Math
More about the Math program
The math program at the Math and Science Academy consists of a comprehensive curriculum that allows students to advance at their own pace, provided that they can demonstrate mastery of the content material. The typical sixth grade student will start in Middle School I. After students have reached a level of understanding of basic mathematics, they will begin Integrated I. After completing Integrated I, Integrated II, Integrated III, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus, students will have learned all of the mathematics necessary to succeed in a traditional college level calculus course. In order to graduate from MSA, students must successfully complete all courses in the math sequence through Calculus.
MSA students in Middle School II through Integrated II classes gain math knowledge through the presentation of challenges. Students work on the challenges individually and in small groups then present and discuss their findings. Integrated III, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus students use a more traditional math textbook and class format in order to prepare them for college math classes. Student learning is assessed as students present and discuss their work in class each day. Formal assessment occurs through homework checks, quizzes, and tests.
MSA recognizes the fact that our math curriculum is more difficult than that of a typical high school, and that students will progress through this sequence at different speeds. Students may take classes more than once in order to master the content material. Whenever a student chooses to repeat a course at MSA, only the highest grade is recorded on the student's transcript.
Required Courses
Integrated Math II
9th Grade
1.0 credit, year long course
Integrated Math II is the second course in a series of three classes (Integrated Math 1, 2, and 3). This class aims to extend the geometry that students have learned in Middle School Math II and Integrated I. It does this by focusing on triangle congruence criteria and building a formal understanding of similarity based on proportional reasoning. It also helps students develop the concepts of formal proofs, discover the properties of two- and three-dimensional objects, verify geometric relationships and prove various theorems about circles. Students learn in collaboration with others while sharing information, expertise, and ideas. Students in Integrated II use problem-solving strategies, questioning, investigating, analyzing critically, gathering and constructing evidence, and communicating rigorous arguments to justify their thinking. The course encourages and supports procedural fluency, deep conceptual understanding, strategic problem solving, and adaptive reasoning.
Integrated Math III
9th-10th Grade
1.0 credit, year long course
Integrated Math III is the last course in a series of three classes (Integrated Math 1, 2, and 3). This class will extend previous investigation with functions, transformations, solving inequalities, normal distribution and geometric modeling, inverses and logarithms, and simulating sampling and variability. Then the course will focus on Logarithms and Triangles, Polynomials, Trigonometric Functions, Series, Rational Expressions, Systems of Equations, and Analytical Trigonometry. Students learn in collaboration with others while sharing information, expertise, and ideas. The course encourages and supports procedural fluency, deep conceptual understanding, strategic problem solving, and adaptive reasoning.
Precalculus
9th-11th Grade
1.0 credit, year long course
This course is designed to prepare students for Calculus. Students will learn that functions can be grouped into families and that functions can be used as models for real-world behavior. Pre-Calculus primarily uses Functions Modeling Change by Debra Hughes-Hallett. Topics include: linear functions, functions, quadratic functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, transformations of functions, trigonometry in circles and triangles, trigonometric functions, trigonometric identities and applications, compositions and inverses and combinations of functions, vectors and matrices, sequences, and series.
Calculus
10th-12th Grade
1.0 credit, year long course
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of calculus so that they can succeed in a traditional college level calculus course. Calculus primarily uses Calculus, Single Variable by Debra Hughes-Hallett. Topics include: functions, derivatives, differentiation, definite integrals, integration, indefinite integrals, using derivatives and definite integrals