*NOTE SPECIAL OFFER AT END OF LETTER*
*Please see the list of Associated Schools at the end of this page*
Dear Mathematics Department Chairperson:
How do your most intuitive mathematics students compare to other math students throughout the country? Do you have a mathematics research class and do you enter the students' work in talent searches? Do the students compete in math leagues against other high schools, junior high or intermediate schools in your city? If you have a math team, or would like to start one, where would your faculty adviser get the many challenging and intriguing mathematics questions needed to sustain interest in such an advanced program?
Our mathematics ENRICHMENT service, in the form of a contest, provides your students with an opportunity to COMPETE NATIONALLY with other high ability students across the country.
Our panel of creative mathematicians who design each contest are educators in junior, intermediate, high schools and colleges, and are themselves faculty advisers for math research clubs or math teams. This ensures the production of contests and questions that are at once challenging and sensitive to the level of ability of contemporary secondary school students.
CONTEST DESIGN
In the Fall school term, each associated school will receive the same package of six sealed sets of questions similar to the samples on page 3. On given dates each month, the packages are opened and the test is administered to your designated group of math students. The adviser then scores each paper according to an enclosed answer sheet and mails the results of the 8 (eight) highest scoring students. The scores are then tabulated and the national results are mailed back within a short time.
Each contest examination set consists of seven questions, as per the sample. Please note that this is ONE MORE question than most other contests of this type and is the equivalent to ONE FULL EXTRA EXAMINATION in total number of questions for the contest year.
At the end of the sixth examination, the totals for all schools are compared and an AWARDS LISTING is sent to all schools with the appropriate AWARD CERTIFICATE for the school and another Award Certificate for the highest scoring student in each school. Please see page 4 for further information on the rules of the contest and awards presented.
The AWARD CERTIFICATE is beautifully designed and is usually framed and displayed prominently in the school. The top five percent of scoring schools will also receive an engraved wall plaque for their schools.
We hope that you and your school administration encourage your student mathematicians to enter your school in our annual AMERICAN SCHOLASTIC MATHEMATICS CONTEST. In these days of declining Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, it becomes increasingly important for mathematics students to receive extra-curricular enrichment to help sharpen their mathematics skills. Our philosophy is that this competition is more of an educational and achievement experience than a very difficult contest and the mathematical questions will generally reflect that position.
Many schools choose to use the contest material for in-school use only and do not report the contest results, which is also your option.
This past school year mathematics contest involved schools in the United States, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Cambodia, Denmark, France, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Shanghai, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and Viet Nam. A partial listing of these schools is available at the end of this letter
SUGGESTED DEADLINE FOR ENTRY into the AMERICAN SCHOLASTIC MATHEMATICS CONTEST for the 2012-2013 school year is JULY 1. If you cannot meet this deadline, please indicate, on the form below, the approximate date by which the entry fee will be sent.
Thank you for your time. You and your faculty are to be commended for your concern for the continuous improvement of the mathematics development of your most gifted students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard M. Plass, Ed.D.
Chairman, ASMA
email: plassr@netzero.com or plassr@asan.com
The Mathematics Team or class that enters this contest should consist of at least 8 students on any grade level, plus 2 alternates. Any number of students may take each examination, and, although 10 copies of each examination will be provided, the adviser is urged to encourage as many students as possible to take each contest examination. Additional copies of the contest may be made on the same day prior to administration as needed. Only the top 8 scoring students should be reported to the Association and they need not be the same 8 students each time.
The entire team is to begin the contest at exactly the same time and have exactly thirty-five (35) minutes to do the contest examination. The adviser should provide periodic warnings and make sure that no tabular material is present. Calculators may be used but not shared by students. Any programmable calculators must be clear before use. After the test, the adviser must score the answers according to the answer sheet in the contest packet, fill out the reporting postal card and mail it within five (5) school days with CORRECT POSTAGE directly on the card.
The contest should be held on the same day indicated on each examination. In case of a school emergency or closing, the adviser may choose an alternate day as soon as possible. However, the adviser is still responsible for mailing the results within five (5) school days of the original contest date. Later arrivals will most likely not be listed in the newsletter until the following month.
Any appeal must be sent with the contest results and must be explained in detail, with the student's name and equivalent answer. Appeals will not be answered individually, and will be granted only if the equivalent answer is acceptable to the author or a major misinterpretation of the question was possible. The judgement of the author is final.
Unique, insightful, and interesting alternate solutions to the problems are welcome. The Association will publish the name of the student along with the school with the solution in the returning newsletter.
It is up to the integrity and responsibility of the individual adviser to ensure that a fair contest is held, scoresheets are graded correctly, and that the reporting is done on time to the ASMA.
Awards and AWARD CERTIFICATES will be based on the FINAL TOTAL SCORES of all the associated schools and will be announced in the FINAL AWARDS NEWSLETTER. The student with the highest cumulative score for each school will also receive an individual HIGHEST SCORING STUDENT AWARD CERTIFICATE. The adviser must indicate the cumulative totals on the scorecards in order to qualify a student for a top scoring student award certificate. The top five percent scoring schools will also receive an engraved wall plaque for their schools.
An email reiterating the rules above will be sent to all schools in
September
as a reminder and as a warning that the contest packages are about to
be
mailed.
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!
2011-2012 school year dates
CONTEST DATES: (All dates are THURSDAYS)
We are making available, on a limited basis and only to schools that are entering the 2012-2013 contest, a complete set of 2004-2011 contests and solutions for the high school or Jr/Intermediate division. Each booklet will contain 48 contests from the past 8 years. The complete set will cost $40 per booklet and will be sent to all ordering schools in the Fall term, with the 2012-2013 contests.
SUGGESTED ENTRY FORM DEADLINE - July 1, 2012
Check one or both.
____ HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION (grades
9
to 12) $70 US Funds
____ JUNIOR/INTER DIVISION (grades 7 to 9) $70 US Funds
____ BOTH SCHOOL DIVISIONS $140 US Funds
PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE:
SCHOOL NAME:________________________________
STREET ADDRESS________________________________
CITY_______________________STATE
(Province/Country)
__________ ZIP (Postal Code) __________
ADVISER/CONTACT PERSON__________________________________
HOME OR SUMMER ADDRESS __________________________________
CITY_________________________STATE
(Province/Country)
__________ ZIP (Postal Code) _________
Contact e-mail
address______________________
@___________________________
ENTRY FEE (for each Division):
_______
$70.00 US Funds enclosed. OR Check will be sent by _______(date)
(Non-North American schools please add
$10 US for each division for International Priority Postage)
We
also
accept MoneyGrams, Western Union, International Money Orders and Wire
Transfer.
Please email us for details.
Please also send 2004-2011 HS
Division
contests. _______$40 US enclosed**.
Please also send 2004-2011 Jr./Inter Division contests._______$40 US
enclosed**.
Total Fee above enclosed
$__________
or Enrty fee will be sent by (date)
_____________
Please note: **The past contests cannot be ordered unless the school also orders the 2012-13 contest for that Division.
*Purchase orders must be paid by Oct. 1, 2012 or contests cannot be
shipped.*
Send entry fee to:
ASMA
PO Box 564400
College Point, New York, USA 11356-4400
Fax 1-718-747-0099, or by e-mail
to
plassr@netzero.com or plassr@asan.com