Academic Specialist Paris Allen organized the event, said his goal was to prepare students for upcoming standardized tests, the Georgia Milestones Assessments. Students formed teams, collaborating with each other to strengthen math proficiency and critical-thinking skills.
The competition had four rounds: Concept Mastery, Relay Round, Problem-Solving Showdown, and Lightning Round. With this variety, students went from topic to topic, helping them prepare to think about multiple topics in a short amount of time, mimicking what test day might feel like.
Questions also varied in form. Students were tasked with providing answers to multiple choice, multi-select, and constructed-response format questions, which mirrored the experience they will have when taking Milestones tests.
The Math Bowl served as an excellent way for students to prepare for these tests in an engaging way, and Allen said it was just one example of how Atlanta Heights is preparing students for state assessments.
“The Math Bowl yielded strong academic and cultural outcomes, reinforcing key concepts, increasing student confidence, and promoting a culture of excellence, healthy competition, and family engagement,” Allen said. “Scholars exhibited high levels of engagement, perseverance, and collaboration, while teachers gained valuable insight into student misconceptions to inform targeted instruction.”
While students worked in teams, Allen made sure to include individual questions to prepare every student for the Milestones tests. Allen also aligned the questions to Georgia’s Standards of Excellence and emphasized deeper-knowledge questions.
Thanks to this fun and engaging activity, students had dedicated time to prepare for testing and teachers got a glimpse at which topics students needed help in – a win for everyone at Atlanta Heights.
Great job, Mr. Allen! Keep up the great work, and best of luck on Milestones!
About Atlanta Heights Charter School
Atlanta Heights Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Atlanta, Georgia, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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