Geometry with Data Analysis overview

Geometry with Data Analysis is a newly-designed course in the 2019 Alabama Course of Study (replaces Geometry) which builds on the students’ experiences in the middle grades. It is the first of three required courses in high school mathematics, providing a common Grade 9 experience for all students entering high-school-level mathematics.

Geometry with Data Analysis builds essential concepts necessary for students to meet their postsecondary goals (whether they pursue additional study or enter the workforce), to function as effective citizens, and to recognize the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics (NCTM, 2018). It is important because it develops mathematical knowledge and skills through visual representations prior to the more abstract development of algebra. Beginning high school mathematics with Geometry with Data Analysis in Grade 9 offers students the opportunity to build their reasoning and sensemaking skills, see the applicability of mathematics, and prepare more effectively for further studies in algebra. The course also focuses on data analysis, which provides students with tools to describe, show, and summarize data in the world around them. In Geometry with Data Analysis, students incorporate knowledge and skills from several mathematics content areas, leading to a deeper understanding of fundamental relationships within the discipline and building a solid foundation for further study. In the content area of Geometry and Measurement, students build on and deepen prior understanding of transformations, congruence, similarity, and coordinate geometry concepts. Informal explorations of transformations provide a foundation for more formal considerations of congruence and similarity, including development of criteria for triangle congruence and similarity. An emphasis on reasoning and proof throughout the content area promotes exploration, conjecture testing, and informal and formal justification. Students extend their middle school work with conjecturing and creating informal arguments to more formal proofs in this course. In the content area of Algebra and Functions, students perform algebraic calculations with specific application to geometry that build on foundations of algebra from Grades 7 and 8. In the Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability content area, students build from earlier experiences in analyzing data and creating linear models to focus on univariate quantitative data on the real number line (shape, center, and variability) and bivariate quantitative data on a coordinate plane (creating linear models).

*overview description from the Alabama Course of Study 2019