THE BASICS:
This year is a landmark for the Common Core in New York: As of 2017, the state’s venerable Regents exams, based on its former high school math curriculum, have been completely phased out. All students must now prepare for the new Common Core-aligned state exams in algebra I, geometry, and algebra II.
The Common Core-aligned state math standards offer a seamless path to math mastery by weaving many conceptual strands into a consistently rigorous curriculum.
The new approach has greatly impacted high school math instruction, which builds on all that students learned through eighth grade to vault them into much more challenging topics. Still, an emphasis on solving realworld problems, tied to the goal of preparing all students for college and careers, remains.
In New York City, students must take courses in algebra I, geometry, and algebra II to graduate high school with a Regents diploma, and must pass at least one of the three Common Core-aligned Regents tests in those subjects with a score of 65 or better. To earn an Advanced Regents diploma, they must pass state exams in all three courses.
Under the new state standards, which i ntroduce algebraic i deas in middle school and even earlier, the redesigned high school courses cover more ground and tackle more advanced concepts than they once did.
The coherence of the curriculum extends logically through high school, following a structure that revisits math topics multiple times so that students will gradually deepen their knowledge and ability.
The ambitious algebra I course begins with several weeks of work on quantities and equations, including graphing equations, and goes on to cover linear and exponential functions.
Students formalize their understanding of statistics, and work as well on polynomial and quadratic expressions and equations. They improve their math literacy and modeling skills throughout.
The study of geometry emphasizes a more complex take on the subject, encompassing an introduction to trigonometry. Students spend time on congruence, similarity, circles, and expressing geometric properties with equations, as well as practicing formal mathematical arguments and constructing proofs.
Algebra II delves deeply into functions, with more extensive work on the familiar linear, quadratic, and exponential functions and an introduction to polynomial, rational, and radical functions. Students practice new approaches to modeling realworld situations with mathematic methods — including the use of logarithms — and expand their knowledge of statistics and probability.