The Importance of Mathematics
At all levels grades pre K-12, Merit Academy has placed mathematics as one of the top priorities. Why mathematics? Mathematics is the foundation for success in a variety of content areas during a child’s educational experience.
• Students who take a rigorous K-12 mathematics sequence are more likely to go to college than those who do not.
• Students of all income levels who take rigorous math courses in high school are more likely to go to college.
• In the job market, students who have strong mathematics backgrounds are more likely to be employed and earn 38% more per hour than those with
insufficient skills in algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability.
Mathematics is crucial not only for success in school, but in being an informed citizen, being productive in one’s chosen career, and in personal fulfillment. In today’s technology driven society, greater demands have been placed on individuals to interpret and use mathematics to make sense of information and complex situations. As a result, Merit Academy places the understanding, application of numbers and operations, problem-solving, and reasoning skills as a top priority. During the students’ primary years, our focus is on learning number and operations, basic measurement, and basic understanding of data. As students move into the intermediate and middle school years, a greater emphasis is placed on the practice and reinforcement of basic math facts and operations while at the same time increasing the depth of understanding of skills in algebra and geometry. At the high school level, while our focus remains on fundamental mathematical concepts and skills to prepare all students to be productive members of society, students encounter new perspectives in algebra and geometry as well as new ways of analyzing data within formal mathematics courses and other high school courses in science, social studies, business, and other electives. Our academic expectations are clear:
• Students will be able to formulate, critically analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
• Students will be able to use various forms of communication to accurately receive, process, and deliver information.
Through their experiences at Merit Academy, students are expected to have a strong understanding of mathematical computation, concepts and processes, problem-solving, reasoning and analysis while using mathematics to make sense of, and to solve complex problems in a variety of applications.
• Students who take a rigorous K-12 mathematics sequence are more likely to go to college than those who do not.
• Students of all income levels who take rigorous math courses in high school are more likely to go to college.
• In the job market, students who have strong mathematics backgrounds are more likely to be employed and earn 38% more per hour than those with
insufficient skills in algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability.
Mathematics is crucial not only for success in school, but in being an informed citizen, being productive in one’s chosen career, and in personal fulfillment. In today’s technology driven society, greater demands have been placed on individuals to interpret and use mathematics to make sense of information and complex situations. As a result, Merit Academy places the understanding, application of numbers and operations, problem-solving, and reasoning skills as a top priority. During the students’ primary years, our focus is on learning number and operations, basic measurement, and basic understanding of data. As students move into the intermediate and middle school years, a greater emphasis is placed on the practice and reinforcement of basic math facts and operations while at the same time increasing the depth of understanding of skills in algebra and geometry. At the high school level, while our focus remains on fundamental mathematical concepts and skills to prepare all students to be productive members of society, students encounter new perspectives in algebra and geometry as well as new ways of analyzing data within formal mathematics courses and other high school courses in science, social studies, business, and other electives. Our academic expectations are clear:
• Students will be able to formulate, critically analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
• Students will be able to use various forms of communication to accurately receive, process, and deliver information.
Through their experiences at Merit Academy, students are expected to have a strong understanding of mathematical computation, concepts and processes, problem-solving, reasoning and analysis while using mathematics to make sense of, and to solve complex problems in a variety of applications.