LCUSD Mathematics
Elementary Mathematics
All three elementary schools use Common Core aligned mathematics programs for instruction. All math teachers have been trained by the Teachers Development Group to use Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) strategies to teach math. Everyday Mathematics is used in K-5 grades and Math in Focus: Singapore Math in 6th grade. Teachers use supplemental materials and digital resources to differentiate instruction. After school math enrichment opportunities are available to qualifying students. Math competitions are held to promote love for mathematics and inspire students to use math in a different way.
Middle School Mathematics
LCHS 7/8 math department uses Common Core aligned mathematics program for instruction. A regular and advanced math pathways are implemented to meet the needs of all students. Resource Specialist Program is also available for students with special needs. 7/8 students performing above grade level are invited to take high school math courses based on assessment results. All math teachers have been trained by the Teachers Development Group to use Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) strategies in their classrooms. Teachers use CGI strategies to provide differentiation. Supplemental materials and digital resources are also used to differentiate instruction. After school math enrichment opportunities are available to interested students. Math competitions are held to promote love for mathematics and inspire students to use math in a different way.
High School Mathematics
All students must be enrolled in a math class for a minimum of two years, earning a minimum of 20 credits of math credit in order to graduate. In addition, state legislation and LCUSD Board policy require students to pass one year of Algebra as part of these 20 credits and this requirement is satisfied by passing LC Math 1 or its equivalent Algebra I. All classes are year-long courses. Courses comply with the California state standards for mathematics.
La Cañada High School math classes have been organized in a traditional pathway and are rooted in the rigorous California standards for mathematics. These mathematics standards specify the mathematics that all students should study in order to be college and career ready. Each of the high school mathematics classes will embed the Standards for Mathematical Practice into the course curriculum, which will complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity. The Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) include the following mathematical practices: make sense of problems, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. La Cañada mathematics classes employ course titles that reflect the progressive nature of math learning and are organized in two pathways. The college preparatory pathway features high school Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, and PreCalculus. After students complete Algebra II/Trigonometry, they may enroll in PreCalculus, AP PreCalculus, Math Financial Literacy, or Advanced Placement Statistics. The LCHS advanced math pathway begins with students completing Algebra I in middle school. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, LCHS will begin to offer Honors Geometry. In the 2026-27 school year, LCHS will begin to offer Honors Algebra II/Trig. These courses represent a change to the advanced math pathway and a move away from the previous compacted course sequence. Those courses, called LC Math 1, 2, and 3 Advanced will be phased out, one course at a time, beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
Math courses may be taken in summer or through pre-approved, accredited online schools for advancement and remediation. Since summer and online math courses differ in pace, sequence, and depth of instruction, students and their families should consider acceleration in mathematics carefully. For summer 2025 and summer 2026, students seeking to accelerate during summer, may only do so if the next course in sequence is being offered during the academic year at LCHS. As an example, a student in Algebra I (8) during the 2024-25 school year, may not accelerate in summer by taking Geometry, since the next advanced math course that follows is Honors Algebra II/Trig, which will not be available until the 2026-27 school year. Students in LC Math 1 Advanced during the 2024-25 school year, wishing to take a summer Geometry class, would also not be able to move forward in the advanced math pathway, because they would not be exposed to the Trigonometry topics embedded in LC Math 2 Advanced. Students and families should address questions about acceleration to their high school counselor or the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction.
Students considering moving from the college preparatory pathway to the advanced pathway should also consider the rigorous content and workload of both higher level math classes and honors and AP classes prior to enrolling. New students entering LCHS may be given a diagnostic or placement test by the Department to help determine their appropriate course placement. In addition to a rigorous college preparatory math program, the faculty of mathematics department offers Advanced Placement courses in Calculus and Statistics and encourages students to consider enrolling in these demanding courses. Homework for AP classes is intensive. Parents and students should consider AP course enrollment with a candid assessment of the rigors of the course along with the demands of other academically challenging subjects, athletics, and other extra-curricular activities in which the student will participate. Homework outside of the classroom is critical to a student’s success in the course in which s/he is enrolled. For each course, the Mathematics Department has determined the average amount of time that an appropriately prepared student needs to spend on daily homework (HW).
Note for the school years 2024-26: The math faculty has engaged in critical reflection and has proposed revisions of the naming conventions for all math courses taught at LCHS. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the LC Math 1, LC Math 2, LC Math 3, and LC Math 4 courses will revert to the traditional course titles of Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus for the 2025-26 school year. Revision will also come to the advanced mathematics pathway, with new courses being introduced that will phase out the compaction of curricula that was seen in the LC Math 1 Advanced, LC Math 2 Advanced, and LC Math 3 Advanced courses. These changes will be implemented over time with the graduating class of 2029 being the first to take the new advanced pathway courses starting in the school year 2023-24. All other students in the graduating classes of 2025-2028 will take courses in the compacted LC Math 1 Advanced-LC Math 3 Advanced pathway.