Meeting at the Field School, February 15, 2006

Present were our hosts from Field, Clay Kaufman and Will Layman; Sylvia Winik from Edmund Burke; Eric Chalfin and Nancy Wright from the Washington Episcopal School; Ayana Touval from Montgomery College (returning to the Jewish Day School next year); Patty Howie from National Cathedral; Betsy Bennett from St. Albans; Stan Smith from Norwood; and Judy Knight, Carol Berenson, Monika Le, and Paul Nass from the Georgetown Day middle school.

We briefly discussed the fact that the upper school meet problems have been too difficult, and that the writers have been asked to make the problems easier.  The latest meet results are at www.mathteachingtoday.com/usmt0206.htm

One of the main themes of the day was how to keep bright middle schoolers challenged and interested.  Paul N volunteered that there are more than enough problems available on-line, e.g. at the Math Forum of Drexel University.  Other "problems of the week" are also out there, also "Mathematics of the Olympics." (www.nctm.org).  Judy:  There are also good challenge problems in many textbooks.

Most schools at this meeting participate in middle school meets; a whole range of kids usually participates.  Betsy:  At St. Albans, there is a more selective MathCounts team which does periodic competitions.  The MathCounts "Team Round" problems are particularly popular among the St. Albans kids, also group work.

A lot of schools participate in the AMCE national competition (formerly AJHSME).

Nancy likes the "Getting It Together" book, where each student gets a clue together, then they solve a problem.

The big challenge is to dissuade students and parents from algebra I in seventh grade.  Montgomery County has recently instituted a system wherever the best students are expected to take algebra I in the seventh grade, and the private schools are having to explain to parents why it may no be wise for their little geniuses.  It is a big issue at Norwood.  (Ayana:  What is the goal?  Multi-variable calculus?  We were not surprised to be reading in the Post about MCPS students who are taking multi-var calc with a teacher who had never taught it before.)

Textbooks we like:  Paul N: Middle School Math Course 2 (new this year).  Judy:  Gateways.  Both by McDougal, Littell.

Judy:  GDS has mostly objective criteria for admission to algebra I:  a placement test, ERB's, grades from previous year, continental math meet scores, and teacher recommendation.

Clay:  What about students who switch schools after 8th grade?  Betsy:  St. Albans makes students who had MCPS geometry in 8th grade repeat geometry, but the course is much different, so the complaining lessens as the school year goes on.

Will:  School administrators need to support the decisions the math departments make.