Course description
What students will do
This is Semester I of a two-semester Algebra II & Trig sequence. It covers the standard Algebra II curriculum—equations and systems, quadratics and complex numbers, polynomial and rational functions—but treats each topic as a starting point rather than a finish line.
Every unit pairs the required material with olympiad-style problem-solving. Students meet contest techniques alongside the textbook methods: Vieta's formulas for extracting information from polynomials without solving them, clever factoring and substitution, symmetry arguments, and the habit of asking what a problem is really about before reaching for a formula. Problem sets draw on AMC-style questions and other challenging exercises.
Small-group discussion is central. Students present approaches, critique each other's reasoning, and learn that a problem worth doing rarely yields on the first attempt—the productive struggle is the point, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
Semester I · This course
Functions, Quadratics & Polynomials
- Equations, inequalities, and systems
- Functions: notation, transformations, composition, and inverses
- Quadratic functions and complex numbers
- Polynomial functions: factoring, roots, and Vieta's formulas
- Rational expressions, radicals, and rational exponents
Semester II Coming soon
Exponentials, Logarithms & Trigonometry
- Exponential and logarithmic functions
- Trigonometry: the unit circle, graphs, and identities
- Law of Sines and Law of Cosines; solving triangles
- Sequences, series, and conic sections
Algebra II & Trig Semester II is coming soon. Contact Bayview to hear first when dates are announced.
Who this is for
Students taking or preparing for Algebra II who want more than procedural fluency—and students who enjoy hard problems and want a route into math competition work.