Mathematics Department
On this page you find information about the following:
- Department Members
- Department Philosophy
- Sequence of Courses
- Graphing Calculator Information
- Algebra Exemption Exam Information
- Comparison of Courses Taken to ACT Results
(Data for Graduation Years 2004-2008)
Department Members
Steve Wright (Chair)
AP Calculus AB
Pre-Calculus
Years Experience: 30
Years at ML: 30
BS in Mathematics from Concordia Teachers College - Seward, NE
MS in Computer Science Education from UW-Milwaukee
Jeanne Wingfield
Advanced Algebra & Trig
Intermediate Algebra & Geometry
Algebra
Years Experience: 17
Years at ML: 14
BS in Mathematics from Concordia College - River Forest, IL
Liz Radcliffe
Algebra
Years Experience: 5
Years at ML: 3
MA in Education from Valparaiso University - Valparaiso, IN
Christy Wawrzyniak
Geometry
Algebra
Statistics
Years Experience: 0
Years at ML: 0
BS in Mathematics from Concordia University - Texas
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Department Philosophy
The Mathematics Department seeks to assist all students in their learning of mathematics and help them achieve their potential. Our curriculum is a traditional one and has been very successful in preparing students for both college and the work-world.
While only two years of mathematics are required for graduation, most Martin Luther students take three years of mathematics. The most common sequence of courses for students to take is Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. Therefore, most students complete mathematics training through Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry. We also offer accelerated or advanced placement courses as well as remedial courses in order to help students of all ability levels to achieve their potential. (More information on our courses can be found in our Sequence Of Courses or Catalog of Courses.)
Incoming freshmen are place into one of four first-year courses. Placement is based on: grade school math program, teacher recommendation, achievement tests and in some cases, a placement test.
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Sequence of Courses
We like to think of our courses as a train ... and that students simply "hop on" in different spots. Shown below are our standard courses in sequence. Most students begin in Algebra and then move on to take Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, and then Pre-Calculus.
Basic Math
Pre-Algebra
Algebra
Geometry
Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus AB
We do have some variations to this standard sequence.
For students that begin in Algebra and wish to accelerate in order to take the AP Calculus course, we have a special course called Accelerated Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry which would be taken their junior year. For them, the sequence is:
Algebra, Geometry, Accelerated Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, AP Calculus AB
For students that have difficulty with either Algebra or Geometry and are not ready for the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course their junior year, we have a course called Intermediate Algebra & Geometry. This course is designed to review and further their understanding in both Algebra and Geometry so that they can take the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course their senior year. For them, the sequence is:
Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra & Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trig
Finally we also offer a Statistics course. The Stats class could be taken during the junior or senior year.
If you desire more detailed information about any of the courses that we offer, please consult our Catalog of Courses.
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Graphing Calculator Information
Starting with the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course, students are required to obtain a graphing calculator. Prior to this course, students may use a graphing calculator, but it is not required. A scientific calculator is all that is needed for courses prior to Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry.
Our department uses the Texas Instrument TI-84 calculator for classroom demonstrations. We recommend that students obtain either the TI-83 or TI-84 calculator, as both of these are very similar. If you are going to purchase a new calculator, we suggest getting the TI-84.
Texas Instruments has many other models available. While the TI-85 and TI-86 are both excellent graphing calculators and will work fine for our courses, their menus are different enough from the TI-83 and TI-84 that students often have some trouble in finding where "things" are. In addition, while the TI-89 is a very powerful calculator and can be used in class, we feel it is more appropriate for the college level. Since technology changes so rapidly, we don't recommend that you spend the extra money for the TI-89 when in a couple of years you may want or need a different model for college.
On the left side of this screen, you will find a link to the Texas Instrument website. From their site, you can obtain information regarding their products. In addition, they have many programs that can be downloaded and installed in the calculator. You may need to purchase some additional cabling in order to connect your calculator to your computer.
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Algebra Exemption Exam Information
Students that have taken the equivalent of a high school Algebra course in their grade school studies may be eligible to be placed into advanced standing and be exempt from taking our Algebra course. The expected sequence of courses for students that qualify for and elect to be placed in advanced standing is: Geometry, Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and Advanced Placement Calculus.
Since we have students that come to us with varied Algebra experiences, we have all students seeking advanced standing take our Algebra Exemption Exam in order to verify that the students have the knowledge and skills equivalent to our high school Algebra course. This exam is given late in May and is coordinated by our Office of Student Services.
Students that desire to take the Algebra Exemption Exam should prepare for the exam as they would for a final exam. They should review their materials and do many practice problems. Students should plan on completing the exam within 90 minutes. Please bring pencils, calculator, graph paper and lined paper with you to the exam. Students will be notified of the results by a letter from the Office of Student Services early in June.
