Problems, Solved Creatively
Students experienced the joy of success when they competed in the Odyssey of the Mind tournament. The team finished in 2nd place and qualified for the Northern California tournament.
Read the full storyBefore students begin:
The philosophy of the math department is to meet each student where they are. We all come from different math backgrounds and by the time freshman year begins, we find ourselves at different points on the path. Carondelet has developed a RESPONSIVE MATH PROGRAM.
For many students, high school math begins with a pass-or-fail placement test, where they either test out of Algebra 1 or have to start from the beginning. Our approach is different. At Carondelet, we want to meet our students where they are. We don’t want to make a student unnecessarily backtrack or accelerate them into a class they are not ready for.
Our placement test allows our students to test out of individual algebra skills that they have already mastered. Some students test out of every Algebra 1 topic, others don’t test out of any, and some test out of 2 or 3. No matter what their situation is, we have options that allow them to launch into high school math at an appropriate place.
Option 1: Individually Paced Math Program
Our individually paced math program (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry—all with an Honors mastery based component) is based on the belief that students can achieve any level of math success they want if
- they are given the freedom to learn at their own pace,
- they are empowered to believe that they have the ability to be successful in math and that there is no such thing as a “math person” and
- they are provided with challenging, deep and inter-connected math tasks that allow them to struggle, persevere, discover and grow.
Students work collaboratively in fluid groups as they individually-pace through the curriculum. They will have the ability to spend more time on topics if needed or can advance at a faster pace potentially completing the course in less than one year continuing on to the next level. Students may also self-select honors distinction.
Last year more than 15% of our students completed two years of math in one year.
We also opened up summer school to students wishing to work ahead and more than 50 freshmen took advantage, allowing them to be closer to starting Algebra 2 in their freshman year.
The individually paced program has courses that include Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Trigonometry and potentially provide an earlier entry to AP Calculus.
Option 2: Teacher Directed Math Class
For students who need a little more structure, a more traditional teacher-led classroom, or who are starting at the beginning of a course with goals of completing that course in a school year, we have teacher-led options in Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 with Financial Applications, and Pre-Calculus.
Options for all
Beyond how students access the material, the two paths provide the same opportunities for students. Student-selected honors options are available in all classes through Pre-Calculus.
There are built-in on and off-ramps for students who feel they might benefit from another path. The summer school program helps provide greater access for fluid movement into or out of the program.
Students aren’t stuck on either track from year to year.
