Birmingham Community Charter High School is preparing to hold advanced math competitions in the coming year. These contests are mainly organized with math teachers and students, and they are planned to be held in various rooms on campus. One competition that may be held is an “Integration Bee,” a math competition in which two students go up against each other to see who solves the integral the fastest.

Additionally, these competitions are very beneficial to students in many aspects. Math competitions are a great way to demonstrate your knowledge in mathematics, and you may also practice/apply mathematical skills from previous math classes. For example, if one of these competitions is established, which is the integration bee, students will be able to apply mathematical skills from their calculus class.

Furthermore, these competitions will help teachers to better teach students due to the fact that these competitions cover similar criteria taught in the classroom. Students can apply what they have learned from the competitions to their classes. These competitions also have a positive effect on the students, and this can motivate them to continue to higher-level courses. These college-level courses include linear algebra, hyperbolic geometry, calculus, and the hardest of all, topology, which involves plotting four-dimensional objects.

Continuing these competitions can also prepare AP students for their exams and help them get a high-achieving score, which is a five. If a student participates in one of these competitions, it can help that student prepare for the exam because the AP Calculus exam is heavily tested on a mathematical concept: integrals, which is the main practice of the integration bee. This can affect the students’ applications to college because it helps them get college credits and also helps the colleges see that the student is prepared to take on rigorous courses. It also places the student as highly competitive.

Lastly, some additional benefits these competitions may offer to students include learning critical thinking skills and preparing them for higher-level mathematics courses later in their lives. Furthermore, these competitions fix problems that are steadily increasing in the educational system, which is the decline of crucial math skills among senior high school students, and research shows that more than 60% of students in California are demonstrating below-average mathematical skills.