Online for the 2025-2026 School Year
Teacher: Caleb Alons
Email: calebscottalonsmathematics@gmail.com
COURSE OVERVIEW:
The syllabus for this course is provided below (a fuller version of the syllabus with a week-by-week calendar schedule is available; email calebscottalonsmathematics@gmail.com to request a copy of the 2025-2026 Honors Prealgebra syllabus).
TUITION:
Early Bird Special: $675
After June 30: $715
WHY THIS COURSE?
There are an overwhelming number of options for homeschoolers making the math transition from elementary grade/middle school math into high school math, so why choose this course? I believe that every student (a) learns math at a different pace and (b) requires varying amounts of exposure and time to feel comfortable with certain topics. Given the structure and asynchronous nature of this course, I can offer unparalleled personalized aid, instruction, supplementary tutoring, and resources to each student enrolled. The tuition price encompasses same-day answers to questions posted to the website, unlimited office hours, and additional live tutoring over Zoom on a case-by-case basis. Of course, it is up to the student to take initiative to access this support, and any student who seeks help will receive it. The course effectively takes students through the Art of Problem Solving's Prealgebra curriculum and is structured in a way that gives students more time to work through each chapter with instructor and peer support—and all for a less expensive bill than the AoPS asynchronous Prealgebra course offerings.
Syllabus for
Honors Prealgebra
2025–2026 Academic Year
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Honors Prealgebra is an intensive course designed for advanced students seeking mastery over the fundamental concepts necessary to excel in high school mathematics courses, standardized testing (ACT/PSAT/SAT/CLEP), and even AP/IB and college courses. Honors Prealgebra covers arithmetic, exponents, number theory, fractions, equations, inequalities, decimals, ratios, conversions, rates, percents, and square roots. Derived from the Art of Problem Solving's pedagogical method, Honors Prealgebra seeks to lay the groundwork for higher mathematical maturity and to develop creativity in problem solving. Students will acquire technical and mechanical fluency that translates well into future math courses and solving ACT/PSAT/SAT math problems. Most students should anticipate dedicating 6+ hours each week to keep up with the pace of the course and to perform well.
Prerequisite(s): Although there are no technical prerequisites, any student who takes this course should be prepared to have a fair handle on elementary mathematical concepts and not be dependent on calculators or digital aids to perform simple computations.
II. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS COURSES
A. COURSE OUTCOMES
After completing this course successfully, students will be able to:
1. Perform advanced mental arithmetic
2. Fluently use the properties of arithmetic
3. Compute squares and higher exponents
4. Compute negative exponents
5. Identify multiples and divisors
6. Perform divisibility tests
7. Identify prime numbers
8. Perform prime factorization
9. Find least common multiples and greatest common divisors
10. Define a fraction
11. Perform arithmetic with fractions
12. Simplify and compare fractions
13. Identify and perform arithmetic with mixed numbers
14. Create and interpret algebraic expressions
15. Solve linear equations
16. Solve word problems using linear equations
17. Identify, interpret, and algebraically manipulate inequalities
18. Perform arithmetic with decimals
19. Round decimals
20. Convert between decimals and fractions
21. Interpret repeating decimals as fractions
22. Identify two-way and multi-way ratios
23. Use proportions
24. Perform unit conversions
25. Compute rates from proportions
26. Identify percents
27. Solve word problems involving percents
28. Compute percent increase and decrease
29. Compute square roots
30. Simplify square roots of non-square integers
31. Perform arithmetic with square roots
B. GENERAL OUTCOMES
Students will develop the following skills that do not necessarily have restricted application to this course specifically:
1. Advanced creative problem solving
2. Study discipline and mental toughness
3. Seeking help and offering help to peers
4. Collaborative learning
5. Increased proficiency in standardized math testing
III. TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES
A. REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. Textbooks:
a. Rusczyk, Richard, David Patrick, and Ravi Boppana. Prealgebra. Alpine, CA: Art of Problem Solving, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-934124-21-5.
b. Rusczyk, Richard, David Patrick, and Ravi Boppana. Prealgebra Solutions Manual. Alpine, CA: Art of Problem Solving, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-934124-22-2.
The cheapest place to purchase both books new (the textbook and solutions manual) is the AoPS website, as they give a bundle discount for purchasing the two texts together: https://artofproblemsolving.com/store/book/prealgebra. It is possible to find both books being sold as used copies individually, but just make sure BOTH books are purchased, as weekly homework assignments require ownership of the Prealgebra Solutions Manual in addition to the text itself.
2. Other:
a. Access to the Internet to log onto the course website
B. OPTIONAL MATERIALS
1. Other:
a. A free account on https://artofproblemsolving.com/online to access the free (and REMARKABLY helpful resource called Alcumus: https://artofproblemsolving.com/alcumus)
IV. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
A. COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
1. Attendance: Honors Prealgebra does not have a live component. Instead, students will engage on the class website throughout the week with the instructor and their fellow peers as they progress through the course material. Students desiring additional help from the instructor need only reach out to the instructor via email for one-on-one tutoring and office hours.
2. Evaluation Procedures:
a. Weekly Homework Assignments:
Sections from the textbook are assigned each week. For each section, the student must do the following:
Read the textbook section and take notes: 3 points
Watch the assigned video(s): 2 points
Complete the exercises at the end of the section: 3 points
Self-grade work with solutions key: 2 points
___________________________________________
Expected Section Total: 10 points
Each item listed above is based on completion. Students will report their own completion scores per section by the Sunday of each week before 11:59 PM (EST). If a section does not contain a video or exercises, students should simply reward themselves with the points of the missing items automatically to their section score.
