Questions tagged [usa]

For questions that (at least in part) are specific to the United States of America.

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Topics covered in Calculus I and II (university level) that aren't covered in the AP Curriculum

I teach AP Calculus BC at my high school and we have AP Calculus AB as a pre-req for taking BC. So most of my students are coming in with a strong calculus foundation, and I can spend less time on the ...
ruferd's user avatar
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6 votes
0 answers
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Is there ADA-compliance certification for mathematics text books?

What factors are there to consider when adopting a text as far as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is concerned? Is there a certification? What do you look for in the digital version of the text? ...
Maesumi's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
503 views

Help needed to find 7th & 8th grade completed math samples

I am trying to find samples of completed homework, class work and tests for 7th and 8th grade math in the US. I can find a million blank workbooks but not copies that students have completed with ...
Lucasodo's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

Geometry in the Community College Curriculum

As many Americans know, the “traditional” high school sequence is: Algebra 1 Geometry Algebra 2 PreCalculus Calculus For those who take developmental education at the community college level, it ...
MichaelLink's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
316 views

What age student should be able to answer this question?

I was having a conversation about math education in the USA. Would an excellent middle school student, high school student, or college freshman be able to answer this simple question: Exercise 0 If $...
pitosalas's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
199 views

math syllabus US education system 1-12th Grade

Please share links to websites / pdf files containing syllabus in subject mathematics in US education system Grades 1-12. Thank you.
Jane B.'s user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

How can I improve my Retake Policy?

I teach Pre-Calculus at a public high school in the United States. This school year, I allowed my students to retake any assessment regardless of how they performed on their first attempt. However, ...
FoiledIt24's user avatar
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8 votes
5 answers
4k views

Should an undergraduate math program contain a course on Lebesgue integration?

Is it standard for a math undergraduate program to have a course on Lebesgue integration? Does Riemann integral suffice for undergraduates? The reason of my question is I read a paper by Bartle titled ...
yaa09d's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
254 views

AP Calculus BC Guidance

Hello wonderful educators. I am hoping to get some help on a tough situation I am in. So first, a little bit of background facts: This is my first time teaching an AP class. I've adjuncted for Calc I ...
ruferd's user avatar
  • 2,042
6 votes
2 answers
415 views

Is Trigonometry done differently in the US?

I'm Italian and I've watched some videos from Americans and noticed a weird thing. Let's talk about a linear trigonometric equation like this: $$\sin x+\cos x+\sqrt3=0.$$ I've seen Americans solving ...
Alfonso's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
3k views

Should proofs include a third “context” column?

Proofs, or any mathematical derivation, appearing in any real setting, such as a book or textbook or talk, or even when we're teaching it in class, includes a great deal of surrounding explanation. ...
jackisquizzical's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
372 views

Is it more efficacious, productive to jump to perusing full solutions — before and without attempting to solve problems?

Too many students lack the luxuries of time and effort to mull exercises and problems. They must juggle MULTIPLE jobs to pay exorbitant tuition fees. Single parents or adult learners must prioritize ...
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
723 views

Preparing elementary teachers for the praxis exam

I'm teaching a class called "Math for Elementary Teachers." The main goal of the course is to prepare the prospective teachers for an exam that I believe is called "Praxis" (some ...
Ferris Boyler's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
240 views

Resources to qualify for AIME

I am trying to qualify for AIME this year and get a score of at least $5$ or $6$. (If anyone doesn't know, AIME is the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. You need to get a decent score on ...
I am a person's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
359 views

Why are math test scores dropping in America? Lack of student responsibility movement [closed]

Someone asked me this question today. Why do you honestly believe that high school math test scores in America (particularly the United States) are low compared to other countries? I thought about ...
W. G.'s user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is there a study that compares 8-week vs 16-week math classes?

I see a push toward having undergraduate curriculums built around 8-week classes. This is mostly in the online education in the USA. Recently I have seen a number of these in sophomore or junior-level ...
Maesumi's user avatar
  • 954
6 votes
2 answers
702 views

Calculus limits taught in the US vs Spain?

