MATHEMATICS 308

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 content in Mathematics 308 is comprised of the following critical areas: (1) the numbers system & equations, (2) linear functions & systems of equations, and (3) geometry & statistics. More than 65% of the class instructional time is devoted to the major standards of the course.

Curriculum and Resources

ACPS adopted Big Ideas Math: Modeling Real Life - Common Core in 2019 as our primary instructional resource for middle school mathematics. In 2018, ACPS adopted School21 as an online tool to support student learning in mathematics, with capabilities for providing diagnostic, remedial, and enriching opportunities in middle grades 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 middle school mathematics teachers during the Spring of 2017.