Freshman Algebra course placements are generally based on scores on the High School Placement Test administered at Cathedral during the 8th grade year. A student scoring at or above the 90th percentile is placed in the Honors level; a student scoring between the 60th and 89th percentile is placed in the Academic level, and a student scoring below the 60th percentile is placed in the College Preparatory level. Adjustments in level placement may be made throughout the student’s education at Cathedral High School with teacher/counselor recommendation. If a student wishes to switch levels, he/she needs the recommendations of both his/her current teacher and his/her former Cathedral math teachers (if applicable). No student who moves “down” a level for any reason other than a math teacher recommendation may move “back up” without teacher approval. Students who take a course at a level other than that recommended by the school may not switch levels until the end of the semester.
Daily homework and study are an expectation in all math classes, regardless of course or level.
“Doubling” in the honors math program means taking Geometry and Algebra II concurrently during the student’s sophomore year. Any students with an “A” in both semesters of Algebra IX or teacher approval may consider “doubling” of courses. The sole purpose for “doubling” courses is to allow the student to take AP or Dual credit mathematics during the senior year of high school. Doubling is done at the honors level to prepare students for this college-level work. Students who “double” are expected to maintain at least a “B” average in both courses. If this expectation is not met, the student may be required to drop Algebra II and take it during the junior year.
Additionally, any student not successfully passing Algebra I in 9th grade must repeat and successfully complete Algebra I in 10th grade at Cathedral High School. Any student who does not pass both semesters of Algebra I in 10th grade would be required to withdraw from Cathedral High School due to no longer being able to meet the school’s graduation requirements.
Calculators are required for all math courses. Students in Algebra 1 or Geometry may use a graphing calculator or a regular scientific calculator. Students in College prep Algebra II are highly encouraged to have a graphing calculator but it is not required. Students in Algebra II academic or higher MUST have a graphing calculator. While the school cannot dictate which model of calculator a family purchases, Texas Instruments calculators are recommended. The recommended scientific calculator is the TI30XS and the recommended graphing calculator is the TI 83+ or TI 84+ (any version). It is each student’s responsibility to know how to use his personal calculator.
Algebra I (College Prep)
C011CF/C011CS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
None.
A calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Develop algebraic skills in a wide range of problem-solving situations and achieve an understanding of the concepts and applications of Algebra. Explore properties of real numbers, solve linear and quadratic equations and linear inequalities, evaluate mathematical expressions and functions, sketch and interpret graphs, investigate operations of polynomials and exponents, and solve systems of equations and inequalities.
Algebra I (Academic)
C011AF/C011AS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
None.
A calculator is required (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Develop algebraic skills in a wide range of problem-solving situations and achieve an understanding of the concepts and applications of Algebra. Explore properties of real numbers, solve linear and quadratic equations and linear inequalities, evaluate mathematical expressions and functions, sketch and interpret graphs, investigate operations of polynomials and exponents, and solve systems of equations and inequalities.
Algebra I (Honors)
C011XF/C011XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
HSPT math/quantitative score of 93 or higher strongly recommended.
A calculator is required (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Develop algebraic skills in a wide range of problem-solving situations and achieve an understanding of the concepts and applications of Algebra. Explore properties of real numbers, solve linear and quadratic equations and linear inequalities in various ways, evaluate mathematical expressions and functions, sketch and interpret linear and quadratic graphs and their translations, investigate operations of polynomials, exponents, and radicals, study basic statistics and probability, use basic trigonometric ratios, and solve systems of equations and inequalities in multiple ways. Discover the myriad uses of Algebra in real-life applications through supplementary problem sets.
Geometry (College Prep)
C031CF/C031CS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra I (College Prep) or recommendation of Algebra I teacher.
A calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Explore modern Euclidean geometry with an emphasis on logical thinking and the problem-solving concepts and skills learned in Algebra I. Examine three-dimensional geometry and basic trigonometry and its applications. Further develop algebraic skills by applying algebraic concepts to detailed geometry problems and investigate real-world applications of geometry.
Geometry (Academic)
C031AF/C031AS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra I (Academic) or teacher recommendation.
A calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Explore modern Euclidean geometry with an emphasis on logical thinking and the problem-solving concepts and skills learned in Algebra I. Examine three-dimensional geometry and basic trigonometry and its applications, and learn the fundamentals of formal proof. Further develop algebraic skills by applying algebraic concepts to detailed geometry problems. Topics studied include formal logic, congruent polygons, parallel lines, similar polygons, right triangles, quadrilateral properties, regular polygons, and circles.
Geometry (Honors)
C031XF/C031XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Algebra I (Honors) with a “B” or above or teacher recommendation.
A calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Explore modern Euclidean geometry with an emphasis on logical thinking and the development of formal proof. Enhance problem-solving concepts and skills learned in Algebra I. Examine three-dimensional geometry, truth tables, and basic trigonometry and its applications. Perform geometric constructions using traditional methods. Topics studied include formal logic, congruent polygons, parallel lines, similar polygons, right triangles, quadrilateral properties, regular polygons, and circles.
