Your cover school or state may require 2-4 high school maths. If you are working toward smaller scholarships or high-end private colleges, they may have requirements for specific courses in high school. Contact the colleges you are interested in and ask for their requirements. However, for the most part, colleges do not really care as long as they get money, and your student scores well enough on the ACT and SAT. You also need to contact the college of your choice to find out the score required on these exams. Sometimes the front line admin people will say they want things – but really they want money. 😉 Know that no matter how high your student’s ACT/SAT score is, they will be required to take a math placement exam at the university and will be placed according to that score. Our courses will help with the ACT/SAT and math placement exams.
So as far as a typical math sequence goes, you can break it up in all kinds of ways. The key is how much time did you spend and what does your school (cover) require. We see some who call it
Algebra
Geometry
Algebra II With Trig
Calculus
and others
Algebra
Geometry
Algebra II (do this course over a longer period)
Trig
Calculus
or
Algebra
Geometry
Algebra II (do first few chapters of Alg II – say chapter 1-4)
Precalc (Do 5-8)
Calculus
So it really just depends.
What I would suggest is to first find out where your student plans to go to college (or the options including what specific fields of study) then contact them and ask what they would like to see. Once you get to the department level advisors, you will get some good counsel. DEPARTMENT LEVEL is key!!! Not just the admissions or Freshman counselors. I would do this no matter what. They might have other helpful hints you can use now. Do not worry about it being too soon. You are making a plan, and rather than listen to all the common advice about what they want to hear, just hear it from them.
But trust me, even in engineering we would never run off a student for lack of high school courses or high school grades. They are going to focus on those test scores and their own entrance/placement tests. (Which are written by the same people who write the ACT.)
Not Going the College Path? Want some Math Application Studies?
Maybe you aren’t headed to the ACT/SAT or college admissions office. You just want to learn some useful, real-life math applications for entrepreneurship endeavors, trade careers, and controlling your financial life. Here is another scope and sequence that’s good education for everyone.
Algebra
Geometry
Personal Economics (3rd-year math requirement)
Career Planning (NOT a math credit, but a great way to spend a summer or junior/senior year defining the right path for your student’s future) – a great business or elective credit.
Entrepreneurship 101 – Building Your Own Business (Not a math credit, but definitely a career path.) – a great business or elective credit.
