NCTM Curriculum Standards for
Grades 9-12
Standard 1. Mathematics as Problem Solving
- use, with increasing confidence, problem-solving approaches to investigate and understand mathematical content
- apply integrated mathematical problem-solving strategies to solve problems from within and outside mathematics
- recognize and formulate problems from situations within and outside mathematics
- apply the process of mathematical modeling to real-world problem situations
Standard 2. Mathematics as Communication
- reflect upon and clarify learner's thinking about mathematical ideas and relationships
- formulate mathematical definitions and express generalizations discovered through investigations
- express mathematical ideas orally and in writing
- read written presentations of mathematics with understanding
- ask clarifying and extending questions related to mathematics they have read or heard about
- appreciate the economy, power, and elegance of mathematical notation and its role in the development of mathematical ideas
Standard 3. Mathematics as Reasoning
- make and test conjectures
- formulate counterexamples
- follow logical arguments
- judge the validity of arguments
- construct simple valid arguments
- construct proofs for mathematical assertions, including indirect proofs and proofs by mathematical induction
Standard 4. Mathematical Connections
- recognize equivalent representations of the same concept
- relate procedures in one representation to procedures in an equivalent representation
- use and value the connections among mathematical topics
- use and value the connections between mathematics and other disciplines
Standard 5. Algebra
- represent situations that involve variable quantities with expressions, equations, inequalities, and matrices
- use tables and graphs as tools to interpret expressions, equations, and inequalities
- operate on expressions and matrices, and solve equations and inequalities
- appreciate the power of mathematical abstraction and symbolism
- use matrices to solve linear systems
- demonstrate technical facility with algebraic transformations, including techniques based on the theory of equations
Standard 6. Functions
- model real-world phenomena with a variety of functions
- represent and analyze relationships using tables, verbal rules, equations, and graphs
- translate among tabular, symbolic, and graphical representations of functions
- recognize that a variety of problem situations can be modeled by the same type of function
- analyze the effects of parameter changes on the graphs of functions
- understand operations on, and the general properties and behavior of, classes of functions
Standard 7. Geometry from a Synthetic Perspective
- interpret and draw three-dimensional objects
- represent problem situations with geometric models and apply properties of figures
- classify figures in terms of congruence and similarity and apply these relationships
- deduce properties of, and relationships between, figures from given assumptions
- develop an understanding of an axiomatic system through investigating and comparing various geometries
Standard 8. Geometry from an Algebraic Perspective
- translate between synthetic and coordinate representations
- deduce properties of figures using transformations and using coordinates
- identify congruent and similar figures using transformations
- analyze properties of Euclidean transformations and relate translations to vectors
- deduce properties of figures using vector
- apply transformations, coordinates, and vectors in problem solving
Standard 9. Trigonometry
- apply trigonometry to problem situations involving triangles
- explore periodic real-world phenomena using the sine and cosine functions
- understand the connection between trigonometric and circular functions
- use circular functions to model periodic real-world phenomena
- apply general graphing techniques to trigonometric functions
- solve trigonometric equations and verify trigonometric identities
- understand the connections between trigonometric functions and polar coordinates, complex numbers, and series
Standard 10. Statistics
- construct and draw inferences from charts, tables, and graphs that summarize data from real-world situations
- use curve fitting to predict from data
- understand and apply measures of central tendency, variability, and correlation
- understand sampling and recognize its role in statistical claims
- design a statistical experiment to study a problem, conduct the experiment, and interpret and communicate the outcomes
- analyze the effects of data transformations on measures of central tendency and variability
- transform data to aid in data interpretation and prediction
- test hypotheses using appropriate statistics
Standard 11. Probability
- use experimental or theoretical probability, as appropriate, to represent and solve problems involving uncertainty
- use simulations to estimate probabilities
- understand the concept of a random variable
- create and interpret discrete probability distributions
- describe, in general terms, the normal curve and use its properties to answer questions about sets of data that are assumed to be normally distributed
- apply the concept of a random variable to generate and interpret probability distributions, including binomial, uniform, normal, and chi square
Standard 12. Discrete Mathematics
- represent problem situations using discrete structures such as finite graphs, matrices, sequences, and recurrence relations
- represent and analyze finite graphs using matrices
- develop and analyze algorithms
- solve enumeration and finite probability problems
- represent and solve problems using linear programming and difference equations
- investigate problem situations that arise in connection with computer validation and the application of algorithms
Standard 13. Conceptual Underpinnings of Calculus
- determine maximum and minimum points of a graph and interpret the results in problem situations
- investigate limiting processes by examining infinite sequences and series and areas under curves
- understand the conceptual foundations of limit, the area under a curve, the rate of change, and the slope of a tangent line, and learner's applications in other disciplines
- analyze the graphs of polynomial, rational, radical, and transcendental functions
Standard 14. Mathematical Structure
- compare and contrast the real number system and its various subsystems with regard to learner's structural characteristics
- understand the logic of algebraic procedures
- appreciate that seemingly different mathematical systems may be essentially the same
- develop the complex number system and demonstrate facility with its operations
- prove elementary theorems within various mathematical structures, such as groups and fields
- develop an understanding of the nature and purpose of axiomatic systems