Math Acceleration Program in Huamei

The "Yau Shing-Tung Junior Class" is authorized by the internationally renowned mathematician, the first Chinese winner of the Fields Medal (the highest honor in the international mathematics field), and the Dean of Tsinghua University's Academy of Mathematics, Mr. Yau Shing-Tung, to run the class for 39 middle schools in China. The "Yau Shing-Tung Junior Class" adopts the approach of connecting middle schools and high schools with universities to further explore the early cultivation of talents in mathematics, and to provide the country with the most innovative and outstanding talents in the field of mathematics.
For similar personalized learning arrangements for mathematics, there are rumors of overly mystifying names such as "grade skipping" or "gifted classes". However, Dr. Liu, the math teacher at our school, believes that arranging different learning schedules for students with different learning abilities and interests is a return to the essence of education.

Secondary Math & Science Teacher: Dr. Liu 

Qualifications: Doctorate d’ Université Paris-Est, Master (Paris Tech Ecole des Ponts & Ecole) B.Engineering (Tianjin University)

Other Certifications: High School Teaching Certification

Experience: 12+ years of work experience

Past Positions: Secondary math classes Middle School, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics and AP Physics; taught undergraduate and postgraduate students and has been a master’s supervisor in Dalian University of Technology for 8 years

Other Activities: proficient in three languages: Chinese, English, and French

Country of Origin: China

What kind of students would we recommend the math acceleration program?

In secondary school, there are opportunities for students to join the math acceleration program from grade 7th to 9th. Firstly, the math teachers actively try to identify and recommend students who can skip a grade as part of their teaching process. Those students are significantly ahead of their grade average in math and can do further self-learning. We also use standardized test scores (MAP, PSAT, etc.), and scores in other subjects, to determine a student's academic ability.

* Part of the AP Calculus BC curriculum catalogue

Students will be given the opportunity to take AP Math after 10th grade as part of the regular curriculum. Students who successfully skip grades at different grade levels will have different math courses. For example, the regular math curriculum for G11 is pre-calculus, but students who can do more can start AP Statistics and College Math (Calculus 3 or Linear Algebra) in G12.

* Part of the AP Calculus BC curriculum catalogue

What preparation do students need to join the math acceleration program? What exams do they need?

Math acceleration recommendations are made by the teacher at the end of the first half of the semester as a "Grade Skipping Agreement". Once the student and parents have accepted the agreement, they will be provided with reference materials in various formats. Skipping a grade does not mean that the student does not need to take the next year's math course, but rather that the student will be able to complete the skipped year's math course on his/her own without interfering with the current year's math course. Teachers will monitor the progress of skipped students during the second half of the semester, depending on the content and format of the resources. At the end of the second half of the semester, an exam will be given to the skipped student. Students must pass the exam with a minimum score to skip a grade. If they do not do so, they will be placed in the regular math program for the next school year.

How does the math acceleration program benefit a student? Does it help with university application?

For students who excel in math, the math acceleration program is a great opportunity to get individualized math instruction. The most obvious advantage is that students are exposed to the content of Calculus BC early in high school. AP-Calculus BC not only aligns with the content of advanced math courses for general college majors, but also dabbles in parametric functions, calculus of vector functions, and infinitesimal series, which are only required for engineering majors. The idea of exposing students to calculus as early as possible in their teenage years has been agreed upon by scientists and educators such as Chengtong Qiu and Yigong Shi. If all AP math courses (Calculus and Probability Statistics) are completed by 12th grade, students can use their last year of high school to take additional college math courses. We have had excellent kids at our school who complete multivariable calculus and linear algebra in high school.

* Part of the AP statistics curriculum catalogue

Students interested in physics can take calculus-based physics during high school if they complete the calculus content in 10th, or 11th grade. We offer AP Physics C: Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism as two calculus-based physics courses on campus. This is aligned with the first full year of college physics. I believe that these courses will have a positive impact on the student's transcript.

* Part of the AP physics C curriculum catalogue

“One of the projects I will give students at the end of my BC class is to use calculus to prove Einstein's mass-energy equation E=mc^2 . With a foundation in calculus students can really understand the principles of special relativity and the Lorentz transformations and the invariance of the speed of light.

For me personally, my favorite subject has always been physics. Calculus is the main communication tool for physics. You can't really understand most of the principles of physics without a foundation in calculus. Most of the fundamental laws that you learn in middle and high school can only be memorized at the level of acceptance and cannot be deduced with elementary math knowledge. But with the knowledge of calculus, you can learn college physics directly, and the laws and formulas that you could only accept and memorize in the past can be deduced with calculus. If a student asks me what the point of learning calculus is. The best answer I can think of is that you can read far more books in science and engineering with a knowledge of calculus than you could before, and at a far higher level.”

——Dr.Liu

For any math acceleration program inquiries, please check with the Math department if you are current families, and with the Admissions if you are prospective families.