As most students know, the math curriculum changed prior to  the 2015-2016 school year. For many students, math is a struggle and these changes seem to justify the growing difficulty of the courses.

“The changes to the curriculum and the choice of the new textbook should help students to be better prepared for Math Analysis and Calculus,” math teacher Dana Richens said. “If you feel lost after a lesson, read the online textbook and watch the tutorial videos with each example,” Richens suggested.

Richens explained that the new textbooks and  curriculum demands students retain all of the things they previously learned in Algebra I.  A majority of students currently in Algebra II, took Algebra I two years ago.  According to many students, it is difficult to remember everything they learned in previous years.

“Overall, the class is difficult and it continues to get more difficult,” junior Joe Schultz said. “The midterm was extremely hard, and from my knowledge, many students did poorly on it as well.”

Tracey Knerr, the K12 Supervisor of Mathematics, shared some very interesting information.  When asked why the curriculum had changed, she explained that the state requires school districts to adhere to a curriculum review cycle.  Due to this, math curricula were changed in K-12 over the summer.

“The point of the curriculum rewrite was to bring it better into alignment with the Common Core state standards for mathematics,” Knerr said, explaining that the changes are indeed not to make the course more difficult.

Knerr also explained how the Common Core has been changing gears in instruction over the years.  Methods of teaching are evolving as time passes and students are expected to move with these changes as well.  

Because students are not fully used to different teaching styles, one might find being in a math class to be more difficult than in the past.  

“Teachers are still teaching, and in fact, in an even better way,” Knerr said.  “ It’s just not what students are used to yet.”

Knerr hopes for the future that students will be less intimidated and stressed out by the new model of teaching.  She encourages students to do homework that is assigned, and to continue to ask questions when a lesson seems confusing.