Flashback
30 years ago
Gifted Math Program
Gifted Math Program co-founder Gerald R. Rising with students. Photo: UB ARCHIVES
For more than 30 years, UB’s Gifted Math Program (GMP) has offered middle and high school students of high-level mathematics ability an opportunity to participate in a challenging program that replaces their regular school math classes and takes them beyond the standard New York state secondary school math curriculum.
Founded in 1979 by Gerald R. Rising, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus in the Department of Learning and Instruction (seen in this photo with GMP students), and by Betty J. Krist, professor emerita and former chair of the mathematics department at Buffalo State College, the program is designed to challenge bright students at their high level of ability.
With a current enrollment of 231 seventh through 12th graders, the program draws students from school districts throughout Erie and Niagara counties. The GMP offers an enriched and accelerated math curriculum for participants in grades 7 through 10; 11th and 12th graders take standard UB math courses, including calculus and linear algebra. Those who complete the six-year program earn up to 22 university credit hours that may be transferred to other colleges and universities, giving them a head start on higher education.
To qualify for admission, sixth-graders must be nominated by their home school or their parents. Once nominated, students and parents attend a meeting at UB to learn more about the program, and interested nominees take a rigorous entrance exam in March. They also complete a questionnaire and participate in a family conference with GMP staff as part of the evaluation process, with the top 60 qualifying for a spot in the entering class.
Classes meet twice each week for two 75-minute sessions during the fall and spring semesters. The staff includes outstanding high school and college math teachers from throughout Western New York, with assistance provided by a group of mentor-graders, many of whom are GMP graduates
Luke Marcinkiewicz, a freshman at West Seneca East High School, is enthusiastic about the program. “I’m honored to be a member of GMP,” he notes, “and I enjoy the challenge that it offers. I think that the United States needs more programs like this if it wants to keep up with other countries.”
The program marked its 30th anniversary last June with a celebration that featured some interesting numbers: Since its founding, GMP students have come from 103 middle schools and 56 high schools in 40 area school districts; 618 graduates have completed the program. Add it up, and UB’s Gifted Math Program equals success. Additional information on the program, including testing information for the 2011-12 academic year, is available at the Gifted Math Program’s website or by calling 645-4467.
—Kathleen Quinlivan, University Libraries
Reader Comments