Mathematics

To be well informed adults and to have access to desirable jobs, our students require a mathematics education that goes beyond what was needed by students in the past. All students must develop, deepen, and sharpen their skills, their understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, their abilities in problem-solving, reasoning, and communication abilities and hone their ability to make sense of and to solve compelling and complex problems. In order for this to occur, rigorous mathematical content must be organized, taught, and assessed in a problem-solving environment. Students’ mathematical knowledge must be connected to the ideas and skills found in all grade levels, as well as to real life situations outside the classroom.

Our goal is to equip each of our students with the ability and preparation to meet the mathematical demands presented by college and careers, and to carry their mathematical thinking and problem-solving into multiple learning situations.

Our mathematics program, guided by Washington State standards approved in July of 2008, will provide a balance of:
• Conceptual Understanding
• Procedural Proficiency
• Problem-solving and Processes

Conceptual Understanding: Making sense of mathematics

Students who understand a concept can:
• identify examples and non-examples
• describe concepts with words, symbols, drawings, tables or models
• provide a definition of a concept
• use the concept in different ways
Expectations for conceptual understanding ask students to demonstrate, describe, represent, connect, and justify.

Procedural Proficiency: Skills, facts, and procedures

Students who demonstrate procedural proficiency can:
• quickly recall basic facts (addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division)
• use standard algorithms – step-by-step mathematical procedures – to produce a correct solution or answer (might also include multiple algorithms)
• use generalized procedures (such as the steps involved in solving an algebraic equation)
• demonstrate fluency with procedures:
 o perform the procedure immediately and accurately
 o know when to use a particular procedure in a problem or situation
 o use the procedure as a tool that can be applied reflexively, and doesn’t distract from the task at hand (procedure is stored in long-term memory)