The older students also serve as role models and tutors for the younger/lower skilled students.įor more information about Mathletes, please contact Nicole Selmanie, idea soon morphed to include struggling students who are testing below grade level, Selmanie said, for a focus on both enrichment and intervention. It has worked beautifully for LGA, as students feel a connection with the two advisors on the team, and like learning in a no-pressure environment after school. This initiative aims to push students already excelling in math to master material that they have not yet seen, while it serves as an intervention for students who aren't good at it yet, or don't enjoy math very much. At the end of the day, LGA won the competition, but both the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology at HPHS and High School, Inc. Throughout the day, students also completed group tasks on their school teams, as well as challenge problems, that earned their teams extra points. Competitions includes 13 rounds that are based on a specific math topic, such as functions, trigonometry, logic, mental math, etc. Then, at the district competition, they play to their strengths and compete in rounds that they are good at. At practice, students work on things they need to improve, and topics that push them just above where they currently land. Teachers who had concerns about students could even recommend them for the team. The idea was that schools would host weekly practices for their team, and students from any skill level would be encouraged to join. My colleague, Barb Maidelis, joined the initiative and we proposed the idea as a district-wide program to the district that explained the goals and benefits of such a program, and the estimated cost if fully funded. I decided that if there was no competition suitable for us at this point, we would create our own. The more I heard about interventions and the constant pressure for alternative plans for kids who are performing below grade level, however, the more I wanted the after school group to serve as something more than simply enrichment for kids who already are good at and enjoy math. This year, in my third year, I decided to start the after school club anyway, and see where it took me. I struggled with how they would compete, however, since I knew that it would be difficult to be involved in a competition outside of Hartford, and it would also be very devastating to my kids to compete with many other schools in CT that are far above their skill level. In my first two years at the Law and Government Academy at HPHS, I had tossed around the idea of starting a math club/league/team, like I had been involved in during my high school career.
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