James Clemens math students excel

MADISON – James Clemens High School has some of the best high-school mathematicians in the country, according to National Assessment & Testing.

National Assessment administered the 2016 Fall Startup Event, a national mathematics contest in which James Clemens had a 21st-place finish.

“Coaches Kayla Grantham and Chase Evans prepared students for the first major competition of the academic year, in which students worked furiously for 30 minutes, racing to answer 100 problems in a variety of mathematical topics,” Tom Clymer said. Clymer is Director of Academic Competitions for National Assessment.

After results from students across the nation were processed, Lawrence Zhang at James Clemens placed 21st in the ninth-grade division of Fall Startup, helping his team to place 21st in the nation.

Fall Startup Event is an individual competition, in which each student tries to solve as many fast-and-easy problems as they can within the time limit. Topics range from arithmetic to calculus, including math topics that are not covered in standard high school curriculum.

“It’s a lot like a musician practicing scales. These common operations and problems can become second-nature and nearly instantaneous,” Clymer said.

“With so many questions and so little time, competitors must not only have strong mathematical skills but also be able to quickly decide which problems to solve and which to skip,” Clymer said.

“Each of these contests features 10 rounds in which students have three minutes to answer problems but the first requires students to work individually on three problems per round, while the second allows teams of four to tackle four harder problems in each round,” Clymer said.

National Assessment & Testing administers high-quality mathematics competitions in which middle and high schools can participate by email. Their contests cover various formats, including individual and team tests in varying difficulties, from 100 easy problems in 30 minutes to 15 complex problems in one week.

James Clemens will participate in all four of National Assessment & Testing’s annual contests, including Ciphering Time Trials and Four-by-Four

Competition.

For more information, visit natassessment.com.