What a 9th grader learns in math and reading

9th grade · Algebra I · the Common Core skills, in plain words · updated 2026-11-02

This is the whole list: 50 math skills and 13 reading skills a 9th grader is expected to learn, with the Common Core code next to each one. In math, 9th grade is mostly a-rei, f-if, s-id. In reading, the weight is on language and literature.

Math: 9th grade (Algebra I)

N-RN

• Meaning of fraction powers N-RN.A.1 — Power 1/3 three times makes power 1. So it is the number that, times itself 3 times, gives the base.
• Fraction powers N-RN.A.2 — The bottom of the power is a root. The top is a power. Root first.
• Rational or irrational N-RN.B.3 — Rational plus rational stays rational. Rational (not 0) plus or times irrational is irrational.

N-Q

• Units guide the work N-Q.A.1 — Write the units with the numbers. Units that cancel tell you to multiply or divide.
• Choosing a measure N-Q.A.2 — A rate (something per something) compares fairly. A total alone does not.
• Sensible rounding N-Q.A.3 — Work it out in full first. Round only at the end, to the place asked for.

A-SSE

• Parts of expressions A-SSE.A.1 — A coefficient is the number in front of a letter. The constant has no letter. Keep its sign.
• Seeing structure A-SSE.A.2 — Two squares with a minus between them: (a − b)(a + b).
• Forms that reveal A-SSE.B.3 — Factored form shows the zeros. A square shows the lowest point. A power can be split up.

A-APR

• Polynomial arithmetic A-APR.A.1 — Match like parts to add or take away. To multiply, each part times each part.

A-CED

• Writing equations A-CED.A.1 — Turn the words into an equation, one phrase at a time. Then solve it.
• Two-variable equations A-CED.A.2 — Find the change per one unit. Then work back to the start amount.
• Constraints and choices A-CED.A.3 — Put the point into each rule. It works only if every rule is true.
• Rearranging formulas A-CED.A.4 — Put the numbers you know into the formula. Then solve for the letter that is left.

A-REI

• Reasons for steps A-REI.A.1 — Compare the two lines. What was done to both sides?
• Equations and inequalities A-REI.B.3 — Undo the brackets first. For an inequality, solve it like an equals sign, then read the sign.
• Absolute value equations A-REI.B.3.1 — |x − 3| = 5 means x is 5 away from 3, on either side.
• Solving quadratics A-REI.B.4 — Factor it, take a square root, or complete the square. Each bracket equal to 0 gives a root.
• Why elimination works A-REI.C.5 — Adding two true equations gives another true equation. The same x and y still work.
• Systems of equations A-REI.C.6 — Add the two equations. The +y and −y cancel.
• Line meets parabola A-REI.C.7 — Set x² equal to the line. Move everything to one side and factor.
• Points on a graph A-REI.D.10 — A point is on the graph when its x and y make the equation true.
• Solving with graphs A-REI.D.11 — f(x) = g(x) where the two graphs cross. Read the x there.
• Graphing inequalities A-REI.D.12 — Try the point in the inequality. True means it is in the shaded part.

F-IF

• What a function is F-IF.A.1 — Follow the arrows from each input. A function sends each input to just one output.
• Function notation F-IF.A.2 — f(4) means put 4 in place of every x. Square first, then times, then add.
• Sequences as functions F-IF.A.3 — Start at f(1) and use the rule again and again.
• Reading key features F-IF.B.4 — The top of the hump is halfway between the times it is on the ground.
• Sensible domains F-IF.B.5 — Which inputs make sense? No square root of a negative, no half a ticket.
• Average rate of change F-IF.B.6 — Change in f divided by change in x, between the two x values.
• Features of graphs F-IF.C.7 — Vertex at x = −b ÷ 2 when a is 1. √(x − h) starts at h. 2^x + k levels off at k.
• Rewriting to reveal F-IF.C.8 — Half the x number, squared, makes the square. In 1.05 the 0.05 is 5% growth.
• Comparing two functions F-IF.C.9 — Find the slope and start of each one, however it is shown, then compare.