In order to help you prepare for our Algebra Exemption Exam, please review our document (in .pdf form) entitled, Algebra Expectations. In addition, the following documents (again in .pdf form) are the review problems that we use with our Algebra students as we help them prepare for their Semester 1 and Semester 2 Exams. We believe that you will find these to be excellent problems to help you review and prepare for our Algebra Exemption Exam. (Note: we do not provide the answers to you for these problems. Perhaps your Algebra teacher would be willing to develop answer keys and/or check over your work.)
Semester 1 Review
Semester 2 Review A
Semester 2 Review B
Semester 2 Review C
Semester 2 Review D
Semester 2 Review E
(Date and time of the exam will be posted on the OSS News page.)
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Comparison of Courses Taken to ACT Results
In the fall of 2008, our Math Department studied the relationship between which math courses our students took and their performance on the ACT. Since we pride ourselves on being a college-prep high school, there was a question as to why we only require two years of mathematics for graduation instead of three. We knew, as a department, that most of our students take three, if not four years of mathematics. We also knew that by keeping our graduation requirement at only two years, it would allow us to keep non-college bound students in our school and better allow them to graduate from our school.
We decided that we needed to perform a study to obtain data which would either validate or invalidate our instincts. What follows is a set of facts and conclusions that resulted from our study. Please note that the data was collected for the years 2004-2008.
Facts and Conclusions:
1. Martin Luther students take an average of 3.6 years of mathematics.
2. 90% of our students took the ACT.
3. 73.1% of our students took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher.
4. 92.6% of our students had plans to attend college.
5. Martin Luther students that took the ACT had scores that ranged from 14-36 on the math portion of the ACT. (Maximum possible score is 36.)
6. Martin Luther students that took the ACT averaged 23.9 on the math portion of the ACT.
7. Martin Luther students that took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher averaged 25.2 on the math portion of the ACT.
8. Martin Luther students scored an average of 1.8 points higher on the mathematics portion of the ACT than the rest of the state of Wisconsin.
9. Martin Luther students that took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher scored an average of 3.1 points higher on the mathematics portion of the ACT than the rest of the state of Wisconsin.
10. Comparing Martin Luther student Exit Course (last course taken at our high school) with Average Math Score on ACT:
|
Highest Level Core Course Taken
|
Martin Luther Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
Wisconsin Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
National Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
| AP Calculus |
28.8
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Pre-Calculus |
26.1
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Accelerated Adv. Alg. & Trig. |
27.0
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Advanced Algebra & Trig. |
22.9
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Geometry |
17.3
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Algebra |
16.8
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
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Mathematics Department
On this page you find information about the following:
- Department Members
- Department Philosophy
- Sequence of Courses
- Graphing Calculator Information
- Algebra Exemption Exam Information
- Comparison of Courses Taken to ACT Results
(Data for Graduation Years 2004-2008)
Department Members
Steve Wright (Chair)
AP Calculus AB
Pre-Calculus
Years Experience: 30
Years at ML: 30
BS in Mathematics from Concordia Teachers College - Seward, NE
MS in Computer Science Education from UW-Milwaukee
Jeanne Wingfield
Advanced Algebra & Trig
Intermediate Algebra & Geometry
Algebra
Years Experience: 17
Years at ML: 14
BS in Mathematics from Concordia College - River Forest, IL
Liz Radcliffe
Algebra
Years Experience: 5
Years at ML: 3
MA in Education from Valparaiso University - Valparaiso, IN
Christy Wawrzyniak
Geometry
Algebra
Statistics
Years Experience: 0
Years at ML: 0
BS in Mathematics from Concordia University - Texas
Go To Top Of Page
Department Philosophy
The Mathematics Department seeks to assist all students in their learning of mathematics and help them achieve their potential. Our curriculum is a traditional one and has been very successful in preparing students for both college and the work-world.
While only two years of mathematics are required for graduation, most Martin Luther students take three years of mathematics. The most common sequence of courses for students to take is Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. Therefore, most students complete mathematics training through Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry. We also offer accelerated or advanced placement courses as well as remedial courses in order to help students of all ability levels to achieve their potential. (More information on our courses can be found in our Sequence Of Courses or Catalog of Courses.)
Incoming freshmen are place into one of four first-year courses. Placement is based on: grade school math program, teacher recommendation, achievement tests and in some cases, a placement test.
Go To Top Of Page
Sequence of Courses
We like to think of our courses as a train ... and that students simply "hop on" in different spots. Shown below are our standard courses in sequence. Most students begin in Algebra and then move on to take Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, and then Pre-Calculus.
Basic Math
Pre-Algebra
Algebra
Geometry
Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus AB
We do have some variations to this standard sequence.
For students that begin in Algebra and wish to accelerate in order to take the AP Calculus course, we have a special course called Accelerated Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry which would be taken their junior year. For them, the sequence is:
Algebra, Geometry, Accelerated Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry, AP Calculus AB
For students that have difficulty with either Algebra or Geometry and are not ready for the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course their junior year, we have a course called Intermediate Algebra & Geometry. This course is designed to review and further their understanding in both Algebra and Geometry so that they can take the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course their senior year. For them, the sequence is:
Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra & Geometry, Advanced Algebra & Trig
Finally we also offer a Statistics course. The Stats class could be taken during the junior or senior year.
