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Supplies
All students are required to have their
own TI-83+ calculator. These are the only brand that are allowed
during HSA and SAT testing so students should have their own
calculator in class each day to become familiar with them. Other
classroom supplies includes pencils, small sharpener, loose leaf
paper, graph paper and a straightedge or small ruler.
Mathematics Information
The FDHS Mathematics Department is
focusing on providing rigorous instruction and activities to prepare
our students for their future math classes and achievement tests, like
the High School Assessment (HSA) and the SAT test. To succeed in
mathematics a student must stay focused during instruction and
homework because the subject matter is always cumulative. Also,
with a 90 minute class period students are receiving at least two days
worth of instruction in one day. This means that they must stay
focused for the entire class period and also review notes and practice
problems. Tests are 70% of students' grades (Grading
Policy), so studying on a nightly basis is vitally important.
Students can do all of their work but still fail a class if they do
not do well on tests. Students will have homework every night
and it is important that they have a quiet area to complete this work
in order to maximize their focus.
Different teachers require different
layouts for homework, however, there is a standard to work
from. In order to improve your/your student's math grades the
work should be done according to these Homework
Guidelines.
All math teachers offer
tutoring. You or your child may contact his/her math
teacher or any math teacher for a tutoring schedule.
Online Assessments
There are many Internet based
resources listed below. Most of those sites also include
quizzes for each topic studied. Those students that have a
Prentice Hall textbook can take section quizzes and chapter tests by
putting the codes found under the "Take it to the Net" headings in
their textbooks into the web code boxes on the
main page.
One major focus for FDHS is student
performance on the Algebra HSA. Students are required to
complete the Albebra HSA in order to graduate. Scores become a
part of every student's permanent record and are a factor when FDHS is
evaluated by the county.
In some cases students have progressed
to higher math classes with a passing grade (60%), but have not
mastered the material. Extra tutoring and materials may be required for
the student's performance to improve. All mathematics teachers
at FDHS offer tutoring and should be contacted directly to find out
available times. It is also extremely important that students
understand the scores are part of their permanent record that will be
viewed during future job interview processes and by college admissions
offices.
We would like to see scores increase by
at least 20 points this year. Math teachers are providing extra
HSA instruction and utilizing writing across the curriculum to better
prepare students for math word problems and the constructed response
sections of the HSA. Any suggestion to improve scores at FDHS
can be submitted directly to the mathematics department coordinator or
your child's math teacher.
Success
is work!!
To study and
be successful in math you must:
·
practice solving problems.
(Remember the odd answers are typically in the back of the book.)
·
pre-read the section being taught
next and post-read after the lesson is taught. Reading is not the
same as in English you must go through the example problems and decipher
what steps are being incorporated
·
redo the homework problems
especially the ones that were wrong
·
work through problems that were
incorrect on tests and quizzes
Resources
The following
sites can be used to practice math skills necessary to
pass the Algebra HSA and increase performance on other standardized tests.
For
assistance in preparing for the math portion of the SAT you can go to www.collegeboard.com.
At this site you are given a problem of the day and other important
information.
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