Winchester students earn top placement in national math competition

Winchester residents Ethan He and Lance Kinyanjui, both elementary students at Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership in Winchester, earned Honor Roll awards in the Spring 2023 Noetic Learning Math Contest. An Honor Roll award designates a top 10% placement nationally. The event drew more than 35,000 students from 46 states.

In addition to He and Kinyanjui, 12 other Acera students placed in the top 10%.

The Noetic Learning Math Contest is a biannual math contest for elementary and middle school students. The contest encourages students' interest in math, develops their problem solving skills, and inspires them to excel.

Acera, a nonprofit K-12 STEM school, places its students in math classes based upon start of year assessments that clarify what each student is ready to learn, regardless of age. All math classes occur at the same time, allowing students to be placed in classes based on what they are ready to learn, rather than by age or grade. In the 2022-23 school year, Acera’s 143 students were placed in one of 16 different math classes. Watch a video to see a glimpse of math at Acera.

Viktor Grigoryan, Acera’s Math Curriculum Coordinator, sees real student bonding and support as a result of contests like Noetic.

“After every math contest we host, the hallways are abuzz with mathematical conversations, and students asking each other and the teachers about certain problems, or continuing to collaborate on some of those problems,” he said. “Math is indeed a bonding activity, and that’s another reason we math-enthusiasts enjoy it so much!”

“Ability-based math classes free students to learn without constraints due to age or curricula,” said Acera founder and director Courtney Dickinson. “We have found that in this type of framework, new possibilities open up for math experiences for all kids. Math class becomes a place where kids get to learn in a way that fits their thinking style and readiness in applied and game-based ways. The satisfaction of figuring out hard problems – and applying a wide array of strategies to get there – enables students to manifest a growth mindset every day.”

Through its Education Innovation Initiative (AceraEI), Acera is working to help more public schools implement this ability-based approach.

Founded in 2010, Acera is a nonprofit K-12th grade STEM school that engages students in individualized, project-based learning that is designed around their passions and aligned with their own abilities. Acera’s Education Innovation Initiative (AceraEI) is partnering with other educators and STEM industry leaders to export its pilot-tested curricula to public schools. In addition to K-12 education, Acera offers daily after-school enrichment programs as well as February, April, and summer vacation camps. For more information, visit aceraschool.org.