Algebra II (College Prep)
C013CF/C013CS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra I (College Prep) and Geometry (College Prep) or teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is highly encouraged as students can familiarize themselves with it before they take Precalculus (where it is required), but not required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Continue to refine computational and manipulative skills and further develop skills in solving linear, quadratic, and absolute value equations and inequalities. Continue the study of various functions and relations, expanding into polynomial equations, rational equations, radical equations, and logarithmic and exponential equations. Explore the solution and graphs of systems of equations and inequalities. Learn about the complex numbers and conic sections.
Algebra II (Academic)
C013AF/C013AS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Algebra I (Academic) with a “C” or above or teacher recommendation, and completion of Geometry (Academic). A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Further develop skills in solving linear, quadratic, and absolute value equations and inequalities. Continue the study of various functions and relations, expanding into polynomial equations, rational equations, radical equations, and logarithmic and exponential equations. Explore the solution and graphs of systems of equations and inequalities, and discover the strategies for developing scatter plots, linear regressions and linear programming. Learn about the complex numbers and conic sections, and explore applications of algebra two topics.
Algebra II (Honors)
C013XF/C013XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Algebra I (Honors) with a “B” or above or Algebra I (Academic) with a 95 percent or higher or Geometry (Honors) with a “B” or higher or teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Analyze and graph linear and quadratic equations and inequalities. Explore the properties of polynomials, radical expressions, rational functions, exponential functions and logarithmic functions. Solve systems of linear equations and inequalities in various ways, including the use of matrices. Learn about probability, conic sections, and sequences and series. Enhance problem-solving skills and discover the many relevant applications of algebra in the real world.
Precalculus (College Prep)
C041CF/C041CS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra II (College Prep) and teacher recommendation. Open to seniors only and by teacher/counselor recommendation only. This course is not open to students who earned a “C-” or better in Algebra II A. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Thoroughly explore and find applications for functions of all types, including linear, polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, power, and trigonometric. Investigate and use sequences and series and probability.
Precalculus (Academic)
C041AF/C041AS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Algebra II (Academic) with a “C-” or above and teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Thoroughly explore and find applications for functions of all types, including linear, polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, power, and trigonometric. Investigate and use sequences and series and probability.
AP Precalculus (Advanced Placement) (Honors)
C0411XK/C0411XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Algebra II (Honors) with a “C-” or above and teacher recommendation OR Algebra II (Academic) with an “A-” or above and teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Build deep mastery of modeling trigonometric, polar, polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions by examining scenarios through multiple representations. Investigate and use binomial expansion and sequence.
AP Calculus AB (Advanced Placement) (Honors)
C042XF/C042XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
A grade of B or better in Precalculus (Honors) and by teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
This course reviews and expands the concepts of precalculus such as graphs and modeling of functions. It explores limits and their properties, continuity, basic differentiation rules with applications as related rates, extrema, concavity, and the Mean Value Theorem. It also develops integration techniques and applies them in fields such as accumulation functions, area, and volumes. Students are required to take the AP exam in the spring.
*Course Fee*
AP Calculus BC (Advanced Placement) (Honors)
C043XF/C043XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
A grade of B or better in Calc AB and by teacher recommendation or by a Precalculus Honors teacher’s recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
This course explores all the topics of differential and integral AB Calculus with additional emphasis on integration techniques, finding arc length, applying Euler’s Theorem, and solving logistic differential equations. The course also includes the study of calculus on vector-valued functions,parametric and polar equations. Special emphasis is given to divergent or convergent sequences, intervals of convergence, and error analysis. The study of power series, MacLaurin and Taylor Series complete the course. Students are required to take the AP exam in the spring.
*Course Fee*
AP Statistics (Advanced Placement) (Honors)
C044XF/C044XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra II (Honors) or an “A” or “B” in Algebra II (Academic) and teacher recommendation. A graphing calculator is required. (See calculator information under “Mathematics Department” above.)
Course Description:
Learn to summarize data using graphs and numerical summaries by emphasizing how to use the formulas used in the study of statistics. Interpret data in the context of real-world problems and explore how to appropriately collect data. Design experiments to generate data, and then use probability to make conclusions about populations based on acquired samples. Students are required to take the AP exam in the spring.
*Course Fee*
Finite Math (Dual Credit) (Honors)
C032XF/C032XS 2 Semesters 2 Credits
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Algebra II A or X. Can be concurrently enrolled in Finite Math and Precalculus A or X.
Course Description:
This course is a dual credit course through Ivy Tech (equivalent to their MATH 135). Major topics of study for this course include: survey solving, graphing linear equations and inequalities, elementary set theory, matrices and their applications, linear programming, and elementary probability.
*Course Fee* – determined by Ivy Tech.