Barrons - Regents Exams and Answers Algebra II Revised Edition

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In 2009 New York State adopted the Common Core Standards in order to qualify for President Obamas Race To The Top initiative. The Common Core math is more difficult than the previous math curriculum, and the new state tests, including the Common Core Algebra II Regents, are more difficult as well.

Certain topics that had been in the Algebra II curriculum for decades have been removed for not being rigorous enough. Other topics have been added with the goal of making 21st-century American students more career and college ready than their predecessors.

The main topics that have been cut from the curriculum are permutations, combinations, Bernoulli trials, binomial expansion, and the majority of the trigonometric identities like the sine sum, cosine sum, sine difference, cosine difference, and the different double and half angle formulas. Other topics have been moved into earlier grades like the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines. More than half the Trigonometry that had once been part of Algebra II is no longer part of the course.

Other topics have been added to fill the gaps left by those topics now considered obsolete. Primarily these are topics often taught in AP statistics as part of inferential statistics.

Aside from the change in topics, there is a change in the style of questions. There is a lot more need now for students to think more deeply about the topics as questions are intentionally phrased in a less straightforward way than they had been in the past.

Conquering the Algebra II test, something that was never an easy feat beforehand, has gotten that much more difficult and will require more test preparation than before. Getting this book is a great first step toward that goal. In addition to a review of all the topics that can appear on this test, there are nearly 1,000 practice questions of various levels of difficulty. The book can serve as a review or even as a way to learn the material for the first time. Teachers can also use this book to guide their pacing and to focus on the types of questions that are most likely to appear on the test while spending less focus on complicated aspects of the Common Core curriculum that are unlikely to be on the test.

The Common Core is part of a grand plan that is intended to propel our country to the top of the international rankings in math and reading. Good luck. We are all counting on you!

Gary Rubinstein
Math Teacher
2016

This book is designed to help you get the most out of your review for the new Regents exam in Algebra II. Use this book to improve your understanding of the Algebra II topics and improve your grade.

The first section in this book contains test-taking tips and strategies to help prepare you for the Algebra II Regents exam. This information is valuable, so be sure to read it carefully and refer to it during your study time. Remember: no single problem-solving strategy works for all problemsyou should have a toolbox of strategies to pick from as youre facing unfamiliar or difficult problems on the test.

The second section in this book provides you with key Algebra II facts, useful skills, and practice problems with solutions. It provides you with a quick and easy way to refresh the skills you learned in class.

The final section of the book contains actual Algebra II Regents. These exams and thorough answer explanations are probably the most useful tool for your review, as they let you know whats most important. By answering the questions on these exams, you will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and then concentrate on the areas in which you may need more study.

Remember, the answer explanations in this book are more than just simple solutions to the problemsthey contain facts and explanations that are crucial to success in the Algebra II course and on the Regents exam.