Linear equations and lines
Students work with straight-line relationships, finding the slope and starting point of a line and writing equations that describe real situations like pay rates or phone plans.
This is the year math shifts from arithmetic to thinking with letters that stand for numbers. Students learn to write equations for lines, then graph them and find where two lines cross. They work with curves that bend, like the path of a thrown ball, and with patterns that grow or shrink quickly, like money in a savings account. By spring, students can take a word problem from real life and turn it into an equation they can solve.
Students work with straight-line relationships, finding the slope and starting point of a line and writing equations that describe real situations like pay rates or phone plans.
Students solve two equations at once to answer questions with more than one unknown, such as comparing two pricing plans or mixing two amounts to hit a target.
Students simplify expressions with powers and study patterns that double or shrink by half, the math behind interest, populations, and things that fade over time.
Students explore U-shaped curves and use them to model situations like a ball in the air or the area of a rectangle. They learn to find where the curve crosses zero and where it peaks.
Across the year, students explain their thinking with graphs, tables, equations, and words. They check whether an answer makes sense and pick the right tool for the job.
Students use math to solve real problems, not just textbook exercises. That means reading a phone bill, figuring out a fair split, or estimating a paycheck, and showing the math behind the answer.
Students work through math problems step by step: reading what's given, making a plan, solving it, and then checking whether the answer actually makes sense.
Students choose the right tool for the problem at hand, whether that means a calculator, pencil and paper, or a quick mental estimate. The goal is picking the approach that actually gets to a correct answer.
Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, such as drawing a graph, writing an equation, or putting the idea into words. The goal is to show that the same math idea can be expressed in different forms.
Students turn math ideas into diagrams, tables, graphs, or equations to make sense of a problem and explain their thinking to someone else.
Students look for patterns and connections between math ideas, then explain how those ideas fit together. This standard shows up whenever students justify a step, interpret a graph, or explain why an answer makes sense.
Students explain their math thinking clearly, in writing or out loud, using the right terms so their reasoning makes sense to someone else.
Students use algebra to solve real problems, not just textbook exercises. That means applying equations, functions, and graphs to situations that actually come up at work, at home, or in the news.
Students work through multi-step math problems by making a plan, solving it, and then checking whether the answer actually makes sense in context.
Students choose the right tool for the problem, whether that means a calculator, pencil-and-paper work, or a quick mental estimate. The goal is knowing which approach fits, not just reaching for the same method every time.
Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, such as showing the same idea with an equation, a graph, and a written explanation. The goal is to make the reasoning clear, not just get the answer.
Students turn math ideas into graphs, tables, equations, or diagrams to make sense of a problem and explain their thinking. The form they choose depends on what makes the idea clearest.
Students look at how different math concepts connect to each other, then explain or show those connections clearly. This might mean linking an equation to its graph or explaining why a pattern works the way it does.
Students explain their math thinking out loud or in writing, using the right words to show why an answer makes sense, not just what the answer is.
Students use geometry to solve real problems, like figuring out how much paint covers a wall or how a city block is laid out. The math connects to things that exist outside the classroom.
Students work through math problems in steps: read the problem carefully, plan an approach, solve it, then check whether the answer actually makes sense.
Students choose the right tool for the job, whether that means sketching by hand, using a calculator, or estimating in their head, to work through a math problem.
Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, using words, labeled diagrams, graphs, or equations to make the reasoning clear to someone else.
Students turn math ideas into diagrams, tables, or graphs to make sense of a problem and share their thinking. The form they choose depends on what makes the idea clearest.
Students look for patterns and connections across the math they already know, then explain how those ideas fit together to solve new problems.
