Math department teacher Eric Smith (right) works with junior Harper Webb (left) in the Clarke Central High School courtyard on Oct. 6. After the Georgia Department of Education changed the math curriculum across the state, Smith has had to adapt to the new standards. “As a teacher, it puts a little bit more on our plate as far as preparation because, as teachers, especially if you’re teaching similar courses year after year, you get into routine and you kind of know what you’re doing. Now, you’re having to go back and maybe rethink some things,” Smith said. “Looking at the flow of the new standards, I think it has been pretty well thought out as far as the progression from one course to the next.” Photo by Wyatt Meyer
The CCHS math department has had to adapt to Georgia’s new K-12 math curriculum.
Clarke Central High School has implemented Georgia’s new K-12 math curriculum standards in the 2023-2024 school year.
The standards, which the Georgia Department of Education says were drafted by mathematics teachers in Georgia, changes the curriculum in Georgia math classes. According to math department instructional coach Alexis Scott, who is assisting teachers during the change, teachers have been preparing for this curriculum change since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They rolled out the new standards for us to get feedback on educators in the state (in 2021-2022) and then last year is what we call our training year. The standards are pretty much finalized, but it was a chance for teachers to understand what the changes were going to be. This year is what work is with the state and Clarke Central we’re calling implementation,” Scott said.
Scott says the changes are twofold. Some reflect simpler shifts in curriculum content, such as the introduction of trigonometry concepts into Algebra 1 instead of Precalculus, while others are more related to teaching the real-life application of math concepts.
“You can solve almost any problem with math, and that wasn’t showing up in math classrooms across the state,” Scott said. “There’s a framework that (teachers) follow and math modeling standards are also in every content as well.”
“You can solve almost any problem with math, and that wasn’t showing up in math classrooms across the state. There’s a framework that (teachers) follow and math modeling standards are also in every content as well.”
— Alexis Scott,
Math department instructional coach
The curriculum has also allowed new math classes to come to CCHS. Classes formerly designated as “accelerated” have been rebranded as “enhanced” to decrease the overlap in concepts between courses as well as to create a more cohesive learning experience. At CCHS, this change has facilitated the introduction of Advanced Placement Precalculus, which has placed an additional strain on math department teacher Eric Smith, who teaches the course.
“I kind of feel what other (CCHS math department) teachers are feeling as far as feeling like you’re a new teacher again, because I’m having to rethink and do everything that they’re having to do,” Smith said. “On one hand, it’s like ‘Here we go again, changing the standards, moving things around,’ but I think it is all in the name of trying to have the students understand the math a little bit better.”
Senior Jessica Hudson takes AP Precalculus and feels the course’s creation has helped her understand the math more fully.
“For the most part, (the class is) pretty easy because everything is basically like Algebra II and Geometry put together. The tests (are harder) because it’s all from AP Classroom so it’s getting us ready for the exam, but it’s not too hard,” Hudson said. “I think it’ll help me be better prepared for college math.”
