Dr. Janet Blanchette, Director
(678) 301-7037
Description of Program
Gwinnett County Public Schools mathematics program is committed to excellence in mathematics teaching and learning for all students. Our Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) for mathematics in grades kindergarten through 12 reflect six curricular goals for all students:
-- become mathematical problem solvers
-- learn to reason mathematically
-- learn to communicate mathematically
-- learn to make connections among mathematical ideas
-- learn to use mathematics in their daily lives
-- become proficient with appropriate computational tools and techniques
Mathematics in today’s society is being continually created and adapted to meet the needs of education, citizenship, and careers. These needs make mathematics a cornerstone of opportunity in today’s world. The underlying themes of problem solving, reasoning, and communication that bridge everyday language to mathematical language and provide connections to real life situations are woven throughout the mathematics curriculum. At each level, students are not only expected to become proficient in appropriate computational skills, but also to be actively involved in constructing and applying mathematical ideas. By using physical models, manipulatives, “hands-on” activities, and technology such as computers and calculators, students are participating in concrete experiences that provide them opportunities to solve problems. As students move through these experiences and gain conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas, they move to more advanced levels of abstraction and explore more sophisticated mathematics.
Assessment
If the teaching and learning of the mathematics AKS involve experiences with emphasis placed on open-ended explorations, modeling and investigations, then so must the assessment of that mathematics. A variety of methods including classroom observation (questions and answers, teacher checklists, etc.), journals, projects, portfolios, writing, demonstrations and presentations, explorations and investigations, models and simulations, as well as traditional forms of assessment are used by classroom teachers. Manipulatives and technology used to facilitate learning the AKS are also involved in selected components of the assessment. At the elementary and middle school levels, instructional calendars, benchmark assessments, and sequential lesson plans have been developed and are continuously updated. At the high school level, semester exams are used as one component of determining student proficiency in the mathematics AKS. The validity of our mathematics program is also determined, in part, by the results of standardized tests. Assessments required for promotion can be found at: http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/gcps-instruction01.nsf/pages/Testing?OpenDocument&0~QuickLinks
Core materials for grades K-9 were adopted by the Board in March 2008 for implementation starting with the 2008-2009 school year.
Grades K-5
Harcourt Math, Harcourt School Publishers
Think Math!, Harcourt School Publishers
Every Day Counts Calendar Math
Grade 6
Standard - Mathematics, Course 1, Holt
Accelerated – Pre-Algebra, Holt
Grade 7
Standard - Mathematics, Course 2, Holt
Accelerated – Algebra, Holt, and Connected Mathematics 2, Pearson
Grade 8
Standard - Algebra, Holt
Accelerated Integrated Algebra I – Math 1 and Math 2, McDougal Littell
Grade 9
Integrated Algebra I - Math 1, McDougal Littell
Accelerated Integrated Algebra I – Math 1 and Math 2, McDougal Littell
New core materials for grades 10-12 will be reviewed June 2008, piloted Fall 2008, and implemented one year at a time starting with 10th grade in the Fall of 2009.
Grade 10
Concepts of Algebra - Algebra Interactions 1, Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Geometry - Geometry: Applying, Reasoning, Measuring, McDougal Littell
Honors Algebra II - Algebra 2, Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Grade 11
Informal Geometry - Geometry, National Textbook, McGraw-Hill
Algebra II - Algebra 2, Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Precalculus - Precalculus with Limits, McDougal Littell
Grade 12
Applied Algebra - CORD Algebra, Globe Fearon, Pearson
Mathematical Money Management - Mathematics with Business Applications, Glencoe
Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry - Advanced Mathematical Concepts, McGraw-Hill
Statistics - Elementary Statistics, Picturing the World, Prentice Hall
Discrete Mathematics - Discrete Mathematics through Applications, Bedford Freeman
Advanced Placement Statistics - The Practice of Statistics, Freeman
Advanced Placement Calculus (AB & BC) - Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, Prentice Hall
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