Students explain their math work out loud or in writing, using exact terms so their reasoning is clear to someone else. Getting the right answer matters, but so does showing why it's right.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Apply Mathematics Algebra I | Students use math to solve real problems, not just textbook exercises. That means reading a phone bill, figuring out a fair split, or estimating a paycheck, and showing the math behind the answer. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.1 |
| Problem-Solving Model Algebra I | Students work through math problems step by step: reading what's given, making a plan, solving it, and then checking whether the answer actually makes sense. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.2 |
| Select Tools and Techniques Algebra I | Students choose the right tool for the problem at hand, whether that means a calculator, pencil and paper, or a quick mental estimate. The goal is picking the approach that actually gets to a correct answer. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.3 |
| Communicate Mathematical Ideas Algebra I | Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, such as drawing a graph, writing an equation, or putting the idea into words. The goal is to show that the same math idea can be expressed in different forms. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.4 |
| Form Representations Algebra I | Students turn math ideas into diagrams, tables, graphs, or equations to make sense of a problem and explain their thinking to someone else. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.5 |
| Analyze Relationships Algebra I | Students look for patterns and connections between math ideas, then explain how those ideas fit together. This standard shows up whenever students justify a step, interpret a graph, or explain why an answer makes sense. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.6 |
| Justify Reasoning Algebra I | Students explain their math thinking clearly, in writing or out loud, using the right terms so their reasoning makes sense to someone else. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-1.7 |
| Apply Mathematics Algebra II | Students use algebra to solve real problems, not just textbook exercises. That means applying equations, functions, and graphs to situations that actually come up at work, at home, or in the news. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.1 |
| Problem-Solving Model Algebra II | Students work through multi-step math problems by making a plan, solving it, and then checking whether the answer actually makes sense in context. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.2 |
| Select Tools and Techniques Algebra II | Students choose the right tool for the problem, whether that means a calculator, pencil-and-paper work, or a quick mental estimate. The goal is knowing which approach fits, not just reaching for the same method every time. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.3 |
| Communicate Mathematical Ideas Algebra II | Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, such as showing the same idea with an equation, a graph, and a written explanation. The goal is to make the reasoning clear, not just get the answer. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.4 |
| Form Representations Algebra II | Students turn math ideas into graphs, tables, equations, or diagrams to make sense of a problem and explain their thinking. The form they choose depends on what makes the idea clearest. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.5 |
| Analyze Relationships Algebra II | Students look at how different math concepts connect to each other, then explain or show those connections clearly. This might mean linking an equation to its graph or explaining why a pattern works the way it does. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.6 |
| Justify Reasoning Algebra II | Students explain their math thinking out loud or in writing, using the right words to show why an answer makes sense, not just what the answer is. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-algebra-2.7 |
| Apply Mathematics Geometry | Students use geometry to solve real problems, like figuring out how much paint covers a wall or how a city block is laid out. The math connects to things that exist outside the classroom. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.1 |
| Problem-Solving Model Geometry | Students work through math problems in steps: read the problem carefully, plan an approach, solve it, then check whether the answer actually makes sense. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.2 |
| Select Tools and Techniques Geometry | Students choose the right tool for the job, whether that means sketching by hand, using a calculator, or estimating in their head, to work through a math problem. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.3 |
| Communicate Mathematical Ideas Geometry | Students explain their math thinking in more than one way, using words, labeled diagrams, graphs, or equations to make the reasoning clear to someone else. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.4 |
| Form Representations Geometry | Students turn math ideas into diagrams, tables, or graphs to make sense of a problem and share their thinking. The form they choose depends on what makes the idea clearest. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.5 |
| Analyze Relationships Geometry | Students look for patterns and connections across the math they already know, then explain how those ideas fit together to solve new problems. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.6 |
| Justify Reasoning Geometry | Students explain their math work out loud or in writing, using exact terms so their reasoning is clear to someone else. Getting the right answer matters, but so does showing why it's right. | TX-MATH.PROC.hs-geometry.7 |
Slope measures how fast something changes; the y-intercept is where a line starts. Students use both to write equations and inequalities that model real patterns, like how cost rises with hours worked.
Students set up and solve pairs of equations or inequalities with two unknowns to answer real-world questions, like finding when two phone plans cost the same or which combination of items fits a budget.
