Gifted Math Program at UB Seeks Nominations for Fall 2010 Class

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Gifted Math Program at the University at Buffalo is accepting nominations submitted by schools and parents of outstanding sixth-grade mathematics students for its Fall 2010 entering class.

A three-hour battery of tests, including the math section of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, will be administered in March to about 200 nominees in order to select students for the 60 available places in the new class.

The Gifted Math Program, now in its 30th year, enrolls approximately 230 students from secondary schools in Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties.

The program offers advanced mathematics courses, which replace mathematics classes in students' home schools and are designed to challenge students with high levels of ability. Students in grades seven to 10 study an enriched and accelerated mathematics program; 11th and 12th graders take university-level courses in calculus and linear algebra. They complete four semesters of university-level mathematics as part of the six-year program, and may accumulate a total of 22 college credit hours.

Classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays on the UB North Campus. Seventh and eighth graders attend class from 3:30-6 p.m. and high school students meet from 6:15-8:45 p.m.

A review group established by the National Science Teachers Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the American Association of School Administrators recently recognized the program as one of 10 outstanding math-science activities nationwide.

The program was founded by Betty J. Krist, professor emerita of mathematics at Buffalo State College, and Gerald R. Rising, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus in the UB Department of Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education. Thomas L. Schroeder, interim director, is an associate professor in the UB Department of Learning and Instruction.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 27. Informational meetings for the families of nominated students and others interested in the program will be held at UB in February.

For more information or to obtain a schedule of informational meetings, call Anne Szczesny, Gifted Math Program administrator, at 645-4467 or gmpmath@buffalo.edu, or visit the program's Web site at http://giftedmath.buffalo.edu.