Mathematics education in New York

New York State Math education in regards to both content and teaching method can vary depending on the type of school a person attends. Private school math education varies from school to school whereas New York has State wide public school requirements where standardized tests are used to determine if the teaching method and educator are effective in transmitting content to the student. While an individual private school can choose the content and which educational method to use, New York State mandates content and methods state wide. Though, some public school have and continue to to use established methods, such as Montessori for teaching state required content. New York State has used various foci of content and methods of teaching math including New Math (1960's), "back to the basics" (1970's), Whole Math (1990's), Integrated Math and Everyday Mathematics.

How to teach math, what to teach and its effectiveness has been a topic of debate in New York State and nationally since the "Math Wars" started in the 1960's. Often, current political events influence how and what is taught. The politics in turn influence state legislation. California, New York State and several other states have influenced text book content produced by publishers. ^[1]

In the United States, the state of New York has implemented a novel curriculum for high school mathematics.

The courses Integrated Algebra', Geometry, and Algebra II/Trigonometry are required courses mandated by the New York State Department of Education for high school graduation

Integrated Algebra

This is the first course in the new three year curriculum. It replaced "Math A".

Students will learn to how write, solve, and graph equations and inequalities. They will also learn how to solve systems of equations, quadratics, as well as exponents, exponential functions, polynomials, radicals, and rational expressions. Other topics included are probability and statistics

At the conclusion of this one year course, students take the New York State regents exam in Integrated Algebra. The first administration of this exam was in June 2008.

Geometry

This is the second course in the new three year curriculum. It replaced part of "Math A" and part of "Math B"

Geometric concepts such as right triangles are introduced. The course will also cover topics such as perpendicular and parallel lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, and transformations

At the conclusion of this one year course, students take the New York State regents exam in Geometry. The first administration of this exam was in June 2009.

Algebra II/Trigonometry

This is the final course of the new three year curriculum. It replaced the elements of "Math B" not covered in geometry.

This course covers concepts that can be found in trigonometry and advanced algebra, as well as preparing students for pre-calculus and calculus and reviewing old topics. During their year of study, students will learn different theorems, graph complex numbers and vectors, as well as reviewing topics such as exponential functions, systems of inequalities, and radicals. As the year progresses, students will be expected to relate these functions to the real world, create conjectures through their own research, and begin a classroom discussion about these topics.

At the conclusion of this one year course, students will take the New York State regents exam in Algebra II/Trigonometry. This is the last regents exam in mathematics students will ever take. Like the former "Math B" regents, it is considered one of the hardest regents of high school, along with the Physical Setting/Chemistry regents and the Physical Setting/Physics regents. The first administration of this exam was in June 2010.

Math A (former course)

Math A replaces the former "Course 1" curriculum which focused solely on the topic of algebra, while Math A covers a whole range of topics.

In Math A, students will learn to how write, solve, and graph equations and inequalities. They will also learn how to solve systems of equations, quadratics, as well as exponents, exponential functions, polynomials, radicals, and rational expressions. Other topics included are probability and statistics. Geometric concepts such as right triangles are also introduced. The course works in conjunction with New York State's Standards for Mathematics.[1] The course will end after three semesters, in which students will take the Regents Math A Examination.

Math A/B (former course)

Math A/B takes the place of the former "Course 2" curriculum, which focused almost solely on geometry, while Math A/B focuses on a whole range of topics. Math A/B serves as a bridge between the Math A and Math B courses.

Math A/B stays true to its geometric roots, as the first half of the course will cover topics such as perpendicular and parallel lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, and transformations. After the first semester, students will take the New York State Math A Regents exam. June 2008 was the last administration of this exam. For the second half of the year, students will begin Math B. They will cover logic, geometric figures, and an introduction to trigonometry.

Math B (former course)

Math B is required to receive a High School Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. The course replaces the former "Course 3" curriculum, which focused almost solely on trigonometry. Math B focuses on a whole range of topics. It is taken after the student has completed and passed Math A.

A regents exam is taken at the end of the 1 ¹⁄₂-year course. The Math B regents is often considered one of the most difficult New York State regents.

Math B covers concepts that can be found in trigonometry and advanced algebra, as well as preparing students for pre-calculus and calculus and reviewing old topics. During their year of study, students will learn different theorems, graph complex numbers and vectors, as well as reviewing topics such as exponential functions, systems of inequalities, and radicals. As the year progresses, students will be expected to relate these functions to the real world, create conjectures through their own research, and begin a classroom discussion about these topics. At the end of their studies, they will take the New York State Math B Regents Examination. The last administration of this exam will be in August 2010.

Future changes

In November 2004, the Mathematics Standards Committee made a report to the Board of Regents[2] about the State's requirements for high school graduation as related to mathematics. The committee recommended that:

• The curriculum should return to its old format as a one-year course with a regents exam taken at the end of the year, with the new exam to be administered no earlier than June 2007. Math A would have its name changed to Integrated Algebra.
• In addition to the current regents exam at the end of the Math B course, there should be another regents exam, at the end of the first half of Math B study (currently Math A/B), to be administered no later than June 2006, bringing the total number of regents exams to three.
• The course's name be changed to Geometry for the first half of the course, and Algebra II and Trigonometry for the second half of the course (currently Math B). Integrated is only used in the new Algebra course.

• • The State of New York has announced that these changes will be implemented in the 2009/10 scholastic year.

The move was praised by many who thought the changes to the original draft curriculum were unnecessary.

See also

• Mathematics education in the United States

References

• Mathematics' Standard Committee's recommendations

External links

• Official website of textbook developer
• New York State Department of Education
• New York State Department of Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Technology
• Math Help and Resources
• JMAP - Free resources for teachers
• Regents preparation site for New York

1. ^ http://www.csun.edu/~vcmth00m/AHistory.html