Students study U-shaped graphs to find key points like the peak, the zeros, and the direction the curve opens, then use those features to write an equation that fits a real situation like the path of a thrown ball.
Students study how quantities like population, savings, or radioactive material grow or shrink at a steady percentage over time, then write and interpret equations that match those patterns.
Working with exponents means knowing the rules that let you simplify expressions like x² times x³ into x⁵. Students use those rules, along with basic operation properties, to clean up algebraic expressions and solve equations.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Linear Functions Algebra I | Slope measures how fast something changes; the y-intercept is where a line starts. Students use both to write equations and inequalities that model real patterns, like how cost rises with hours worked. | TX-MATH.A1.hs-algebra-1.1 |
| Systems of Linear Equations Algebra I | Students set up and solve pairs of equations or inequalities with two unknowns to answer real-world questions, like finding when two phone plans cost the same or which combination of items fits a budget. | TX-MATH.A1.hs-algebra-1.2 |
| Quadratic Functions Algebra I | Students study U-shaped graphs to find key points like the peak, the zeros, and the direction the curve opens, then use those features to write an equation that fits a real situation like the path of a thrown ball. | TX-MATH.A1.hs-algebra-1.3 |
| Exponential Functions Algebra I | Students study how quantities like population, savings, or radioactive material grow or shrink at a steady percentage over time, then write and interpret equations that match those patterns. | TX-MATH.A1.hs-algebra-1.4 |
| Number and Algebraic Methods Algebra I | Working with exponents means knowing the rules that let you simplify expressions like x² times x³ into x⁵. Students use those rules, along with basic operation properties, to clean up algebraic expressions and solve equations. | TX-MATH.A1.hs-algebra-1.5 |
Students read graphs of several function types, including curves that model growth, decay, and wave patterns, and use those graphs to describe or predict real situations.
Students solve quadratic equations tied to real-world problems, like projectile paths or area problems, then use a shortcut calculation called the discriminant to predict whether the equation has two solutions, one solution, or none before fully solving it.
Students write and graph exponential and logarithmic functions, then use them to model real situations like compound interest or population growth. The focus is on connecting the equation, its graph, and the real pattern it describes.
Students add, subtract, multiply, and divide expressions with variables and fractions that contain variables. They also solve equations where those expressions are set equal to a value.
Students solve three-equation systems where each equation shares three unknowns, then use grids of numbers called matrices to sort and calculate real data, like tracking costs or inventory across multiple categories.
Students use bell-curve patterns and a calculated range of values to draw conclusions about a large group based on a smaller sample. Think of it as using survey data from 200 people to say something reliable about an entire city.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Functions and Their Graphs Algebra II | Students read graphs of several function types, including curves that model growth, decay, and wave patterns, and use those graphs to describe or predict real situations. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.1 |
| Quadratic Functions and Equations Algebra II | Students solve quadratic equations tied to real-world problems, like projectile paths or area problems, then use a shortcut calculation called the discriminant to predict whether the equation has two solutions, one solution, or none before fully solving it. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.2 |
| Exponential and Logarithmic Functions Algebra II | Students write and graph exponential and logarithmic functions, then use them to model real situations like compound interest or population growth. The focus is on connecting the equation, its graph, and the real pattern it describes. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.3 |
| Polynomial and Rational Expressions Algebra II | Students add, subtract, multiply, and divide expressions with variables and fractions that contain variables. They also solve equations where those expressions are set equal to a value. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.4 |
| Systems and Matrices Algebra II | Students solve three-equation systems where each equation shares three unknowns, then use grids of numbers called matrices to sort and calculate real data, like tracking costs or inventory across multiple categories. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.5 |
| Statistics Algebra II | Students use bell-curve patterns and a calculated range of values to draw conclusions about a large group based on a smaller sample. Think of it as using survey data from 200 people to say something reliable about an entire city. | TX-MATH.A2.hs-algebra-2.6 |
Students use the coordinate plane to move, flip, and rotate flat shapes, then use those transformations to solve problems about distance, position, and congruence.
