Math Competition Success (and congratulations)

[SAM2]

Old news perhaps, but I just ran across the results from this year's Math Olympiad: http://amc.maa.org/imo/2010imo.shtml . USA seems to have done pretty well overall, and in more local news, one of the top finishers was from GDS. Congratulations to all.

[Anonymous]

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnukIDABt_JKdDdZYXlQbnFUQ0VfMHRpTFp1SUIxS2c&hl=en&pli=1#gid=11


...more complete picture...congratulations

[Anonymous]

Can't get the above link (2nd one) to load - what does it say?

[Anonymous]

Shows MCPS doing better than local privates in a series of math competitions that local privates generally don't send kids to.

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:Shows MCPS doing better than local privates in a series of math competitions that local privates generally don't send kids to.

I don't think that summary is quite accurate.

[Anonymous]

Actually, the summary is not quite correct, or at least full. The AMC/AIME are the two lower runs of the year long series of tests put out by the Mathematical Assn of America. Many but not all privates participate in these. They are big deals at Blair, TJ, and other public schools, much less so at privates. Among the privates, according to this list, GDS is the outlier as having good results. (As first poster noted, a GDS student won gold at the ultimate prize in this series, the IMO, in which each country of about 100 countries sends 6 students.)

There are lots of other competitions (USAMTS, Pumac, HMMT, ARML) that are national that are not listed. This GDS student also placed first at a number of the competitions, and last year top boy at ARML and top girl at ARML - the most national of these contests - were both GDS kids.
Nevertheless, the conclusion that some public schools usually have more kids placing in these contests is undeniable. TJ tends to do better than Blair, at least in recent years.

[Anonymous]

Certainly not a complete summary, but how/is it inaccurate? It's a caveat about how to read the data -- 0% means one thing when 10 kids competed and nobody placed; but it means another thing when 0 kids competed. And the data doesn't differentiate between those two scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Certainly not a complete summary, but how/is it inaccurate? It's a caveat about how to read the data -- 0% means one thing when 10 kids competed and nobody placed; but it means another thing when 0 kids competed. And the data doesn't differentiate between those two scenarios.

Well, let's think about another exam that ALL the students take... PSAT. I'm sure you would agree, the numerators and denominators here are not in dispute. There appears a tight correlation between these "mathematics contest" results and a school's output of National Merit Semi-Finalists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certainly not a complete summary, but how/is it inaccurate? It's a caveat about how to read the data -- 0% means one thing when 10 kids competed and nobody placed; but it means another thing when 0 kids competed. And the data doesn't differentiate between those two scenarios.

I am going to guess that the poster who said innacurate didn't mean it the posted data was innacurate. The inaccuracy is in the characterization of the poster above - first, it is untrue that "most" private kids dont' take these. Some do some don't, but "most" is not accurate. I know the big 3 have offered it for many many years, for example. Also "send" is inaccurate. These are tests offered in school. Minor point, I know, but be clear about what the criticism is of the summary comment. The publics do better, have more kids compete, etc., in terms of numbers and percentages. But, as with any stereotype, it gets dangerous when you argue that privates stink for all kids in this way - hence the point of the poster above about how well come private students have done in recent years in these exams, beating out public magnet kid for the top prizes.
If you look at the large spreadsheet, notice that some privates across the country do very well, especially in California, where the particular tests that are the subject of the tabulation are really really emphasized, even out of proportion to the population.

[Anonymous]

What leaps out at me from the first link listing the winners is the high proportion of the kids that are asian. This is a consistent result when looking at math competitions or just admissions to magnet schools. So the question of which area schools have a better math curriculum is not really the point ... instead, how do asian families support and encourage the math talents of their children and to what extent do asian families choose public magnets versus good privates and why are the questions I would rather discuss.

[Anonymous]

What leaps out at me from the first link listing the winners is the high proportion of the kids that are asian. This is a consistent result when looking at math competitions or just admissions to magnet schools. So the question of which area schools have a better math curriculum is not really the point ... instead, how do asian families support and encourage the math talents of their children and to what extent do asian families choose public magnets versus good privates and why are the questions I would rather discuss.

If the USA is losing its competitive global edge, as the lay press has expounded over the last decade; to what countries are we losing this edge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: first, it is untrue that "most" private kids dont' take these. Some do some don't, but "most" is not accurate. I know the big 3 have offered it for many many years, for example. Also "send" is inaccurate. These are tests offered in school.

Evidence wrt local privates? My DC has been at GDS for 9 years and I've never seen anything about AMC being offered at the school (or even publicized as being available elsewhere). The fact that a few GDS student have placed doesn't mean that the school participates in the program -- kids can sign up as a individuals and take the tests at a college campus.

[Anonymous]

10:11 ... I was referring the the American winners and the fact that they are largely Asian Americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Evidence wrt local privates? My DC has been at GDS for 9 years and I've never seen anything about AMC being offered at the school (or even publicized as being available elsewhere). The fact that a few GDS student have placed doesn't mean that the school participates in the program -- kids can sign up as a individuals and take the tests at a college campus.

I can't speak to GDS in particular, and I am sure every school approaches these issues slightly differently. But I did participate in many of these math competitions when I was much younger. In my experience at a smallish (<100) private school, the school's math teacher would privately pull aside about 4-6 students each year who were particularly strong in math, and would ask us if we'd be willing to participate in the competition. We'd each get a note from our parents, and then about two weeks later, the math teacher would load us into a school van and drive to the competition. After the test, he'd buy of pizza and Cokes. There was no advance preparation for the competition, although I gather that many schools do that sort of thing. I don't think many (any?) kids participated individually without school sponsorship, although I suppose it must be possible since home-schooled kids participate.

Given the number of GDS students involved in the competition, I strongly suspect the school does participate actively, but just on a more limited basis than some of the math/science magnets where half or more of each class enters the competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: first, it is untrue that "most" private kids dont' take these. Some do some don't, but "most" is not accurate. I know the big 3 have offered it for many many years, for example. Also "send" is inaccurate. These are tests offered in school.

Evidence wrt local privates? My DC has been at GDS for 9 years and I've never seen anything about AMC being offered at the school (or even publicized as being available elsewhere). The fact that a few GDS student have placed doesn't mean that the school participates in the program -- kids can sign up as a individuals and take the tests at a college campus.

Actually, lots of kids take it at GDS, often just in the context of the math class. The more accelerated classes take this - but since it is all pre-calculus material, many kids "qualify." Indeed, I'm surprised how many kids don't tell their parents they are taking or have taken the AMC10/12 at GDS. You *can* take it at local colleges, but it is not easy to do.