WHERE DO COACHES & CLUB LEADERS BEGIN?
Created for coaches and club leaders. Not a MATHCOUNTS educator yet? Register here.
Welcome! This page is part of the MATHCOUNTS for Educators series
to support registered coaches and club leaders.
We'll keep adding to and updating the materials in this series, so please keep checking back for tips, guidance and curated math resources. Have questions or need help? Please email [email protected] or [email protected] to get support from Emily, Brody or Naomi.
This page will give you an intro of our 2 programs so you can get started, but the first step for every MATHCOUNTS educator is to register so you can get immediate access to all of the resources available to you.
Get $70 off your school's Competition Series
max registration! (limited time offer)
Pay just $40 per chapter competitor (up to 14) when you register by November 1. If your school is a public or charter school that receives School-wide Title I funding or has at least 40% of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the cost is $20 per competitor ($280 max) if you register by November 1.
The National Math Club is completely free all year.
Key Resources to Download
- PDF Guide for New Coaches
- PDF Guide: How to Navigate the Dashboards
- Suggested schedule for competition practices – coming soon!
- Suggested schedule for club meetings – coming soon!
TEAM MEETINGS LED BY A COACH OR CLUB LEADER
Year-round, especially August – January
(typically 2-4 times per month)
A coach or club leader is often a math teacher, and we provide ready-made materials and suggested schedules to make leading a MATHCOUNTS group a light-lift. Team meetings are a big part of what sets us apart. Students work together on problem sets and math explorations and discuss how they approached the problem. However many students are interested may participate in team meetings, and we'll mail you a kit of materials and give you online access to resources.
Math clubs that meet at least 5 times can earn Silver Level recognition (awards and entry into prize drawings). Schools can count both competition team and math club meetings towards that 5-meeting minimum.
Schools can participate in both programs: the National Math Club and MATHCOUNTS Competition Series.
Non-school groups can are eligible for the National Math Club only, but an individual student can register as a non-school competitor (NSC) if their official school of record is not registering for the Competition Series and will not support student participation in the program through the school.
SCHOOL COMPETITION HOSTED BY A COACH
November - February for competition teams
(but typically December or January)
However many students are interested may take the School Competition. Coaches can decide how to host this event. Many use the test material provided by MATHCOUNTS to determine which students from their school will compete at the chapter level, but if a coach already knows which kids will attend, it's also a great practice resource.
CHAPTER COMPETITION...AND BEYOND!
February for competition teams
(typically a 4-hour event during a weekend)
In February, students from every registered school get to compete at one of 500 in-person chapter competitions across the country. From there, students can advance to the state level (March), and then national level (May), based on their scores. Your school's registration cost is based on the number of competitors you want to send to your local Chapter Competition (up to 14).
JUST-FOR-FUN MEETINGS & RECOGNITION
Year-round, especially February-May
(meet as often as you'd like!)
Your school's MATHCOUNTS program can last the entire year! Keeping meeting to make it to 5 meetings and earn Silver Level recognition in the National Math Club. Your students also could work on a group club project to earn Gold Level recognition (awards and entry into even more prize drawings).
Our 2 programs work well together or separately...make it your own!
Our top-notch programs and resources build truly outstanding problem-solving skills and make math feel like a social activity.
MATHCOUNTS isn't just about competing...it's about what students get out of working through interesting, challenging problems and discussing solutions with their teammates. We provide top-rated math practice materials as part of a school's competition or free club registration so educators can focus on making math fun and exciting for their students.
Click through the buttons to learn more.
The Handbook: 250 creative math problems + step-by-step solutions
We create the handbook every year with fresh practice problems, written by a committee of math education experts. It is the definitive practice resource, and every registered school receives one.
And that's just the beginning...from pre-made practice plans and mini video lessons, to the games, explorations and projects offered in the National Math Club, MATHCOUNTS math materials are top-notch!
You don't need to know how to solve every problem to be a MATHCOUNTS coach or club leader. Discussing solutions together is part of the fun and develops great problem solvers! We provide step-by-step solutions, detailed game instructions and discussion prompts to support that discussion and save teachers time.
MATHCOUNTS is fun! Seriously.
Our competitions feel a lot like sporting events with thrilling match-ups and giveaways and bustling excitement. A lot of our club activities do not even feel like math...many kids think they're just playing games. Discussing cool problems or create a math video together just feels like you're hanging out with your friends...
Even struggling is fun if it feels like an interesting puzzle that makes you think! We change minds about math by making it genuinely fun.
"Being a part of this team for the next couple of years made my interest and ability in math skyrocket...I will never forget the excitement I felt waking up early in the morning every week to go to the MATHCOUNTS club for another fun and challenging meeting."
-Ram, alumnus from OR
Our Problems Are Complex
Our problems are known for requiring multiple skills at once. Students would tackle the problem below after 3-6 months of practice:
Think of how many skills students must use to solve this! Calculating area, calculating percentages, even reading comprehension and general problem solving, as students figure out how to use the info they're given.
Problems like these make kids great problem solvers, and discussing solutions with peers deepens their thinking even further. Any state test would be a breeze to students who could think this way!
MATHCOUNTS Prepares Problem Solvers
In a 2017 independent study, 97% of coaches said after MATHCOUNTS, their students could successfully tackle and answer math problems they had never seen before.
"Students who participate in MATHCOUNTS almost always have a better understanding of what we cover in the regular math class. Working with challenging problems through MATHCOUNTS helps them apply reasoning skills more adeptly to any problem encountered."
-Coach (anonymous survey)
MATHCOUNTS Builds Confidence
In a 2017 independent study, 87% of students said participation in MATHCOUNTS increased their confidence in math/STEM.
MATHCOUNTS "gave me confidence in my ability to solve difficult problems...I attribute my love for math to these MATHCOUNTS competitions that showed me math is so much more than just numbers on a piece of paper."
-Braden, alumnus from WI
As soon as you register
We will email you about the online dashboard so you can get resources for meetings. The dashboard also has chapter event info (for competition teams) and Silver/Gold info (for math clubs).
Within 2 weeks
You will receive a mailed program kit. Competition teams receive the School Handbook, certificates and ribbons, pencils and a poster. Math clubs receive the Club Leader Guide, water bottle stickers and a poster.
Each month
We'll email every month to highlight resources and strategies. New coaches and club leaders will hear from us more often. MATHCOUNTS educators host meetings at the time/frequency that works best for them.
In November
Math clubs can start applying for Silver/Gold recognition. Going for this optional (but recommended). Competition teams can access the School Competition. We'll reach out by early November with more details.
In mid-December
We'll partner with Art of Problem Solving to host an online practice competition for your competition team. This is optional (but recommended), and we'll reach out by early December with more details.
By early January
Your competition team's coordinator will send details about your Chapter Competition. Coordinators are incredible volunteers who run MATHCOUNTS events in their communities.
In February
Your school's competition team (1-14 competitors, depending on how many you registered) will go to the in-person Chapter Competition. From here, they can advance to the state and national levels!
In mid-May
We'll announce which math clubs won prizes in the year's Silver/Gold Level drawings, plus recognize the Gold Level Honor Roll: the 9 Gold Level projects that were selected by judges as their favorites.
