This year two of our very own Hereford students competed in the University of Maryland High School Mathematics Competition. Eighty Hereford students took the exam, but only two went all the way to Part II of the exam. Those two students were Coby Nettleton (11) and Joshua Weiss (11).

The competition consists of two examinations. Students who score well on Part I are invited to compete in Part II, which is a more challenging exam.  The scores for the exam range from a high of 96 to a low of –44; the cutoff for invitation to Part II is a score of 44. A total of 2,613 students in Maryland took the exam, so having two of those students be from Hereford is quite astonishing.

“I took Part 1 in 6^th period a couple of weeks ago,” said Coby Nettleton (11), “it was a requirement for Math National Honor Society to take it.”

Out of the 2,613 students in Maryland, and 80 students from Hereford who took the exam for Part I, Coby Nettleton got 76^th Place and a score of 56. With a median score of 18/100 points, a 56 is an above average score.

“These two students [Coby and Joshua] scored way above average,” said Mrs. Khanssari.

Since the Maryland Math Competition is a contest rather than a standard assessment, students often score quite low. The problems are very difficult and because of the penalty for wrong answers, approximately 10% of the contestants receive negative scores.

Part II was Wednesday, November 20and only consisted of 5 problems requiring written solutions that are 30 points each.

“I’m still waiting to hear my Part II score,” said Coby.

The three students with the highest composite scores on Parts I and II will win $500,$400, and $300, respectively Along with a Scholarship to UMD. Also, the highest scorer in each county of Maryland, in Baltimore City, and in the District of Columbia will receive a prize of $100.

We wish Coby and Josh luck as they anxiously wait for their Part II score.