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Quantitative Reasoning With Advanced Math Topics (QRAT)

Overview

This course is intended for students who are not ready for or interested in the Pre-calculus/Calculus pathway their senior year but still want to continue developing their mathematical knowledge and challenge their math skills while preparing for attendance at a CSU or UC. These students may be interested in math-intensive majors such as science, technology, engineering, and/or math (STEM), but this is not a requirement to participate in this course.

Why Our Courses?

ravinccr.jpgIn search of more 4-year math options for seniors? Look no further.

Introducing two new innovative courses from Sac States’ Center for College & Career Readiness, which, for over a decade, has leveraged the expertise of 4-year institutions, feeder high school districts, community colleges, and county offices of education to serve the students we have traditionally given up on mathematically.

The success of our courses stems from the fact that they are not only a living curriculum and pedagogy designed to meet the immediate needs of high school seniors but also embody the structural flexibility to be continually informed by our vibrant intersegmental partnerships.

All educational segments collaborate to define the challenges around preparation in mathematics while providing the foundation to forge better-aligned instructional practices across schools, colleges, and universities for the success of our students.

Together, we can better prepare college and career-bound high school seniors with the 21st-century skills necessary to meet the mathematical thinking and problem-solving expectations of higher education courses and workplace requirements.

Our courses were created to serve the students we have traditionally given up on mathematically.

Ravin Pan, Assoc. Professor, Sac State Teaching Credentials Program

QRAT At-A-Glance

The units of study build from previous math concepts such as linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, to provide opportunities for students to develop a greater perspective of the underlying structures of mathematics and how to connect mathematical topics. This enables students to continue to persevere through problem-solving and to develop quantitative reasoning skills necessary for success in college-level courses. Polynomial and rational functions, as well as basic calculus concepts, advance the student's mathematical content knowledge through a quantitative reasoning lens. The course culminates with an in-depth unit about the mathematics of finance. The national Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice are an integral part of each lesson and specific highschool Common Core State Standards are the focus of the mathematical content. Through a facilitative teaching approach, the lessons and tasks provide students with opportunities to solve challenging problems in which they gather, analyze, and evaluate information, work effectively in groups to make decisions using critical reasoning skills, as well as opportunities to communicate concisely through written and oral language.

  • UNIT 1 | Team Building & Problem Solving
  • UNIT 2 | Linear Functions
  • UNIT 3 | Quadratic Functions
  • UNIT 4 | Exponential Functions
  • UNIT 5 | Logarithmic Functions
  • UNIT 6 | Systems of Equations & Inequalities
  • UNIT 7 | Absolute Value & Piecewise Functions
  • UNIT 8 | Financial Mathematics

A passing grade in Integrated Math III or Intermediate Algebra II

Intended for high school seniors who place into:

  • Level 3 “Standard Met” on CAASPP
  • Level 2 “Standard Nearly Met” on CAASPP (students who placed into Level 2 “Standard Nearly Met” may participate in the course with a counselor/math teacher recommendation)

Students who typically enroll in this course:

  • Are not ready to take an AP level math/QR course.
  • May have originally been placed into pre-Calculus.
  • Could move beyond a “just-got-by” status from IM III or Intermediate Algebra II and improve their preparation to succeed in college-level mathematics
  • Would prefer to take a course that looks and feels different and gives them credit, rather than retaking a course for no additional credit.
  • May not have planned on taking a senior year math course.

  • Students are immediately engaged in a Daily 2 and a Number Sense activity developed specifically for 4th-year math students.
  • A task is launched using a variety of strategies, such as real-world context, video, or group activity. Students proceed in groups to complete the task while the teacher facilitates the learning by providing questions, giving structure to think time and group collaboration, selecting and sequencing student work to be presented during the whole class discussion.
  • Each task is debriefed by the entire class through various methods. Some examples include students presenting their work, making comparisons and connections with the work of others or questions from the teacher that ensure complete understanding.
  • Students write and reflect about their reasoning and work, as well as the work of their peers, through exit slips or journal entries.

Other CSU Mathematics Bridge Courses

In addition to Quantitative Reasoning with Advanced Math Topics (QRAT), there are other mathematics courses and projects within the CSU that focus on supporting mathematics and quantitative reasoning readiness among K-12, CSU, and community college educators.

The Projects in the CSU Focus On:

  • Principles in preparing teachers for 12th-grade mathematics and/or quantitative reasoning
  • Content and pedagogical practices
  • Topics in mathematics and quantitative reasoning that develop and address K-12, community college, and CSU requirements
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