MATHCOUNTS is a national math coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory.

MATHCOUNTS is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. President George W. Bush and former Presidents Clinton, Reagan and Bush have all recognized MATHCOUNTS in Oval Office ceremonies, and the program has received two White House citations as an outstanding private sector initiative.

MATHCOUNTS promotes student interest in mathematics by making math achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious as a school sport. At the beginning of each school year, the MATHCOUNTS Foundation provides a complimentary copy of its School Handbook and other materials to middle schools across the country. Teachers and volunteers use these materials to coach student "Mathletes," as part of in-class instruction or as an extracurricular activity.

After several months of coaching, participating schools select students to compete individually or as part of a team in one of the more than 500 written and oral competitions held nationwide and in U.S. schools overseas. The first competitions are held at the local level in February with winners progressing to state competitions in March. Results at the state level determine the top four individuals and top coach who earn the opportunity to represent their state or overseas team at the national finals. At all levels, MATHCOUNTS motivates students to do well in math and recognizes them for their achievements.

In addition to school coaching, MATHCOUNTS business and industry partners often host local MATHCOUNTS activities, such as workshops for teachers, minority outreach programs and public awareness events to encourage participation and promote the importance of mathematics.

MATHCOUNTS has an active alumni program to encourage past participants to continue their involvement in the program. MATHCOUNTS alumni go on to coach school teams, help review program materials, volunteer at competitions and serve as role models for current Mathletes.

MATHCOUNTS attracts students with an interest in high-tech and engineering fields. In a recent surveys of past state competitors the top three chosen college majors were engineering, mathematics and computer science. And, MATHCOUNTS participants are high achievers. Surveys show that nearly 45 percent of alumni report a combined SAT score of 1500 or above.

At the local and state levels, the program is sponsored by NSPE's chapter and state societies and hundreds of other companies and foundations. In Kentucky, NSPE’s affiliate organization is the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE). KSPE is a membership organization of approximately 1,500 professional engineers and/or professional surveyors, engineers-in-training, and/or students who are pursuing engineering careers.

KSPE operates the MATHCOUNTS program, and other similar education-based programs, through its non-profit, tax-exempt Kentucky Engineering Foundation, Inc. (KEF). KEF is a 501(c) (3) corporation and donations made to the corporation, such as for MATHCOUNTS, are tax-deductible.

KSPE is made up of 13 regions that are referred to as chapters. Each chapter has volunteers working toward encouraging student participation in math and science careers. The volunteers distribute MATHCOUNTS registration packets, organize meetings to plan and administer the program and the competition, fund raise to support the chapter competitions, order tests and supplies, administer the competition, score tests, organize special events, and communicate with teachers about the competition results, providing the teachers with information on students’ performance and abilities.

KSPE has a state headquarters that is located in Frankfort, Kentucky. A full-time staff person working for KSPE is also the MATHCOUNTS State Coordinator. A state committee provides the volunteer support to operate and administer the state competition. State committee members consist of an Executive Committee made up of a State Chair, State Vice Chair, Finance Chair, Finance Cochair, KSPE President, and the Executive Director of KSPE. Additional volunteers numbering to approximately 25 committee chairs or cochairs make up the State Competition Committee with each person assigned specific areas of concentration as part of the state competition that is held each March. In all, approximately 75 volunteers organize to produce the state competition, including volunteer tests scorers and competition proctors.

Each year, more than 500,000 students participate in MATHCOUNTS at the school level. Those who do tell us that their experience as a Mathlete is often one of the most memorable and fun experiences of their middle school years. MATHCOUNTS provides students with the following benefits:

• A challenging and fun activity that helps them in their math classes.
• A chance to share common interests with new and often long-lasting friends.
• An opportunity to meet students from other schools.
• The experience of developing teamwork skills.
• A chance to vie for scholarships and prizes.
• A sense of accomplishment that comes from setting and achieving goals.
• An opportunity to explore mathematics and mathematics-related careers.
• A chance to explore cool mathematics that isn't always taught in middle school classrooms.

FIND OUT MORE! . . . About Kentucky’s MATHCOUNTS Program

To find out more about Kentucky’s MATHCOUNTS program, please phone State Coordinator Connie Davis at 1.800.455.5573 or 502.695.5680; e-mail: connie@kyengcenter.org. Visit the Kentucky MATHCOUNTS web site at: www.kyengcenter.org and click on the MATHCOUNTS logo. Visit the national MATHCOUNTS web site at www.mathcounts.org. Registration packets are mailed each August/September.