Mathematics

Department Chairperson: Ms. Christine Redden

 
The Mathematics Department at East Rockaway Jr/Sr High School strives to provide students with a strong mathematical foundation for higher level mathematics courses. Our teachers deliver high quality instruction every day to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. Instruction is focused on building mathematical skills and procedural fluency from a strong foundation of conceptual understanding. Our curriculum is aligned to the New York State learning standards and places an emphasis on higher order thinking tasks in order to apply mathematics to the real world.

Students in all courses will receive education in studying skills, communicating mathematically and connecting mathematics to the real world. Traditional mathematical concepts are included as well as the newer areas of logical reasoning, estimation activities, information processing and decision making.

Course placement will be based upon student interests and abilities, teacher recommendations, and consultation with the department chairperson. The Mathematics Department's policy is to encourage students to work to their abilities and to achieve their maximum potential.

Mathematics Resources for Parents and Students:

• Khan Academy
• MathBitsNotebook

Mathematics Department Information

• 2026-27 Math Department Grading Policy
• Homework Expectations
• Late Work Policy

Desmos Calculator Policy

Beginning in the 26-27 school year, the Mathematics Department will transition from handheld graphing calculators, including the Texas Instruments TI-84, to the Desmos Calculator Platform for all students in Grades 8-12.

Desmos is free, accessible to all students, and is already embedded in many state and national assessments, including AP exams. It offers a more efficient and user-friendly experience through quicker processing, fewer keystrokes, and color-coded graphs that help students better understand mathematical concepts. Desmos also supports diverse learners and provides tools that extend into advanced mathematics courses.

Families can learn more about Desmos by visiting Click here to visit their website. Students will also have access to the Desmos graphing calculator via Classlink.

As part of this transition, students will be expected to bring a fully charged Chromebook to school each day. Desmos will be used during daily instruction, classroom assessments, midterms, Regents examinations, SAT/PSAT assessments, and AP examinations.

To maintain consistency in instruction and assessment, TI-84 calculators and all other handheld graphing calculators will no longer be used in mathematics classrooms and will not serve as an alternative to the Desmos platform.

To support academic integrity during classroom assessments, midterms, Regents examinations, and AP examinations, students will be provided with privacy screens for their Chromebooks. In addition, teachers will monitor student activity through Class Tools to ensure appropriate use of digital resources during instruction and assessments.