Mathematics Department

Mathematics Program

New York State Educational Learning Standards for Mathematics

The New York State Education Department has established learning standards for Mathematics denoting the skills and abilities each student should attain at various levels of his or her education – elementary, middle and high school levels.

Elementary School Level

Elementary children learn to understand mathematics and learn to become mathematically confident through instruction in: mathematical reasoning, number and numeration, operations of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; measurement. uncertainty, patterns/functions and modeling/multiple representation. We strive to make mathematics meaningful and relevant, which means we connect instruction to real-life applications. Many teachers pre- and post-test students’ mastery of math skills and concepts and develop lessons and activities to meet students’ individual needs.

Middle School Level

Students progress through a high performance integrated mathematics program where problem solving is the basis for all instruction. The curriculum is devoted to developing student knowledge and understanding of mathematics that is rich in connections among core mathematics concepts and life applications. The program’s core enables students to make sense of and apply mathematics through activities that encourage higher-level thinking and problem solving.

High School Level

High school students must complete 3 units of Mathematics to complete the New York State’s requirements for earning a Regents diploma or Advanced Regents diploma, and 4 units of Mathematics for an Advanced Regents diploma with BH-BL Merit Seal.

The Mathematics Department provides a sequence of courses intended to meet the needs and abilities of every student. Basic concepts and skills are stressed at every level. Mastery of mathematical skills, critical thinking, logical reasoning, the beauty of mathematics, the contributions of mathematics to society, familiarity with technology, and preparation for future study are all objectives of our curriculum.

See individual course descriptions in the BH-BL High School Curriculum Guide for specifications.