The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) is pleased to announce the third  annual statewide, mathematics competition for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. OSSM Middle School Math: An Awesome (OSSM) Contest is a two round event that will begin in late February and conclude with the final round in April, 2008.

Round One is conducted at the local schools at the convenience of the mathematics teacher(s) during the last two weeks of February. This round features a forty-minute, paper-pencil test to be scored by the local teacher. The test is based on mathematics questions that address the Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS), the curriculum that is required for middle school students in Oklahoma. 

Schools are asked to submit the names of their three top scorers to OSSM. These students will be invited to participate in Round Two, which will be held on a Saturday in April, 2008  at OSSM in Oklahoma City. The competition will begin at 10 a.m. that morning.

For the final round, students take a one-hour, 30-question, free-response test. The test coves topics such as number sense, logic, probability, exponents, geometry, and number theory. The questions are ranked so the test is progressively harder, but all questions are from areas covered in junior high school math classes. The test also includes a tie-breaker in which students are asked to explain their answer.

After the contest, the participants and their parents/chaperones will be the guests of OSSM for lunch followed by a tour of OSSM by current students. The day's activities will conclude with an awards ceremony.

All Round Two participants will receive certificates of recognition. The top performers and their teachers will receive trophies to acknowledge their achievements. The awards will be made in several divisions based on school size.

Information regarding the contest can be obtained on the OSSM website: www.ossm.edu or by contacting June Roy at 405/522-7803 or at mathcontest@ossm.edu