The Avid Learner
A Newsletter from Avid Academy for Gifted Youth
Volume 5, Issue 5, January 4, 2011
In This Issue
Perfect AMC 8 Scores
OC Math Circle New Years Scrimmage
Competitions Soon to Come
Perfect MOEMS Scores
CML Round 2 Results
College Salary Report
Shocking Shanghai Test Scores
Math Olympiad & Program Solving Training Programs
  • F110 - Introductory Problem Solving
  • F120 - Intermediate Problem Solving
  • F130 - Introductory Problem Solving
  • E120 - Honors Algebra Problem Solving
  • E130 - Honors Geometry Problem Solving
  • E210 - Introductory Math Competitions
  • E220 - Intermediate Math Competitions
  • E230 - Advanced Math Competitions
  • G210 - Introductory Math Olympiad
  • G220 - Intermediate Math Olympiad
  • G230- Advanced Math Olympiad
  • N210 - Introductory Physics Olympiad
  • N220 - Advanced Physics Olympiad
Dear Friends of Avid Academy,
 
Welcome to The Avid Learner, the online newsletter for Avid Academy for Gifted Youth.
Four Students Receive Perfect Scores on AMC 8 Exams

The American Mathematics Competition committee announced the 2010 AMC 8 contest results on December 15, 2010.  Four Avid students received perfect scores and became the latest California State Winners of the competition:
  • B.J. Kim, Rancho San Joaquin Middle School
  • Jeffrey Qiao, Rancho San Joaquin Middle School
  • Eric Xu, Calle Mayor Middle School
  • Parth Shah, Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School
The students who received Certificates of Distinction (top 1%), National Honor Roll Certificate (top 5%), National Merit Certificates (outstanding students in 6th grade or younger), and Certificates for Outstanding Achievement for each section are available at 2010 AMC 8 Results.
OC Math Circle New Year Invitational and MATHCOUNTS Scrimmage
The Orange County Math Circle is organizing a FREE Math Tournament for students in grades 6 - 8 on January 16, 2011. Students who are currently enrolled in E210, E220, and E230 classes are encouraged to participate.  There are 60 spots per grade level on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteer opportunities are also available to students in grades 8 - 12.
 
Date:         Sunday, January 16, 2011 
Time:        1:00 - 5:00 PM  
Location:  St. Margaret's Episcopal School
                31641 La Novia Ave.
                San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
 
The Registration deadline is January 12, 2011.  You must register online.  For more information about this event, its structure, requirements, sample questions, and volunteering opportunities, please visit the Tournament Event Page.
Avid to Host 2011 AMC 10A/12A FREE of Charge
The year 2011 is an important math competition season.  The 2011 AMC 10A/12A exam will be held on February 8 at Concordia University.  The event is FREE to all eligible students 10th grade or younger (AMC 10A) or eligible students 12th grade and under (AMC 12A).  Everyone, including Avid students, must register to take the exam.  For more information, or to register if you have not already, please visit: 2011 AMC 10A/12A.

In addition to the AMC contest, Avid Academy students will also participate in the following math competitions in the next few weeks:
  • Online Math League (January 15 - Febuary 15) for students in F110, F120, F130, and E210
  • Math Olympiad Round Three (January 3 - 11) for students in F120, F130, E210, E220, E230 and middle school students enrolled in G210
  • California Math League High School Round 2 (January 8) for students in E230 and G210

These competitions will be administrated in-class during regular scheduled class time.  Results will be posted on our website.  For a complete list of math competition events, please visit Avid Academy Event Calender.


Four Students Received Perfect Scores in the First two-rounds of MOEMS
Four Avid Academy students received perfect scores in the first two rounds of Mathematics Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) competition.

In Division-E for students in grades 6 or under, Matthew Choi of Turtle Rock Elementary School and Drew Vollero of St. Margaret's Episcopal School received perfect scores.  In Division-M for students in grades 7 or 8, Benjamin Most of Harbor Day and Mike Bao of Suzzane Middle School received perfect scores.  Students who scored at least 8 after two-rounds of competition are recognized on our website at MOEMS Results.
 
Continental Math League Round Two Results
Students in 4th and 5th grade competed in Round Two of the Continental Math League.  Ethan Moy and Stephen Hwang deserve special recognition for receiving perfect scores.

For complete results, please visit: Continental Math League Results.
Online Math League Round One Results
Students in 3rd - 6th grade competed in Round Two of the Online Math League.  For 3rd grade, Ashley Zeng received a perfect score. For 4th grade,  Ethan Moy and Amy Zhong received perfect scores. For 5th grade, Stephan Ko received a perfect score. For 6th grade, Justin Chuang and Jerry Ma received perfect scores. These students performed amazingly and we congratulate them on their excellence.

For complete results, please visit: Online Math League Results.
2010-2011 College Salary Report 
PayScale.com released 2010-2011 College Salary Report.  In addition to listing the Universities that have graduates with the highest salaries, it also allows you to compare these colleges by their type (either Liberal Arts, Ivy League, Research Univ., Engineering, etc.).

The top 10 Graduate Salary Unversities are:
  1. Harvey Mudd College - starting 68,900; mid-career 126,000
  2. Princeton University - starting 58,900; mid-career 123,000
  3. Dartmouth College - starting 54,100; mid-career 123,000
  4. Harvard University - starting 57,300; mid-career 121,000
  5. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) - starting 69,900; mid-career 120,000
  6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - starting 68,300; mid-career 119,000
  7. Stanford University - starting 60,200; mid-career 119,000
  8. Colgate University - starting 48,700; mid-career 119,000
  9. Duke University - starting 55,300; mid-career 117,000
  10. Bucknell University - starting 55,800; mid-career 115,000

To learn more, please visit: 2010-2011 College Salary Report.
Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators
Test scores from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that Shanghai students excelled beyond all expectation, earning top ranks in each category of testing.  The test is given to a sample of 15-year-old students and covers the subjects of math, reading and science. Each subject test is scored on a range of 200 - 600 points with an average score of 500.

In math, Shanghai earned a perfect score of 600. In reading, they earned 556 (still the top rank) and in science 575. In comparison, the United States scored 487 in math, 500 in reading and 502 in science.

The outstanding performance of Shanghai students is partially attributed to their education style where teacher training and studying are very important, much more so than extracurricular activities including sports. Based on their performance, it is expected that they will continue to excel, and their success forces other countries to question whether their education system is working properly.
To learn more, read the New York Time article Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators and an interview with Tom Watkins on the topic.
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