Parent Orientation Meeting August 2013 18239 West 12 Mile Road Lathrup Village MI 48076 ICAE Mission What is ICAE? – Non-profit organization – Educational enrichment programs What is ICAE’s mission? – Environment that promotes academic excellence – Stimulates the thinking process – Help perform above and beyond the normal school requirements Educational programs offered? – – – – – Mathematics Physics AWIM ( A world in motion ) English Writing ARML 2 Math Program Structure 3 Class Assignment Policy Class assignment policy – Our objective in “class assignments” is to group students with similar skills in a class and then teach them the topics they need to learn at a pace they can cope with. – Returning students must first take the test at their most recent math level. – All new students are required to first take the placement test for the entry-level class for their grade level. – Students are moved up to a class if they have scored above the average defined by the returning students and have performed well in their previous class (Teacher’s evaluation) – Students are encouraged to take one or more placement tests as long as they get the minimum score to take the next test. 4 Physics Classes Physics AP – Mechanics (A New Class) – Physics AP (Mechanics) is a one year program – The class will cover the curriculum laid out by “AP Physics C – Mechanics” program – The curriculum will be supplemented by hands on experiments in the Physics Lab – The students will also prepare for the “F=ma” contest, the first leg of the US Physics Olympiad – Advance Middle School (Math IIB or III) and high school students are eligible for this class. Physics AWIM – Motorized Toy Car – Students will go through an “Engineering Design Experience” by building and testing a Electric Motor powered toy car (sponsored by SAE). – Students will also learn the underlying concepts in gear design (gear ratios, forces, torques, gear train and power transmission) 5 Measuring Success Progress monitoring methodology & metrics used to measure “excellence”. – Regional, State, and National level mathematics competitions. – Math II students should obtain at least a silver pin i.e., “top 10% in USA” in Div-E Math Olympiads. – Math III students should at least be in “top 10% in Div-M Math Olympiads & superlative performance in Mathcounts. – Math IV students to place amongst the Top 100 in the state as demonstrated by MMPC results. Objective of various Mathematics classes. – Group children with similar abilities and work on their weaknesses. 6 Giving back to the community ICAE high school students coach students in the local community – Provides an opportunity for senior ICAE senior students to volunteer their time and knowledge and give back to the community. – What is it: Teaching math problem-solving skills to school children through African-American Parents’ Network, Southfield • 2-4 groups taught by up to 4 ICAE High School Students – Timing: Sundays 1.30pm-4.30pm – Who Can Volunteer: Students Currently-enrolled ICAE High School – Contact: Send email to Dr. Khetan (rkhetan@sbcglobal.net) 7 Additional Learning Opportunities ICAE Annual Banquet – Talent Show – Annual Writing Contest – Annual Science Fair: ICAE Math Science and Engineering Fair (IMSEF) – Annual Math Contest: students For middle School and high school – Panel Discussions on College Admissions: Representatives from leading colleges answer questions from ICAE students and parents 8 Frequently Asked Questions My child is an advanced Math student in his home school. Why should he write the placement test for the entry level test for his grade level (IA1, IIA1 or (as the case may be), instead of appearing for a higher level class test in ICAE? – We need to establish learning needs of the student – We need to group students with similar needs together – Our own assessment methodology which evaluates all students irrespective of their standing in their home schools consistently. Why should my child write the placement test for the same class that he has already completed? – Typically students stay in a class for about a year. – The class content changes from term to term to keep up with the learning needs of the student. – Our objective is to keep children with similar abilities together. 