So, I realize this can be a broad question, so I'll narrow it down. I have lived in Spain and own several Math textbooks from that country (the equivalent of 8th grade and high school Math). Has ...
Wasp's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
194 views

Matriculation exams like in Europe

I just looked at matriculation exams from Finland. They have both basic and advanced level exams. Most US high school seniors could not pass the basic exam. If each US state were to create its own ...
user50896's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
952 views

How to be a good math teacher at a liberal art college?

I am thinking of taking up a position at a liberal art college. I have taught mathematics at large public universities but I have no idea what is it like to work at a liberal art colleges. So what are ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
283 views

Successor to School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG)

From reviews on Amazon of the various high school math texts by Mary Dolciani et al of the SMSG, I assume that there might be a successor to the approach (referred to as “the new math”) taken by the ...
nowradioguy's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
190 views

Is $\overline{AB} \cong \overline{BA}$ usually taught as an instance of the symmetric property of congruence?

I have been tutoring a wide range of math subjects for many years. Recently, I began tutoring a girl in high school geometry (in California, for context). This semester of the course is starting with ...
Geoffrey's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
161 views

Typical structure for walk-in math tutoring in US high schools?

I'm now semi-retired after a career teaching physics (and occasionally math) at a community college, and am looking for opportunities to volunteer with disadvantaged youth. During my college career, I ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
477 views

Is the AMC 10/12 Test the Difference Maker for Top Schools? What do Colleges Look for?

The AMC 10/12 test is a test used in a math competition for high school students. I have a few students that know LaTeX who are very young and are extremely advanced for their age in high school. As a ...
W. G.'s user avatar
  • 605
1 vote
3 answers
502 views

When are students taught implicit and parametric representations of curves?

Do students learn implicit equations (such as $x^2+y^2-r^2 = 0$) and parametric equations (e.g., $x=a t^2,\;y= 2 a t$) in a first course in algebra, which in the US would be early high school, maybe ...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
691 views

Teaching calculus in AP without the formal definition of the derivative

Years ago as a college freshman I was taking my first calculus course. Another freshman skipped it because he had calculus in Advanced Placement in high school. I mentioned we were learning the limit ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 199
9 votes
6 answers
3k views

Math activities for fast-finishers

I am a math teacher for sixth graders and I am trying to think of some strategies to keep the students who finish their work quickly productively occupied. I would like to have a selection of ...
Burt's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
265 views

Is There Such Thing as Reaching Half a Standard?

I like the Common Core State Standards for Math as they focus on objectives that students need to reach. However, some standards have way too many parts for them. For instance, the standard CCSS.MATH....
W. G.'s user avatar
  • 605
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What will my academic path look like after testing out of high school math classes?

I am currently a 15-year-old in the 9th grade, and I am studying to test out all of my high school math classes, which is something I didn't realize I could do in the 8th grade and would have if I had....
John Clever's user avatar
16 votes
5 answers
4k views

(How) Do American undergraduate math programs teach complex numbers?

What kind of exposure to complex numbers can you expect in mathematics majors at American colleges? I teach at a very large public university. It occurred to me that it is possible to graduate in ...
shuhalo's user avatar
  • 433
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

Courses equivalent to College Algebra in other countries?

In USA, there is a course called College Algebra and a course description may look like the following: This course provides students an opportunity to gain algebraic knowledge needed in ...
Zuriel's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
434 views

Mathematics minor requirements

My institution (in USA) is planning to introduce a minor in mathematics and here are the proposed course requirements: Calculus I Calculus II Calculus III or Differential Equations Any two of the ...
Zuriel's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
535 views

How actually are prime numbers taught in elementary school in United States and how easily do students learn what they're being taught about them?

I read the question https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1593091/how-to-explain-why-study-prime-numbers-to-5th-graders and according to the body of the question, some students sigh. Also according ...
Timothy's user avatar
  • 501
5 votes
4 answers
598 views

What math courses should I take in order to become a secondary math educator?

Seeing as this is the math educator site, perhaps someone can help me out: I am looking to become a math teacher, but I am having a hard time figuring out which math courses I need to be taking. ...
Burt's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
103 views

Where can I find the partial order relation of prerequisites of undergraduate courses in the United States?

