Algebra II

Building on their work with linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, students extend their repertoire of functions to include logarithmic, polynomial, rational, and radical functions in the Model Algebra II course. This course is comprised of standards selected from the high school conceptual categories, which were written to encompass the scope of content and skills to be addressed throughout grades 9–12 rather than through any single course.

Standards that were limited in Model Algebra I no longer have those restrictions in Model Algebra II. Students work closely with the expressions that define the functions, are facile with algebraic manipulations of expressions, and continue to expand and hone their abilities to model situations and to solve equations, including solving quadratic equations over the set of complex numbers and solving exponential equations using the properties of logarithms.

In Algebra II, instructional time should focus on four critical areas:

1. relate arithmetic of rational expressions to arithmetic of rational numbers;
2. expand understandings of functions and graphing to include trigonometric functions; 
3. synthesize and generalize functions and extend understanding of exponential functions to logarithmic functions; and 
4. relate data display and summary statistics to probability and explore a variety of data collection methods.

Standards for Mathematical Practice
The 2011 framework introduces Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years. These standards are the same at all grades from Prekindergarten to 12th grade.

An explanation of how the standards can be highlighted in High School can be found here.

These eight practices can be clustered into the following categories as shown in the chart below: