In an effort to provide a math class for all students during their senior year, LT will be adding two new math courses to the 2016-2017 school year.

The two new courses will each be a single semester course in Calculus III and Linear Algebra. Any student who has taken either Calculus AB or Calculus BC during their junior year is eligible to enroll in the classes, according to math division chair Ismael Zamora. Students who are coming out of Calculus BC have the option to take both Calculus III and Linear Algebra during their senior year while students coming out of Calculus AB will have the option to sign up for Linear Algebra first semester and the second semester of BC calculus.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to take this class and be able to challenge myself to see how well I can do in such a high level course,” Vincent Zona ‘17 said. “I think it was a great idea by LT to add this course because it allows students the chance to continue practicing their calculus skills and further explore various topics even after they’ve completed [Calculus] AB or BC.”

Students enrolled in the courses will also have the opportunity to receive dual credit through Moraine Valley College. In order to qualify for dual credit, any student coming out of Calculus BC must have a certain score going into the class, as decided by Moraine Valley College and pay an extra fee. If students get a certain grade in the class, they will receive Moraine Valley transcript credit which can then be taken to any college or university, Zamora said. In efforts to include as many students as possible, LT has alleviated some of the scores and allowed students to enroll in the courses without the dual credit option.

“Although it will be the first time that this class is offered, I think that LT is well-prepared for it,” Zona said. “I don’t mind being the guinea pig for a year in hopes that LT will keep improving this course so that future kids can have this same opportunity to challenge themselves.”

In the years past, LT has provided students with a study hall where they were allowed to take an online math course through University of Illinois. Due to the cost individual students had to pay and the lack of a one-on-one experience with a teacher, the math division feels offering the two new classes is a better alternative, Zamora said.

“Our hopes are to eventually make this a capstone course for students who are really interested in math and science,” Zamora said.