For years, Upper School (US) students who entered the school without prior Algebra experience struggled to reach Calculus before graduation. Now, a new two-year Algebra and Geometry program is helping more students stay on track for advanced math courses.
The standard US math sequence begins with Algebra II, followed by Geometry, Precalculus and Calculus. However, differences in math curricula across schools can mean that some transfer students benefit from starting in Algebra I rather than Algebra II. In the past, this sometimes made it challenging for them to fit Calculus into their schedules by senior year without summer coursework.
Math Department Head Meena Kaur said she proposed the two-year joint Algebra and Geometry course to create more opportunities for students. After the two-year course, most students can take Precalculus in junior year, then Calculus in senior year.
“There were a handful of students who came to us saying they needed to have Calculus on their transcript by senior year,” Ms. Kaur said. “The way that our system was working, the only access was through a summer course, which not every student was able to take …So after years of listening to concerns, we proposed condensing the three-year program into a two-year program. It would have the same rigor and difficulty as our previously offered courses, but instead of spreading it out over three years, condensing it into two years by removing overlapping content.”
Math Teacher Sarina Simon helped pioneer the creation of the two-year program. She said the previous system did not work for many students.
“BB&N had historically had an accelerated Algebra I course for incoming ninth graders, then after their sophomore year,” Ms. Simon said. “But summer Geometry was very accelerated, and some kids cannot get to school for it or have other commitments which cause equity and accessibility problems.”
Ms. Simon said the content was the same as the other math sections, but the course is taught at a different pace.
“Ms. Kaur and I meet almost every other week to fine-tune the curriculum and change aspects of it,” Ms. Simon said. “Because Geometry is a graduation requirement, we have to make some decisions about what we cover when. By spreading out topics and continuing to be circular about it, we can talk about specific things when they become necessary.”
Noah Avram ’28 is in the second year of the two-year program. He said that he is content with the academic track he is currently on.
“Because the Algebra and Geometry program is a two-year course, we were able to focus on things that we may not be able to focus on in the other math courses because they go through different topics faster,” he said. “We are also offered more help and more time to meet with teachers. The class helped me a lot, and I am happy that I can take precalculus as a junior.”
Charlotte Dahl ’28 said the joint Algebra and Geometry class is a good fit for her.
“I joined BB&N in freshman year, but even though I took Algebra I at my previous school, I didn’t feel like they were teaching me well enough,” she said. “I felt like I needed to do it again to get the level of understanding I wanted.”
Charlotte said the speed of the class works well for her.
“I’m really glad that I get to take the course. It’s the perfect speed for me, not too fast or too slow.”
Callum Sullivan ’29 said the course enables him to keep up with his peers in other math classes.
“While it does feel weird to not be in the same type of class as most other people in my grade, I think that we still learn nearly the same amount of stuff though at a slightly slower pace,” he said. “The first trimester of the year is focused a little more on algebraic concepts, while most of the second and third trimesters are focused more on geometry.”