Students prove geometric ideas are true by building precise diagrams with a compass and straightedge, then explaining step by step why each relationship holds.
Students write formal proofs to show why triangles, quadrilaterals, and other shapes must have the properties they do, using theorems as the logical backbone of each argument.
Students use ratios and angle measurements to find missing sides and angles in right triangles. This includes scaling triangles up or down and applying sine, cosine, and tangent to real measurements.
Students calculate the area, surface area, and volume of shapes like prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and spheres. They apply the right formula for each figure to solve real problems involving size, space, or materials needed.
Students use the relationships between angles, line segments, and curved arcs inside and around a circle to solve geometry problems. That includes tangent lines that touch a circle at exactly one point.
Students find the odds of two or more events happening together, then use area and length to solve probability problems grounded in real situations, like finding the chance a dart lands in a shaded region.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinate and Transformational Geometry Geometry | Students use the coordinate plane to move, flip, and rotate flat shapes, then use those transformations to solve problems about distance, position, and congruence. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.1 |
| Logical Argument and Constructions Geometry | Students prove geometric ideas are true by building precise diagrams with a compass and straightedge, then explaining step by step why each relationship holds. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.2 |
| Proof and Congruence Geometry | Students write formal proofs to show why triangles, quadrilaterals, and other shapes must have the properties they do, using theorems as the logical backbone of each argument. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.3 |
| Similarity, Proof, and Trigonometry Geometry | Students use ratios and angle measurements to find missing sides and angles in right triangles. This includes scaling triangles up or down and applying sine, cosine, and tangent to real measurements. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.4 |
| Two- and Three-Dimensional Figures Geometry | Students calculate the area, surface area, and volume of shapes like prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and spheres. They apply the right formula for each figure to solve real problems involving size, space, or materials needed. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.5 |
| Circles Geometry | Students use the relationships between angles, line segments, and curved arcs inside and around a circle to solve geometry problems. That includes tangent lines that touch a circle at exactly one point. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.6 |
| Probability Geometry | Students find the odds of two or more events happening together, then use area and length to solve probability problems grounded in real situations, like finding the chance a dart lands in a shaded region. | TX-MATH.GEO.hs-geometry.7 |
Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other subjects. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.
Students move from arithmetic into working with variables and graphs. The main topics are linear equations and inequalities, systems of two equations, quadratic functions, exponential growth and decay, and the rules for exponents.
Ask them to read the problem out loud and say what is known and what the question is asking. Then ask them to sketch a quick picture, table, or graph before reaching for an equation. Five minutes of talking through the setup often unlocks the rest.
Slope is how fast one thing changes compared to another, like dollars earned per hour worked. Almost every linear problem this year comes back to slope and a starting value, so getting comfortable reading slope from a graph, a table, and a real situation pays off all year.
Most teachers start with linear functions and equations, move into systems, then spend a long block on quadratics. Exponential functions and exponent rules tend to sit near the end. Building strong habits with tables, graphs, and equations early makes quadratics and exponentials much easier later.
Solving multi-step equations with fractions, interpreting slope in context, factoring quadratics, and the difference between linear and exponential growth. Brief weekly spiral practice on these four areas tends to hold the line better than reteaching whole units later.
A graphing calculator helps, especially for quadratics and exponentials, and is allowed on the state test. A free graphing app on a phone or laptop works for homework. Ask the teacher which model is used in class so practice at home matches.
Students can read a real situation, decide whether it is linear, quadratic, or exponential, and write an equation that fits. They can solve it by graphing, substitution, factoring, or the quadratic formula, and explain what the answer means in the original situation.
They can solve linear equations and systems without much prompting, factor simple quadratics, and explain what a graph is showing in plain language. If word problems still feel like a wall, spend the summer on short, mixed practice rather than a new topic.
The process standards expect students to explain reasoning and connect equations to real situations, so plan for both. A rough split of half procedural fluency and half modeling and justification tends to match what shows up on the state test.