The Avid Learner

The Winter Session offers 10-week of Math Olympiad and Problem Solving training from December 3, 2007 to February 29, 2008. Our classes offer a balance of math competitions and academic problem solving to help students develop interest in math and science while excelling in their academic pursuit.

We have established a waiting list for Spring 2008 session for classes that are currently full. Prospective new students should contact us at info@AvidAcademy.com for registration. For more information: please visit 2007-2008 Math Olympiad Training Program Winter Session Registration.

2007 AMC 8 Results Released

American Mathematical Association released 2007 AMC 8 competition results. Avid Academy made the 2007 National School Honor Roll with a team score of 70. David Yang, a six grade student from South Pointe Middle School in Walnut, became newest state winner from Avid Academy by achieving a perfect score of 25. The following five students received National Certificate of Distinction (top 1%):

David Y., 6th grade, South Pointe Middle School, Walnut
Dai Y., 8th grade, Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, Irvine
Brian W., 6th grade, Harbor Day School, Newport Beach
Anthony C., 8th grade, Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, Irvine
Lexie J., 7th grade, Laguna Hills Middle School, Laguna Niguel

In addition, nine students received National Honor Roll Certificate (top 5%) and four students received National Merit Roll Certificate (sixth grade or younger who scored at least 15 out of 25). For a detailed list of winners, honor recipients, and Avid Academy section winners, please visit Avid Academy Competition Results page.

Avid Academy Sixth Grade Team Ranked First in the Nation on the Round One of Online Math League Contests

Avid Academy 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students participated in the first round of the 2007-2008 Online Math League competition. Avid's 6th grade team received a perfect score of 60 and ranked first among 55 teams around the country. The fifth grade team is currently tied for 9th place among 86 teams. The fourth grade team is in 25th place among 84 teams.

The following eight students from Avid Academy received perfect score in round one:

Azmat, F., 2nd grade, Fairmont School
Daniel G., 5th grade, Deerfield Elementary
Brian W., 6th grade, Harbor Day School
Matthew P., 6th grade, Stone Creek Elementary
Michelle L., 6th grade, Deerfield Elementary
Staphany H., 6th grade, Santiago Hills Elementary
Haley W., 6th grade, Brywood Elementary
Kevin C., 6th grade, Eastshore Elementary

For a complete list of top scores, please visit the Avid Academy Competition Results.

Round One of California Math League High School Results Posted

Round One of California Math League High School results are available. The top six schools in Orange County are:

University High School - 27

Troy High School - 25

Irvine High School - 25

Northwood High School - 24

Fountain Valley High School - 24

Fairmond Academy - 22

The team score is the sum of top five students at each school. Orange County students who received a perfect score are:

Shuokai C. - University High School

James F. - Fountain Valley High School

Michael H. - University High School

Brian P. - Irvine High School

Darren S. - University High School

For up to date results, please visit California Math League November 2007 High School Score Report.

Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology Announced 2007 Winners

Isha Jain, a senior at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA, won the $100,000 scholarship in the individual category for research on bone growth.

Janelle Scholossberger and Amanda Marinoff, seniors at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Planview, NY, won the $100,000 scholarship in the team category for research on tuberculosis.

Representing Southern California, Sarah Waliany and Shelina Kurwa of Arcadia won $10,000 scholarship in the team category.

For a complete list of winners, please visit 2007-2008 Siemens Winners.

2007 U.S. Physics Olympiad Team Selection Process Updated

American Association of Physics Teachers released new selection process for the 2008 United States Physics Olympiad Team. Each year, more than 1 million high school students study physics and about 15,000 students participate in Physics Olympiad contests. The new selection process involve four rounds:

Preliminary Exam: 75-minutes multiple choice exam Classic Mechanics. Top 400 students advance.
Quarterfinal Exam: 60-minutes free response exam on Mechanics and Electrostatics. Top 150 students advance.
Semifinal Exam: 3-hour Free response exam on all area of physics including Mechanics, Electromagnetic, Thermodynamics & Fluids, Relativity, Nuclear & Atomic Physics, and Waves & Optics. Top 20 students form the 2008 United States Physics Olympiad Team.
Final Exam: The team members are invited to a three-week intensive study. Six students will be selected for the travelling team to compete at 2008 International Physics Olympiad.

For a complete description of the selection process, please visit: 2008 U.S. Physics Team. For information about Avid Academy Physics Olympiad Program, please visit: Physics Olympiad Training Program.

Math, Science Pupils in U.S. Trail Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea

American Institutes for Research released a report comparing 8th graders in the 50 states of USA with 43 surveyed countries. American students ranked in 10th, comparable with other English-speaking nations, but trail many of the Asia countries.

None of the states achieved the proficiency level in math and science. The best performing states are Massachusetts in math and North Dakota in science. California is among the nine states that failed to achieve the "basic level" of proficiency in science.

For a complete report, please read the Bloomberg article by William McQuillen.

Study Questions U.S. Shortfall in Math, Science

Urban Institute released a report that contradicted the conventional wisdom that U.S. students are not keeping up in science, technology, engineering and math.

The report found that American students had taken more math, science and foreign language courses over the past decade than in previous decades. For example, the number of students taking four years of math increased from 29% to 50% over the past 10 years.

The report also questions whether there is a shortage of U.S. engineering graduates using the standard labor market indicators.

For more information, please read the EE Times article by Sheila Riley.

I hope you enjoyed the information provided in this newsletter. Thank you for supporting gifted education in Southern California. If you have comments to improve our newsletters or would like to share articles, resources and ideas with our community, please email me at Dr.Li@AvidAcademy.com.

Sincerely,

James Li, Ph.D

Executive Director
Avid Academy for Gifted Youth