LRSD News

What's the difference between an athlete and a "M-ath"lete?

Athletes spend hours upon hours training their bodies to perform to the best of their ability at sports. "M-ath"letes spend hours upon hours training their brains to perform to the best of their ability at math!

Jason Crader at Carver Magnet Elementary created the “M-ath”letes Challenge five years ago for students in grades 3 through 5 as a fun way to practice as a team for the annual Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) exam. The competition is open to all elementary schools in the Little Rock School District. Many schools also have created spinoff programs to help their students prepare for the math section of the ACTAAP. About 130 students participated this year in the official "M-ath"letes Challenge competition, but hundreds more competed in similar competitions at their own schools.

Students participate by working collaboratively to complete a 40-question exam in two 20-minute intervals during each round.

Twenty-six teams took part in the competition, which is composed of three rounds. In round one the field is narrowed down to 10 teams. Round two narrows it down even more to the top five, and then the champion is crowned in the third and final round, which is held at UALR.

Congratulations to the five teams who earned finalist standing in this year's "M-ath"letes competition:

Carver Magnet Elementary -- 40 points
Rockefeller Elementary -- 39 points
Fulbright Elementary Team 2 -- 38 points
Fulbright Elementary Team 1 -- 37 points
Forest Park Elementary -- 35 points