We've looked at the reasons to continue through algebra 2, but what other high school math classes are worth pursuing?
The traditional high school mathematics course of study is: Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Precalculus or Trigonometry. We've explored why our students should study through Algebra 2 at the very least. But what about our students who struggled through Algebra 2 and loathe the idea of higher level math? For our math-phobic students we have options for that fourth year math.
- Personal Finance: Perhaps the most widely used high school math class which doesn't fit into the traditional 4 course load is personal finance. Over the past ten years homeschool parents have embraced the real life math study of budgeting, basic bookkeeping, and tax preparation. This combination of math skills are often bundled into a single semester course of personal finance. There are multiple places to find a great personal finance curriculum, but that's beyond the scope of this post.
If you ever have curriculum questions for any of the options, feel free to email Lori@scioacademy.com.
- Business Math: For our entrepreneurial students, studying the basics of business math may be a good option. More and more people are preparing for the marketplace with business math. Another alternative to business math is accounting, in fact, I'd recommend accounting over business math if you have a serious entrepreneur.
- Statistics: Believe it or not, statistics is a very useful and important class. In college, many majors are required to take introductory statistics, and it is often one of the harder classes to master. In fact, many majors require both introductory and advanced statistics, taking the time in high school to be introduced to the study of statistics is time well spent.
- Trade Math : If you have a student pursuing certification in a trade, then finding a math text that focuses specifically on that trade can be an invaluable study. Likewise, if you have a student with an interest in mathematical concepts, but doesn't want to dive into college level math yet, then finding a text on number theory or probability.
Within each of these categories there are probably 3 or 4 actual course options with 2 or 3 specific curricula options. When it comes to the study of higher level math, the sky's the limit.