9 Frequently Asked Questions What is the promotion policy? – – – How much time per week should my student spend on doing ICAE work? – An average of around 30 minutes a day (3 hours a week) is expected. What is the syllabus? Are the same topics taught in each and every semester of a particular class? – – Student must score high at the current level and above average at the advanced level for promotion. Promotion and demotion go hand in hand. Promotion is never based on seniority or grade level. Syllabus is geared to student abilities. Goal is to be amongst the best in the State, Region and Nation in competitions. We do not cover the same material for any class in each term. Should parents help their children? – Parents should take active role in ensuring homework is being completed and returned each week to get most out of the program 10 Frequently Asked Questions Why does the teaching methodology vary from class to class and teacher to teacher? – Why is the homework very difficult? – – Because the students are learning the concepts they do not know well. The idea is to challenge children. If they don’t know a concept they can try their best but ask the teacher for help. Students who work hard will reap the benefits Why don’t you recruit teachers from local universities? – – Students are different. Skill levels are different. The way they understand is different. So teaching styles have to be different. Our teachers are usually highly educated and motivated parents. Teaching on weekends requires a lot of commitment . How do we recruit our teachers? – – Teaching at ICAE is a commitment, a desire to help our community. It is not a profession; it is a passion. Teachers are carefully chosen based on their ability, excellence and commitment and also how well they have motivated their own children. 11 Frequently Asked Questions What can I do online at icae.org? – Each student must have an online id unique to the student created the first time they register at ICAE – Every term the student must register for the placement test and select the subjects and the appropriate level – Homework assignment and scores are posted online – All communications for class timing changes, teacher absences, announcements are posted regularly on the website – please check before you leave for class to note any change to schedules – All competition registrations must be made online – Payment voucher and Admit cards for placement test must be printed before coming to ICAE to avoid delays – ICAE website is designed to run under Internet Explorer (IE) version 7 or earlier. Certain features are not available in other web browsers. Newer versions of IE require users to operate IE in Compatibility Mode. – Ensure correct email is set when registering the student. All communications will be sent to the email – Each Fall make sure to update school and grade information. Name should be accurate since competition certificates are printed using the name from the database 12 Frequently Asked Questions Why should I volunteer, when I am already paying fees? – Active parent participation ensures that students will take similar active interest in ICAE – Active parent involvement also keeps the cost down for ell students. – ICAE is a non-profit organization established and run by parents. – Board members put in enormous amount of time and effort into this organization and again with no compensation. – ICAE operates with low overhead expenses – ICAE charges minimal fees to handle the operating expenses of ICAE , building, maintenance, supplies and teacher compensation – All parents are required to volunteer for at least one activity while enrolling their children to an ICAE class 13 Frequently Asked Questions What is the role of the ICAE Board? – The ICAE Board is responsible for managing various committees consisting of parent volunteers that are responsible for organizing all the activities of ICAE. – ICAE Board members are parents of children attending ICAE – Information about current board members is available on the ICAE website icae.org under “ICAE Board” How do I join the ICAE Board? – Every year, in March and October, new board members are elected. Please indicate your interest at the front desk or with Mrs. Khetan. How do I provide comments or suggestions? – If you have any suggestions or comments please contact any of the board members, Dr. Khetan or Mrs. Prem Khetan. You can also use the “Contact Us” link on the ICAE website. 14 Useful Links USAMO) http://www.unl.edu/amc/e‐exams/e8‐usamo/usamo.html American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) http://www.unl.edu/amc/e‐exams/e7‐aime/aime.html International Math Olympiad (IMO) http://imo.math.ca/index.html American Regions Math League (ARML) http://www.arml.com American Math Contest – 12 (AMC 12) http://www.unl.edu/amc/e‐exams/e6‐amc12/amc12.html American Math Contest – 10 (AMC 10)http://www.unl.edu/amc/e‐exams/e5‐amc10/amc10.html American Math Contest – 8 (AMC 8) http://www.unl.edu/amc/e‐exams/e4‐amc08/amc8.html Gauss/Pascal/Fryer/Cayley/Galois/ Fermat/Hypatia/Euclid http://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/english/contests/index.shtml Canadian Open Math Challenge (COMC) http://www.cms.math.ca/Competitions/COMC/ Mandelbrot http://www.mandelbrot.org/ Michigan Math Prize Competition (MMPC) http://www.delta.edu/math/mmpc/ MathCounts http://www.mathcounts.org/ Math Olympiads (MOEMS) http://www.moems.org/ 15 THANK YOU 16