Let $A$ be the set of all undergraduate mathematical courses in the US and define a binary relation $\leq$ on $A$ such that for elements $a,b\in A$ (that is, $a$, $b$ are undergraduate mathematical ...
Zuriel's user avatar
  • 4,119
0 votes
4 answers
392 views

Is "Volume of Solids of Revolution" a part of Cal I or Cac II

I took Calc I in preparation for the CLEP. I did not learn about solids of revolution. Is this something that is normally part of Calc I and that most Calc II classes will expect that I can do already?...
Burt's user avatar
  • 684
8 votes
1 answer
853 views

An alternative to "two column" geometry proofs

I'm a high school teacher in New York State (US), starting in on my first year of teaching Geometry. One of the things that really intrigues me is that the Regents exam (the state-mandated final exam)...
Matthew Daly's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
400 views

When (and why) did geometric means of more than two numbers exit the secondary curriculum?

In contemporary US secondary mathematics textbooks, geometric means occasionally make a brief appearance. For example: In Geometry, students learn that when an altitude is dropped to the hypotenuse ...
mweiss's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
211 views

why don't we do labs in/for math?

(this is in the US and at a high school level) why don't we dedicate a day of the week each week to do a lab for math for exploration? I mean we already do that for Earth Science, Physics, Chemistry ...
Lenny's user avatar
  • 835
5 votes
2 answers
234 views

In a typical 3rd-semester multivariate calculus course in the US, what kind of area integrals do students actually learn to do?

I teach mostly physics and a little math at a California community college. I've never taught the multivariate calculus course, but I have taught the electricity and magnetism course for which the ...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
73 views

Reference for study about good teachers in a US state

Several years ago I have read about a study in a US state where standard test scores were used to identify teachers whose students consistently improved far above the average and then film and analyse ...
user11235's user avatar
  • 1,240
20 votes
5 answers
673 views

What is the required mathematical background of a US elementary school math teacher?

I'm currently a research mathematician, getting involved in more and more outreach activities. One of these involves delivering lessons for elementary school math teachers (K-6). The purpose is two-...
j0equ1nn's user avatar
  • 427
1 vote
1 answer
100 views

GRE Geometry Reference Request?

My brother is taking the normal GRE (not the math subject test), and I need to help him learn geometry. I know basic geometry myself, but I need a book that will present it well and will have good ...
Ovi's user avatar
  • 705
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Most Commonly-Adopted Calculus Textbooks

I am looking for an article (or other source) that addresses the calculus textbook industry, specifically which calculus textbooks are most commonly adopted. I'm primarily interested in that of the U....
Mr Toad's user avatar
  • 161
16 votes
2 answers
224 views

What happens when the state mandates college math placement policies?

The state of Illinois is currently considering a bill to mandate that all public institutions accept a score of 3 on every Advanced Placement exam. Bill here. The lobbyists in favor of the bill claim ...
Chris Cunningham's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
250 views

As a Secondary public Math educator in the USA are there vacation days?

My girlfriend is soon to become HS or secondary education public school math teacher in the USA. I was reading some HS contracts and I dont see any "vacation days". At best I only saw 2 "personal" ...
Frank Visaggio's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
606 views

What is the best way to teach compound interest in high school?

It seems that a lot of high school seniors contemplating college are too naive about borrowing and repaying a loan to tell whether a given loan choice is rational or irrational. Or so we are being ...
Walter Mitty's user avatar
25 votes
4 answers
3k views

Common Core, threat or menace? Or maybe ok after all?

I have a background in math but no contact with secondary education or kids. I hear all sorts of stories ... horror stories mostly ... about the Common Core math curriculum in the USA. Then I hear ...
user4894's user avatar
  • 351
8 votes
4 answers
820 views

Devising backup plan to become HS teacher as a late undergrad

I am a junior math major in NY and will apply to PhD programs next year. I am terrified about getting rejected as I have not yet put any serious thought into a backup plan. I've tutored high school ...
user1269's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
721 views

What universities in the United States have Spanish-language mathematics classes?

This is a simple question, which I haven't found the answer to online. Due to the increasing number of Spanish-speaking students in American universities, I've been interested in teaching Spanish-...
Brian Rushton's user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
3k views

How does the workload of a high-school mathematics teacher compare to a university-level instructor?

This question could be very broad, and so I'd like to make it more specific. In the United States, mathematics educators generally work in secondary education or college education (elementary school ...
Brian Rushton's user avatar