Eighth grader Eric Chen Aces National Math Exam
Congratulations to student Eric Chen who has scored in the top 5% on the
Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics 8
Competition. The examination in middle school mathematics provides an
opportunity for students to develop positive attitudes toward analytical
thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. “Our school
has been participating for many years, and Eric’s score marks only the
third occasion that a Port Jeff Middle School student scored at least 20
out of 25 questions correct [Eric scored 21],” said Eric’s math teacher
Mr. Matt Garofola. “Eric has a natural aptitude for math and sees the
connections between mathematical concepts at an extremely high level. He
also has great persistence and will never give up when trying to find
the solution to a problem.” The material covered on the AMC 8 includes
topics from a typical middle school mathematics curriculum. Some topics
include counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning,
elementary geometry including the Pythagorean Theorem, spatial
visualization, everyday applications, and reading and interpreting
graphs and tables. Some questions also involve linear or quadratic
functions and equations, coordinate geometry, and other topics
traditionally covered in a beginning algebra course.