Calculators at the Secondary Level

Scientific Calculators are needed for all students in Math 6, Math 7, and Math 8. Our recommendation would be a Texas Instruments 30.  There are several different models of the TI 30 and any of those would be acceptable. 

Once a student is entering into Algebra 1, a graphing calculator is required.  The graphing calculator you purchase now will be used in all subsequent math courses and science courses including those at the college level. There are many good graphing calculators on the market. We have found that the TI-Nspire CX, TI-84+ or TI-84+ CE made by Texas Instruments are good quality calculators that hold up well to student use and best suit the needs of our program.  Our teachers will demonstrate procedures using one of these three calculators. We have found that students who use one of these models can easily follow class demonstrations and will not be distracted while trying to figure out how to execute a similar operation on a calculator with a different operating system. Some students or parents may feel that if the TI-83+ or TI-84+ is good, a TI-86, 89 or 92 is better. This IS NOT the case. The TI-86 is designed for a different purpose and lacks some of the programming that is frequently used in math classes. The TI-92 is not allowed on SAT and AP tests. And the TI-89 is more expensive because it contains programming that is not necessary until students reach much higher level courses.

We understand that graphing calculators are very costly. We do have scientific, TI-83 & TI-84 as well as TI-nspire calculators to loan to students for the year. The student is responsible for returning the calculator to his/her teacher at the end of the year.  If your student needs to borrow a graphing calculator, they can visit their school library to check one out beginning the second week of September. 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail Stacey Knerr at [email protected].

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