) which insures that mathematics instruction is rich in conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and application to the real world.

Through ACPS commitment to the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) instructional framework and Universal Design of Learning (UDL) principles, the mathematics curriculum is made accessible to all students and meets them where they are in their mathematics learning journey.

It is our driving focus that each student who graduates from our high schools will be mathematically literate and prepared for the next step in their educational or career endeavors.

THE MATHEMATICAL CONTENT STANDARDS

The Mathematical Content Standards (Essential Curriculum) that follow are designed to promote a balanced combination of procedure and understanding. Expectations that begin with the word “understand” are often especially good opportunities to connect the mathematical practices to the content. Students who lack understanding of a topic may rely on procedures too heavily. Without a flexible base from which to work, they may be less likely to consider analogous problems, represent problems coherently, justify conclusions, apply the mathematics to practical situations, use technology mindfully to work with the mathematics, explain the mathematics accurately to other students, step back for an overview, or deviate from a known procedure to find a shortcut. In short, a lack of understanding effectively prevents a student from engaging in the mathematical practices. In this respect, those content standards that set an expectation of understanding are potential “points of intersection” between the Mathematical Content Standards and the Mathematical Practices.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The major content in Algebra I (341) is comprised of the following critical areas: (1) the number system & equations, (2) linear functions & systems of equations, and (3) exponential, other functions and statistics. Algebra I (341) is a high school graduation requirement course which serves as a gateway to advanced mathematics. The purpose of this course is to formalize and extend the middle school content of the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards (MDCCRS). The Mathematical Practice Standards apply throughout the course and, together, with the Algebra I content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations. This course requires students to demonstrate proficiency in the use of a graphing calculator. In addition, student must take the MCAP assessment in Algebra I at the conclusion of the course and attain a passing score to satisfy Maryland assessment requirements for high school Algebra.

Curriculum and Resources

ACPS adopted McGraw-Hill Reveal Math AGA in 2020 as our primary instructional resource Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. In 2020, ACPS adopted ALEKS as an online tool to support student learning in mathematics, with capabilities for providing diagnostic, remedial, and enriching opportunities in high school mathematics, along with giving students practice in developing computer skills and fluency with multiple assessment item types.

Our curriculum is built around these two resources and follows a sequencing that was developed and agreed upon by Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 teachers during the Spring of 2017.