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Hi! My name is Eric Gurulé. I am a math teacher at Noblesville High School. I teach Algebra 2 and Algebra 2 Financial. This site focuses on the Algebra 2 Financial course that I helped to create, who it serves, and why you should have a course like this at your school. If you ended up here, then you already know that there is a need for an alternative course to Algebra 2. Around 2008, many states made Algebra 2 a required course for graduation. Since then, the course has been a major hurdle for kids to get their diploma, hence altering how we teach Algebra 2. Many schools have followed the path of making the coursework easier just to get kids to pass, while others have redesigned their whole math curriculum. Other core content areas have alternatives to their final course requirement. In math, there are no alternative math courses to Algebra 2. In Arizona, where I taught the first 7 years of my career, you could take AP English or English 101/102 dual credit for your last english credit. In science, you can take any 3 courses for your minimum requirement. I am here to say there can be an alternative to Algebra 2, and there should be.
What is Algebra 2 Financial?
What is Algebra 2 Financial?
The Algebra 2 Financial class is basically Algebra 2 standards, but taught a little bit differently. The course is more financially geared. Since most of the kids that take this course are not going to college, or they may be going for a non-math related associates degree, they don't need everything in an Algebra 2 class. Let's be honest, they don't need most of what's in a regular Algebra 2 course. So how do we still cover the standards? Believe it or not, we are still able to cover most of the standards while relating the content to financial decisions that ALL kids will have to make. We talk about getting a job, paying bills, understanding their paycheck, finding an apartment, buying a car, getting a credit card or loan, and saving for retirement all while sticking to the standards.
Who is it for?
Who is it for?
The course is made for kids that are most likely not going to be in STEM type of careers, or they may not even be going to college. A lot of kids here at Noblesville, and maybe where you teach, are involved in internship programs. Many of them will have jobs before they even graduate high school. All kids here at Noblesville have to take Algebra 1, Geometry, and then Algebra 2 to get a Core 40 diploma. Some of these kids (about 18% of juniors here at Noblesville) should be given an alternative.
How do we do it?
How do we do it?
In order to cover as many Algebra 2 standards as we can, we have to look at other ways to apply the concepts. Here are a few examples:
- Piecewise functions can be taught when teaching kids how to calculate their bills.
- Exponential functions can be taught by calculating loans, credit cards, or depreciation of a car.
- Sequences and series can be taught by teaching contributions to retirement accounts.
Some concepts can be taught in other ways. For example:
- To solve exponential equations, instead of using logarithms, we can just graph them. Sometimes graphical representation is more impactful anyways.
- To solve or graph linear and non-linear systems you could teach it when you talk about depreciation of a car. Making monthly payments and the natural depreciation of a car can be graphed to show when you might have equity in a car.
In my class, we rely heavily on Desmos to see all of these concepts. Sometimes, there are just some things that cannot be covered. We don't cover any conics. Some trigonometry doesn't apply, and some specifics with quadratics doesn't either. We feel like we cover enough, and that we are giving the students a much more authentic class at the same time. These are all life-skills!
But what about state-mandated tests?
But what about state-mandated tests?
This is probably the question I get asked the most. "Most of these kids may not have passed the (insert state required test here), so how do you make sure you are remediating those kids at the same time?" This is the only part where you will need to figure out on your own, based on your kids needs. Since our state-mandated test, ISTEP, is in the late fall, I try to cover a lot of the skills on that test early. If you look at the course outline (see tab above) you will see a lot of what we cover is linear equations, graphing them, and interpreting them. Some schools that I have talked to have still chosen to stop, pause, remediate, and continue when it comes to their test takers. Each school is different.
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