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Seattle Public Schools/Departments/Mathematics/Secondary Mathematics/High School Mathematics

High School Mathematics

Courses and Content

Seattle’s high school students prepare for college, careers, and life by completing at least three core mathematics courses, with four years of mathematics being highly recommended. To meet state graduation requirements, the three courses need to be at the Algebra 1 level and higher. Most students will meet the requirements by taking Algebra 1, Geometry, and a third year of math that aligns to a students high school and beyond plan.  The third year course options can be found in the SPS Math Pathways documents located in the Resources section below.  Options will include all courses beyond Geometry.

Precalculus, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, Bridge to College Math, and IB Mathematics provide additional preparation for college and careers and prepare students for the transition from high school to college-level mathematics.  Algebra 1 through Precalculus are aligned to the Washington State standards (Common Core State Standards) that were adopted in 2012.  These courses are designed to address standards, or parts of standards, in a progression that builds conceptual understanding and connections between content.

Our high school mathematics program, guided by Washington State standards, provides a balance of:

  • Conceptual Understanding
  • Procedural Proficiency
  • Problem-Solving and Processes

State Mathematics Requirements for Graduation

Starting with the class of  2013 , Washington State requires that students earn AT LEAST THREE credits of math (courses need to be at the Algebra 1 level or higher).  There are multiple pathways for students to fulfill math credits requirement for graduation which align to their high school and beyond plan.  For a list of state minimum credits to graduate, please refer to the Graduation Toolkit for the student’s graduating class.

Smarter Balanced Math Assessment (SBA) aligns to standards addressed in Algebra 1 and Geometry and will be administered to students starting in the spring of 10th grade.  Meeting graduation standards on the SBA Math AND English Language Arts assessments is one pathway for students to fulfill graduation requirements. Students have an opportunity to retest in the spring of their 11th and 12th grade years.

Mathematics Instructional Materials

In 2008, Seattle Public Schools adopted materials published by Kendall Hunt for Algebra 1 through Calculus, and by Pearson Learning for AP Statistics.  Schools have hard copies of the textbooks that can be assigned to students each year.

Students may also have access to the textbook online through the Flourish platform. If online access is available, students will be provided with a username and password by their teacher. The online text may have interactive features which enable students to link from pages in the book to practice problems, dynamic explorations, and calculator notes.

Online Math Resources

Resources

Washington State Learning Standards for Mathematics (Common Core)

SPS Math Course Sequence