The results are in for the National Science League. All 8th grade students took part in the competition during their science class. The Ames Middle School team (top ten scorers) placed 7th among 44 participating schools with a team score of 468, out of a maximum possible score of 500. The top score of 493 was earned by Hopkins Junior High School from California. The contest is a 50 question test with one point per question. The questions measure solid conceptual understanding of physical science, and almost all of the topics are part of the Ames 8th grade curriculum. Our top scores were 49 (1), 48 (1), 47 (3-way tie), and 46 (5-way tie). The median score for AMS was 31.5. Scores for ELP students have been entered in the ELP grading detail in Infinite Campus. The graph shows the distribution of scores at Ames Middle School. Congratulations, Ames Team!
Continental Math League
All 8th grade students taking Algebra or Geometry and all 7th grade students took part in the Continental Math League competition. The five meets, consisting of six problems each, were administered once a month from November through March during the math classes. Eighth grade students took the more difficult Pythagorean level of the competition and seventh grade students participated in the Euclidean level. Both require creative problem solving and mathematical insight, and neither requires knowledge of algebra. These are team competitions, and the ten highest scoring students for each of the meets contribute to the team cumulative score. The Ames Middle School 8th grade team placed 2nd out of 15 in our four-state region (IA, MO, WI, and MN) and 31st out of 155 nationally, with a score of 165. The 7th grade team placed 7th nationally out of 134 schools with a score of 171 out of a possible 180, and second out of 20 in Region 6. Nice work, Ames team!
