TJMC is starting soon for the 2022-23 school year! The first placement test is on 9/13/22. Please register at 2022-23 RMS Placement Test Registration
Saratoga High School coaches train Redwood students to excel in competitive mathematics and to gain a new understand and appreciation for the subject outside what is taught at school. There are two placement tests that students need to pass to be able to attend; we also have a test-only track for interested students who need additional practice to qualfiy.
Color Groups
Group placement and cutoff scores are subject to the decision of coaches only and all decisions are final.
Redwood students are placed into different teams based on their math experience:
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Black Team is for advanced students who are adept at solving middle school and high school math contest problems. We will address some college-level concepts as well. If you LOVE interesting math problems, this is the place to be.
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Blue Team consists of intermediate students who have some past experience with math contests, and are comfortable with middle school math contests. We will focus more on fundamental competition topics and some harder high school topics.
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Green Team and Yellow Team are for beginners who are interested in contest math but still have a lot to learn. We will not cover any basic middle school topics in algebra and geometry. Students will be expected to have a strong understanding of these topics.
Mathcounts Qualification
For both teams and individuals.
Highest scoring mathletes in lesson and test track, regardless of their team placement, will be chosen to represent Redwood Middle School as either Team Members or as Individuals based off of a two part selection process. First, the top 12 individuals will be selected based purely off of their performance on the AMC 8, the first three HS CaML, Selection Exams, and the Mathcounts School round. Indexes will be created and assigned according to the following formula:
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where ktest is 6, 2, 3, 6 for AMC 8, HS CaML, Selection Exams, and Mathcounts School round respectively, scoretest is the student's score for that test, µtest is the mean black team score on that test, and σtest is the standard deviation of black team scores on that test. In other words, the higher a student is from the average, the higher their index will be, with each test being weighed equally in total.
The students with the highest 12 indices will then be selected, with ties broken by the HS CaML tests. These top 12 individuals must commit to practicing throughout the entirety of their Christmas vacation. If a student cannot commit, he or she must forfeit his or her spot to the next best candidate. Throughout these practices, the top 12 individuals will be observed with no bias given towards previous scores or even the cumulative index that distinguished them. They will be divided into the four team members, six individuals, and two alternates strictly according to the adviser's discretion based off of practice performance AND teamwork capability.
Other Factors
The coaches and liaison will be making the final decision for club acceptances and team selection for Mathcounts and outside contests.
In very few occasions, we do use our judgement for students in the gray area. In these cases, all coaches are given the names of the student that are in the bubble so that they can pay particular attention for students' behavior, constructive role, and other intangibles in the class. Some students in the bubble can be promoted based on an individual coach's recommendation followed by confirmation from remaining coaches who have had the chance to observe the said student in comparison to the rest of the students in the bubble and the entire classroom. Once the agreement is reached, the liaison will give the final okay only after he feels comfortable with the reasons for promotion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read these for more information. If you have any additional questions, you may email togajrmath@gmail.com. Please allow up to 48 hours for the liaison to reply.
Who is eligible to take placement test?
Any registered Redwood Middle School student (6th, 7th, and 8th) wanting to join the Redwood Math Club.
When can I register?
Now. Please fill out this 2022-23 RMS Math Club placement test registration.
What does the Placement Test cover?
Since math club is designed for self motivated students, the student must be familiar with all appropriate contest material, including Algebra and Geometry. Some questions will require a justification to the answer.
The Placement Test will also be comprised of questions of difficulty similar to that of Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle School, MS & HS CaML, AMC-8 and -10, and AIME. You can obtain past contests of AMC-8, -10, and AIME from artofproblemsolving.com web-site.
Where can I find study materials?
The Internet. AMC-8, AMC-10, AIME, JMO, and other Olympiad materials can be found in Art of Problem Solving web-site. Math Olympiad materials can be found by visiting http://store.moems.org/. You can find many contests and their solution floating out there.
You can also find lectures notes from last year at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oNCBv96ibJrra2c6TWUzKjI9ePzCLT56?usp=sharing.
When and where is the placement test given?
The first placement test is on September 13, 2022. The testing site will be at Redwood Middle School library.
What should I bring to the placement test?
Please bring multiple pencils, erasers, straight edge, and a wrist watch (without a calculator). Bring your own facial tissue if you have the sniffles. No electronic device will be permitted. Scratch paper will be provided.
What should I do if I need help during the placement test, or test in general?
Sorry, but proctors can't do the problems for you. Proctors cannot answer any question about the specifics of any test problems. If you're bothered by disruptive behavior by another student, please simply get proctors attention.
Focus strictly on your test.
What if I get sick or otherwise cannot come to the placement test? Is there a second placement test?
No. You get a single opportunity. Don't miss the test.
How do I know if I qualify for the math club?
We will post the result on this web-page about a week after the placement test.
What do I do once I qualify for the math club?
Qualified students (not parents) will receive the instruction to join 2022-23 Redwood Math Club via Canvas. Students will be invited to a general group and a team-specific group.
How will I be notified of the contest results?
You can find your contest results in Canvas. Additionally, Canvas will be used to communicate with Redwood mathletes. Parents can use their student's account to see their mathlete's progress.
Is the initial team placement permanent?
No. After the initial placement, mathletes can be moved to different team based on subsequent performance on contests, selection tests, and the quality of your performance math club lessons. Your parents will be notified by a parent coordinator after the liaison makes the decision. The liaison will not respond to any request to change in team.
How is the Mathcounts team chosen?
See one of the sections above! It's quite long.
What do I do if I don't qualify for Redwood math club, but am still interested in doing math contests?
You can sign up for test-only option. The space is limited. Test-only students are allowed to take AMC-8, Math Olympiad, and MS CaML.