F-BF

• Building functions F-BF.A.1 — Write what you start with and what changes each step. Adding functions adds their outputs.
• Arithmetic and geometric F-BF.A.2 — Same jump each time? Add it (n − 1) times. Same times each time? Multiply (n − 1) times.
• Shifting graphs F-BF.B.3 — Plus outside moves up. x − 3 inside moves right 3.
• Undoing a function F-BF.B.4 — Set the rule equal to the number, then undo each step in reverse.

F-LE

• Growth and decay F-LE.A.1 — Linear adds the same each step. Exponential multiplies by the same each step.
• Writing linear functions F-LE.A.2 — y = mx + b: put the slope and point in, solve for b. For y = a · b^x, a is the start.
• Exponential overtakes linear F-LE.A.3 — Make a table of both. Doubling wins in the end.
• Numbers in a model F-LE.B.5 — The number on its own is the start. The number with the variable is the change each step.
• Thrown and falling objects F-LE.B.6 — It lands when the height is 0. It is highest halfway to landing.

S-ID

• Reading box plots S-ID.A.1 — The box runs from Q1 to Q3. The whiskers go to the least and the most.
• Standard deviation S-ID.A.2 — Find the mean. Square each distance from it, average those, then square root.
• Outliers and shape S-ID.A.3 — An outlier is far from the rest. It drags the mean toward itself.
• Two-way tables S-ID.B.5 — Draw a 2 by 2 table: sport or not, music or not. Fill in what you know.
• Lines of fit S-ID.B.6 — Put the x into the line to get the predicted y. Residual is actual minus predicted.
• Slope and intercept meaning S-ID.C.7 — Slope: the change in y for each 1 more x. Intercept: y when x is 0.
• Correlation coefficient S-ID.C.8 — Close to 1: a tight climb. Close to −1: a tight fall. Near 0: no line.
• Correlation or causation S-ID.C.9 — Two things rising together may both come from a third thing.

Reading: 9th grade

Language

• Parallel structure L.9-10.1a — Items in a list should have the same form.
• Kinds of phrases L.9-10.1b — Noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute.
• Semicolons and colons L.9-10.2a — A semicolon joins two related sentences. A colon introduces a list or an explanation.
• Context clues L.9-10.4a — Position and function in the sentence are clues too.
• Word families L.9-10.4b — analyze, analysis, analytical: same root, different jobs.
• Euphemism and oxymoron L.9-10.5a — A euphemism softens. An oxymoron joins opposites: deafening silence.
• Nuances in meaning L.9-10.5b — Near-synonyms differ in strength and feeling.

Literature

• Theme and detail RL.9-10.2 — Which details shape and refine the theme?
• Complex characters RL.9-10.3 — Characters with conflicting motives drive the plot.
• Structure and effect RL.9-10.5 — Flashbacks, pacing and order create tension or surprise.

Informational text

• Central idea RI.9-10.2 — How does the idea emerge and get refined?
• Rhetorical appeals RI.9-10.6 — Ethos, pathos, logos: trust, feeling, logic.
• Valid reasoning RI.9-10.8 — Spot a false claim or a leap in logic.

Reading practice includes 30 short texts at this level, among them 6 science and 6 history passages, with questions that check understanding.

SAT: from 9th grade

From 7th grade, SAT practice can be turned on as a third subject on the same login: a 16-question diagnostic sets a projected score out of 1600, then 10 questions a day on the SAT skills worth the most points, with hints that stop before the answer and timed checks at SAT pace.

How Teach Me uses this list

The check asks a few questions from this grade and the ones around it to find where your child really is, which is often not the grade on the door. Each day's set then comes from the skills they have not got yet. A skill counts as known when they get it right on their own, more than once. Parents see which skills are open and which are solid, and can point the practice at any topic above.

Teach Me is free. It follows the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts; high school math follows California's traditional pathway (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus).

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