EMU Today

YPSILANTI — Elementary students from fifteen area charter schools will compete in this year’s Math Facts Challenge, to be held Wednesday, May 30 in the Eastern Michigan University Student Center. This marks the fifth year of the challenge and its fourth on the Eastern campus.   

The challenge, which is sponsored by the EMU Charter Schools Office, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the EMU Student Center.

“The Math Facts Challenge creates excitement about math in the students,” said Malverne Winborne, Director of the EMU Charter Schools Office. “It also gives them exposure to a university setting.” 

The Math Facts Challenge aims to motivate students to achieve math fact fluency, a critical component of the Common Core State Standards. Students in grades 1-8 will go head-to-head in a series of grade-level appropriate tasks, ranging from addition to multi-step equations. Between 350 and 400 participants are expected, along with 70 volunteers.  

The challenge originated at PACE Academy, an EMU charter school, under the tutelage of first grade teacher Ms. Stacy Good. After several years as a school-wide event, the competition expanded in 2014 to include other schools, and later moved to Eastern Michigan University, where it has continued to grow and flourish.

“I have students I've never met approaching me in September wanting to know if I'm going to Eastern Michigan University this year, wanting to know what math facts they should start practicing,” said Good. “The students carry themselves differently at EMU, not only because they want to represent PACE Academy, but because they know that the college experience can be theirs one day and that striving for academic excellence now is the first step towards getting there.”  

Challenge participants will have access to EMU Student Ambassadors, who can answer questions about college life. A new social media aspect will also be added to the competition, so that parents at students at other schools can watch the Challenge from afar via Facebook and Instagram.   

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.