Placement into Honors Math 8 – Algebra I is based on a combination of the following information: NWEA Assessment, teacher recommendation, and/or past academic achievement in mathematics. Students in this course will work to achieve mastery of all Grade 8 and selected Algebra I - TEKS aligned with the Archdiocesan Standards. Being in an honors level course and learning two sets of standards, students are expected to learn all topics more in depth and at a quicker pace than other 8th grade math students.
As outlined in the State Standards, the focus for 8th Grade will be on three critical areas (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
The Algebra standards, as outlined in the State Standards, focus on four critical areas: (1) seeing structure in expressions (2) Arithmetic with polynomials and rational expressions (3) creating equations (4) Reasoning with equations and inequalities.
The standards above may seem overwhelming; however, Algebra standards are extensions of selected Grade 8 standards. Therefore, by exploration and extension of8th Grade TEKS, students learn Algebra standards. Students who successfully complete this course are eligible to skip Algebra I in Grade 9 after a placement exam of the school the child decided to attend in high school.