For the summary sections at the end of each chapter, the only required exercises are titled "Review Problems" in these summary sections. Completion of the "Challenge Problems" may result in receiving bonus points for that week's score.
Since there are 56 total sections overall, the expected weekly homework total is 560 points for the entire course.
b. Student Engagement:
Student engagement and peer collaboration is STRONGLY encouraged in this course. Students may earn bonus points each week for their engagement on the course website.
Students who post genuine and insightful questions to the course website will receive up to 0.5 bonus points per question, and students who post substantially helpful and insightful answers on the course website will receive up to 1 bonus point per response. Additionally, students who simply engage with the material and post productive and thoughtful messages to the course website will receive up to 2 bonus points per week.
Positive, collaborative, and productive engagement on the course website strongly and positively influences a student's overall course grade.
c. Chapter Tests:
Students will take nine chapter tests throughout the course. Each chapter test contains 25 questions each worth 4 points for a total of 100 points per chapter test (so 900 points of the final course grade come from chapter tests).
Each chapter test must be proctored by a parent/guardian and taken in one uninterrupted sitting; aside from this, students may take as much time as needed to finish. The use of class notes, formula sheets, calculators, digital aids, the Internet, etc. are strictly prohibited.
d. Midterm and Final Examinations:
Students will take a midterm examination at the end of the fall semester and a final examination at the end of the spring semester.
The midterm examination contains 50 questions each worth 4 points for a total of 200 points. The midterm examination is comprehensive for all content covered in the fall semester.
The final examination contains 100 questions each worth 4 points for a total of 400 points. The final examination is comprehensive for all content covered in the entire course.
All examinations must be proctored by a parent/guardian and taken in one uninterrupted sitting; aside from this, students may take as much time as needed to finish. The use of class notes, formula sheets, calculators, digital aids, the Internet, etc. are strictly prohibited.
e. On a test/examination week, access to the test/examination will be given on the Friday of that week from 12 PM EST–11:59 PM (EST). If a student has special circumstances and needs to take the test/examination at a different time/date, the student should email the instructor directly in advance for accommodation, which will be given for all legitimate situations.
f. Grading Scale:
A: 1,800–2,060 points
B: 1,600–1,799 points
C: 1,300–1,599 points
D: 1,000–1,299 points
F: 0–999 points
The numeric grading scale is not completely fixed, as the instructor will consider other holistic factors into the overall final grade. The final grade is designed to reflect the student's holistic growth and progress made throughout the course. Students who score poorly earlier in the course, but who demonstrate an eagerness and initiative to truly learn and overcome challenges, can earn higher grades than their total point sum is at the end of the course. A student's progress over time is also factored into potentially raising a student's final letter grade: steady improvements from poor to excellent scores will be awarded.
Other factors for raising a student's final letter grade include the student's level of engagement, participation, activity on the course website (asking questions, answering questions, cultivating community with peers, creating a welcoming learning environment, etc.), and communication with the instructor throughout the course.
The end goal of this course is for the student to acquire genuine comprehension and mastery of the material, so the final course grade is designed to reflect the student's ability to learn, willingness to struggle, and desire to overcome deficits and setbacks. Since mathematics in the real world is messy and characterized by "being stuck," the grading system for this course hopes to incentivize students to think independently and creatively and to reward students for embracing challenges and learning how to handle struggle.
V. COURSE CALENDAR
Note on Due Dates:
Completion scores for assigned sections will ALWAYS be due by the Sunday of their assigned week at 11:59 PM (EST).
Review section IV.A.2.e of the syllabus above for information concerning due dates for chapter tests and examinations.
To see the full week-by-week course calendar, please send an email to calebscottalonsmathematics@gmail.com so that I can email you a PDF copy of the entire syllabus that includes all calendar information.
IMPORTANT DATES AT A GLANCE:
First Day of Class: Aug 11, 2025
Thanksgiving Break: Monday, Nov 24 – Sunday, Nov 30
Midterm Examination: Dec 12
Winter Break: Monday, Dec 15 – Sunday, Jan 4 (2026)
Final Exam: May 15, 2026
VI. INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATIONS
Caleb Scott Alons will receive his B.S. in Mathematics in May 2025. Caleb is a returning AP Homeschoolers instructor, having previously taught two years of supplementary and preparatory summer courses in both mathematics and science. After developing a love for teaching mathematics, Caleb started professionally tutoring mathematics in 2020 and has been an assistant lecturer at Oral Roberts University for the past four years, teaching several hundred students in Calculus I/II/III, Vector Calculus, Differential Equations, Discrete Mathematics, Linear & Matrix Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis, General (Point-Set) Topology, and Algebraic Topology. In his undergrad, Caleb led as president the KME Honors Mathematical Society and Association of Computing Machinery in addition to being an active participant in the Mathematical Association of America, presenting award-winning research in MAA sectionals and the MAKO UG Research Conference. Caleb also scored three consecutive years in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, which is esteemed as the hardest UG mathematical exam in the world.
As someone who formerly struggled with mathematics in high school himself, Caleb is deeply invested in seeing every student succeed no matter the circumstances and has personally tutored many students with learning disabilities to help them achieve 5's on AP Calculus AB/BC, score above the 90th percentile on the PSAT/SAT/ACT math tests, and rank in the top 5% of their university math courses. Ultimately, teaching mathematics is a source of great joy for Caleb, and he delights in serving each student under his instruction.
The teacher is the servant of his students. – CSA