Open to III Form students

This course introduces students to the problem-solving techniques used by mathematicians and employed throughout the St. Andrew’s math curriculum. Students move beyond the straightforward application of algorithms and are pushed to use abstract reasoning and creativity to solve problems they have not explicitly seen before. They learn that good mathematicians do not immediately see the answer to every problem but enjoy experimenting with possible solutions. The disciplines of algebra and geometry provide excellent vehicles to practice and hone the skills required for such an approach. Although students may enter the course with a variety of backgrounds in algebra and geometry, they are equally challenged in applying and synthesizing their knowledge as they collaborate with peers in class and puzzle through solutions. Students also develop resilience and good communication skills, while solidifying their skills in algebra and recognizing its connections to geometry.

Open to III & IV Form students

This course develops the problem-solving skills required for advanced mathematics, with an emphasis on the in-depth study of traditional topics of geometry, such parametrics and vectors. Students explore the relationships between geometry and more advanced algebraic topics, including quadratics, transformations. Students are expected to have a mastery of basic algebra and a facility with the investigative and collaborative approach of problem solving. Placement is determined by the department.

Open to IV Form Students

Prerequisite: Algebra I

This course continues to develop the problem-solving skills introduced in Algebra I with greater emphasis on traditional topics of geometry. Students explore the relationships between geometry and more advanced algebraic topics, including quadratics and transformations. Further topics are studied in depth, including parametrics and vectors. Students are expected to have a mastery of basic algebra and a facility with the investigative and collaborative approach of problem solving.

Open to III, IV & V Form Students

Prerequisites: Honors Geometry or placement test

This course covers all of the topics in Algebra II, and adds a full treatment of trigonometry. While students consider the properties and applications of each of the major trigonometric function families in isolation, significant time is also dedicated to the study of function composition and transformations. Text: Larson et al., Algebra and Trigonometry.

Open to V Form students

Prerequisite: Algebra II

This precalculus course reviews and expands on the study of functions introduced in Algebra II. Special emphasis is placed on using functions to model real-world phenomena. Students also study bivariate data analysis and a full treatment of trigonometry. Text: Connally et al., Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus.

Open to IV & V Form Students

Prerequisite: Honors Algebra II or placement test

In the first half of the year, Honors Precalculus students review topics in trigonometry and study a variety of precalculus topics drawn from discrete mathematics and analysis. The second half of the course covers differential calculus and its applications to prepare students for Advanced Study in Calculus BC. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus and supplementary material.

Open to VI Form Students

Prerequisites: Precalculus

This course is a study of the concepts and skills of differential and integral calculus. An emphasis on the applications of calculus allows students the opportunity to investigate and collaborate on projects. While this course provides students with a sound understanding of calculus, it is not intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Calculus AB examination. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al.,Calculus.

Open to VI Form Students

Prerequisites: Honors Algebra II or Precalculus

This course covers differential and integral calculus, with an emphasis on applications drawn from the physical, biological and social sciences. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Calculus AB examination. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus.

Open to V & VI Form Students

Prerequisites: Honors Precalculus

This course continues the study of calculus begun in the second half of Honors Precalculus. Students study integral calculus and its applications, as well as polynomial series approximations. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Calculus BC examination. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus.

Open to V & VI Form students

Prerequisite: Precalculus or higher

Yearlong elective

A basic understanding of economics is fast becoming a requirement for effective citizenship in a modern democracy. This course aims to provide students the necessary tools to understand and participate in discussions of economic policy. In any authentic economics curriculum students study decision-making: they learn to recognize the myriad constraints in life—not only those of budget and how to spend one’s money, but also those of time and how to spend one’s life—and then study how to maximize various goods in the face of those constraints. This is not a course in finance. Stocks and bonds are largely just an example of a particular marketplace. Their role in macroeconomic policy is important to understand, but the real focus of the course will be the study of scarcity in general. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the application of mathematical techniques drawn from algebra, calculus and statistics. Some new techniques will be introduced, but much of the focus will be on the application of previously studied concepts.

Open to VI Form Students

Prerequisites: AS Calculus BC

Advanced Topics Tutorial in Mathematics is a course designed for students who have completed Advanced Studies in Calculus BC. Each quarter is a different topic of advanced mathematics taught by a different teacher in the department. Recent topics have included cryptography, recreational mathematics, discrete logic, and proving Euclidean geometry from scratch. Topics can vary each year based on student and faculty interest.

Semester-long half-credit course

Open to v & VI Form students

Prerequisites: Algebra II

This course is a non-calculus-based introduction to statistics that focuses on four major themes: exploring and analyzing data, planning studies and collecting data, mathematical modeling, and testing hypotheses through statistical inference. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Statistics examination. Text: Bock, Velleman, DeVeau, Stats: Modeling the World.

Open to all Forms 

An introductory course aimed at presenting the mechanisms that power the digital world by initiating students in the problem solving skills associated with designing computer code. This course is suitable for students with no programming background as well as those with familiarity and experience. Discussion and writing topics include history and functionality of the internet, ethics of digital citizenship, and current concepts pulled from recent headlines. Classroom activities balance between collaborative coding projects and discussions and debates on current events in the digital world.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Ninety percent of all the data in the world was created in the past two years, and the rate at which we are creating new data is only increasing. As the world adds more information of every possible variety at an ever-increasing rate, how can we possibly keep up? This course will teach you the tools of data science, a new and growing field that uses powerful computing tools to collect, manipulate, analyze and visualize data, grounded in mathematics. We will focus our efforts on using data to explore compelling and intriguing questions drawn from current political topics, current trends in economics and science, popular culture, and student interest. We will study statistical and mathematical modeling, and learn how we can analyze a dataset to make powerful predictions. This class will culminate in a project where students will use the tools they’ve learned to tell a story using data about a question of interest to the student (not unlike stories on The Upshot or FiveThirtyEight). This class will also spend a significant amount of time considering the ethics of “big data”—who owns all of the data you’re generating when you carry a smartphone around with you every day, and what exactly can a company do with that “anonymous” data? What are the promises and perils of being able to sequence your genome for less than the cost of a new pair of sneakers, and how will you be able to comprehend and safeguard that data? 

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisites: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course refines the student's programming ability while introducing the concept of object-oriented programming. Increasingly, larger and more complex projects bolster the student's ability to craft working components while simultaneously promote project and time management skills as well as instill confidence in the student's developing ability. This course roughly follows the AP Computer Science A syllabus with tangents to allow for further exploration in project based learning. Students completing this course will have basic preparation to take the AP test.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course develops a student's ability to program microcontrollers and other embedded devices. This specific type of programming is essential for developing products and devices that physically interact with the environment through sensors, actuators, and information display. Students will engage in electronic development skills including circuit design, implementation via breadboarding and soldering, and product deployment. As a final project, students will design and contribute a collaborative project build to aid the School community.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course introduces students to the practice of software engineering by using design thinking and the agile methodology to develop iOS and macOS apps in Swift. In addition to learning the Swift programming language, and programming tools like XCode and GitHub, students will study event-driven programming, user interface design, using programming libraries, and data storage. Students will work in small teams to identify users within our community who have a need that could be solved with an app, and then work to iteratively design, implement, and refine their application using Agile Methodology. The goal of the course is for each student team to produce an app of lasting value for the School community.