If you desire more detailed information about any of the courses that we offer, please consult our Catalog of Courses.
Go To Top Of Page
Graphing Calculator Information
Starting with the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry course, students are required to obtain a graphing calculator. Prior to this course, students may use a graphing calculator, but it is not required. A scientific calculator is all that is needed for courses prior to Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry.
Our department uses the Texas Instrument TI-84 calculator for classroom demonstrations. We recommend that students obtain either the TI-83 or TI-84 calculator, as both of these are very similar. If you are going to purchase a new calculator, we suggest getting the TI-84.
Texas Instruments has many other models available. While the TI-85 and TI-86 are both excellent graphing calculators and will work fine for our courses, their menus are different enough from the TI-83 and TI-84 that students often have some trouble in finding where "things" are. In addition, while the TI-89 is a very powerful calculator and can be used in class, we feel it is more appropriate for the college level. Since technology changes so rapidly, we don't recommend that you spend the extra money for the TI-89 when in a couple of years you may want or need a different model for college.
On the left side of this screen, you will find a link to the Texas Instrument website. From their site, you can obtain information regarding their products. In addition, they have many programs that can be downloaded and installed in the calculator. You may need to purchase some additional cabling in order to connect your calculator to your computer.
Go To Top Of Page
Algebra Exemption Exam Information
Students that have taken the equivalent of a high school Algebra course in their grade school studies may be eligible to be placed into advanced standing and be exempt from taking our Algebra course. The expected sequence of courses for students that qualify for and elect to be placed in advanced standing is: Geometry, Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and Advanced Placement Calculus.
Since we have students that come to us with varied Algebra experiences, we have all students seeking advanced standing take our Algebra Exemption Exam in order to verify that the students have the knowledge and skills equivalent to our high school Algebra course. This exam is given late in May and is coordinated by our Office of Student Services.
Students that desire to take the Algebra Exemption Exam should prepare for the exam as they would for a final exam. They should review their materials and do many practice problems. Students should plan on completing the exam within 90 minutes. Please bring pencils, calculator, graph paper and lined paper with you to the exam. Students will be notified of the results by a letter from the Office of Student Services early in June.
In order to help you prepare for our Algebra Exemption Exam, please review our document (in .pdf form) entitled, Algebra Expectations. In addition, the following documents (again in .pdf form) are the review problems that we use with our Algebra students as we help them prepare for their Semester 1 and Semester 2 Exams. We believe that you will find these to be excellent problems to help you review and prepare for our Algebra Exemption Exam. (Note: we do not provide the answers to you for these problems. Perhaps your Algebra teacher would be willing to develop answer keys and/or check over your work.)
Semester 1 Review
Semester 2 Review A
Semester 2 Review B
Semester 2 Review C
Semester 2 Review D
Semester 2 Review E
(Date and time of the exam will be posted on the OSS News page.)
Go To Top Of Page
Comparison of Courses Taken to ACT Results
In the fall of 2008, our Math Department studied the relationship between which math courses our students took and their performance on the ACT. Since we pride ourselves on being a college-prep high school, there was a question as to why we only require two years of mathematics for graduation instead of three. We knew, as a department, that most of our students take three, if not four years of mathematics. We also knew that by keeping our graduation requirement at only two years, it would allow us to keep non-college bound students in our school and better allow them to graduate from our school.
We decided that we needed to perform a study to obtain data which would either validate or invalidate our instincts. What follows is a set of facts and conclusions that resulted from our study. Please note that the data was collected for the years 2004-2008.
Facts and Conclusions:
1. Martin Luther students take an average of 3.6 years of mathematics.
2. 90% of our students took the ACT.
3. 73.1% of our students took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher.
4. 92.6% of our students had plans to attend college.
5. Martin Luther students that took the ACT had scores that ranged from 14-36 on the math portion of the ACT. (Maximum possible score is 36.)
6. Martin Luther students that took the ACT averaged 23.9 on the math portion of the ACT.
7. Martin Luther students that took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher averaged 25.2 on the math portion of the ACT.
8. Martin Luther students scored an average of 1.8 points higher on the mathematics portion of the ACT than the rest of the state of Wisconsin.
9. Martin Luther students that took Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry or higher scored an average of 3.1 points higher on the mathematics portion of the ACT than the rest of the state of Wisconsin.
10. Comparing Martin Luther student Exit Course (last course taken at our high school) with Average Math Score on ACT:
|
Highest Level Core Course Taken
|
Martin Luther Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
Wisconsin Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
National Math ACT Score
5-Year Average
|
| AP Calculus |
28.8
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Pre-Calculus |
26.1
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Accelerated Adv. Alg. & Trig. |
27.0
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Advanced Algebra & Trig. |
22.9
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Geometry |
17.3
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
| Algebra |
16.8
|
22.1
|
20.8
|
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