Mathematics Program Overview

The Mathematics Department seeks to provide an appreciation for mathematics and its applications to other disciplines, to encourage the development of higher-order thinking and problem solving skills, and to prepare students for further study and employment. Student learning focuses on the interdependence of theory and application, and is enhanced by the appropriate use of technology. A high quality mathematics education enables all students to increase their mathematical literacy-understanding mathematical principles, cultivating mathematical ways of thinking, and developing fluency with number, symbolic representation, geometry, and data- which is essential for success in the information and technological environment of the 21st century. 

 

Every student will complete at least three years of math at the high school level, but most Harris students complete four or more, years of math.  The core courses in Mathematics are Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II which are designed to insure that our students are career and college ready. Within these courses, students will be expected to make connections between the verbal, numerical, algebraic, and geometric representations of problem situations. Following Algebra II, students continue in Honors or AP Precalculus followed by Honors Calculus, or one of AP Calculus AB or BC.  Students will also have the option of taking AP Statistics, with some students taking the class alongside another math course.