High School Precalculus Curriculum

Time4Learning’s precalculus curriculum is one of five math courses offered at the high school level. Students aiming to apply to a selective four year college or who plan to major in a math or science related field should complete a precalculus course in high school.

Our online precalculus course is taught using a combination of multimedia lessons, instructional videos, quizzes, tests and other projects. All instruction is standards-based and helps to prepare students for college math courses.

On this page you will discover what topics are covered in a high school precalculus course, learn more about the general objectives for precalculus, and find out how families can use Time4Learning as their core curriculum or as a precalculus summer course.

What Do You Learn in Precalculus?
Learning Objectives for Precalculus
Why Choose Time4Learning’s High School PreCalculus Curriculum?
Additional 12th Grade Homeschool Resources

What Do You Learn in Precalculus?

Precalculus is a structured entry to advanced studies leading to calculus. The course builds on concepts learned in previous high school math courses, particularly Algebra 2. Theoretical mathematics principles are used to emphasize problem solving and mental mathematics.

Some of the chapters included in Time4Learning’s online precalculus course for high school students are:

Functions and Graphs
Lines and Rates of Change
Sequences and Series
Polynomial and Rational Functions
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Analytic Geometry
Linear Algebra and Matrices
Probability and Statistics

Learning Objectives for PreCalculus

The topics that are covered in precalculus encourage students to use problem solving and prepare them for future pursuits that may include STEM (science/technology/engineering/math) careers. Precalculus emphasizes mathematical analysis rather than just the memorization of facts.

Throughout the precalculus course, students will reach for the following goals:

Analyzing and interpreting the structure of polynomial, rational, and exponential functions.
Communicating effectively using graphic, numeric, symbolic, and verbal
representations.
Exploring mathematical reasoning used in trigonometric functions.
Demonstrating and understanding of matrices and solving systems using matrix equations.
Exploring and calculating theoretical probabilities and developing a probability distribution for a random variable.
Classifying conic equations and constructing graphs of conic sections.

Why Choose Time4Learning’s High School PreCalculus Curriculum?

Research shows that technology-enhanced learning can improve mathematical skills at the high school level. Time4Learning’s online precalculus course is designed to help students acquire, practice, and apply skills and knowledge. Our standards-based content develops students’ ability to make sense of problems and reason abstractly–core skills needed for all advanced mathematics courses.

Some of the reasons that our precalculus curriculum is so popular with families and students include:

As a Full Curriculum

The course emphasizes higher order thinking skills, and uses practical, real-life math examples to teach the material.
Motivating, media-rich content keeps students engaged.
To accommodate students of all learning styles and diverse abilities, information is delivered in multiple formats including instructional video, animated models, graphs, and text.
The curriculum offers challenging content, relevant activities, assessments, and real-time feedback.
Each lesson includes assessments to determine whether students have mastered the lesson objectives.
A customizable assignment calendar helps students track the coursework they should be completing each day.
The system tracks student progress, and keeps printable reports that parents can turn into high school transcripts or include with homeschool portfolios.

As a Supplement

Powerful interactive instruction helps students build content knowledge and essential skills on individual topics.
Visual learners will especially benefit from on-screen teachers who present learning objectives, explain concepts, and model math strategies.
Students are taught step-by-step methods (identifying questions, clues, and strategies, and checking their work) when solving problems.
Students can work through the concepts sequentially or focus on specific areas where they need additional remediation.
The flexibility of the curriculum allows families to use it as a supplement to other mathematics programs or even as a precalculus summer course for high school students.
Detailed reporting tools help parents monitor student engagement, progress, and achievement along the way.