2024 - 2025 Online Advanced Studies Program

Information sessions (ZOOM meeting ID: 94578394448) will be held at 8:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
for Session 1: on July 21, July 28 (presented mainly in Chinese) and August 16, 2024.
for Session 2: on November 15 and December 1, 2024.                                                          

(All contents on this program page are for reference only. We reserve the right to make changes.)

(All contents on this program page are for reference only. We reserve the right to make changes.)

During each academic year IDEA MATH offers several programs (for more information, click here).

Who

Programs are intended for students in the 7th to 12th grades.

Where

This is an online program.

When

This program has two sessions: Session 1 (Fall) and Session 2 (Spring). Session 2 is a continuation of Session 1.

What

Advanced Studies Program offers XC7, XC9, XC10 courses from our Accelerated Championship (XC) Series and MO1, MO2 courses from our Math Olympiad Studies (MO) Series. Accelerated Championship (XC) courses intend to improve top level young students' command of the core knowledge leading to higher studies in mathematics. Math Olympiad courses intend to guide top level young students' preparing for Math Olympiad contests.

From 2000 to 2022, the Phillips Exeter Academy Red Lion (PEARL) math club/team, under the supervision of IDEA MATH academic director Dr. Zuming Feng (joined by IDEA MATH staff member Ivan Borsenco more recently), has become a dominant force in US high school math contests.

During this period, students from PEARL have been USAMO winners more than 45 times and have won 27 IMO gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals. Students from PEARL have diverse backgrounds, skillsets, and personalities. What do they have in common? Well, almost all of them have studied PEA Math Transition 3X (or 31X-40X-41X) and PEA Math 431-511-521. The materials in the Accelerated Championship (XC) Series build upon materials that Zuming has used for these PEA courses. Students will be surprised to discover that the school curriculum could be as challenging and as useful for preparing for higher-level contests (such as AMC12/AIME/ARML/HMMT/USAJMO/USAMO), if the right problems are posed, and more importantly, the school curriculum could and should be far more important, if learned with good depth and breadth. While math contests are not the main focus for these courses, these courses cultivate young talented math students’ vision on the flow of mathematics and the ability to reason and argue mathematically and rigorously. Therefore, students’ achievements in math contests tends to follow as a natural result.

The materials in the Math Olympiad Studies (MO) Series build upon materials that Zuming and Ivan have used for PEARL math club activities and the US Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) entry level courses. We have incorporated our Contest Prep (CE) Series (CE 8/9/10) material into our Math Olympiad Program. The aim is to utilize these materials to enhance students' preparation for qualifying in the USAJMO and USAMO competitions.

Program Setup and Workload

Advanced Studies Program courses are offered via remote learning -- Zoom based LIVE classes. Each course consists of two parts: part 1 will be taught in the Session 1 (Fall session) and part 2 will be taught in the Session 2 (Spring session), and part 2 is a continuation (not a repetition) of part 1. In each session, there are 12 class days and each class day has a 2.5-hour class for a total of 30 class hours. Therefore, for each course, we have 2*12*2.5 = 60 total class hours---30 hours for part 1 in Session 1 and 30 hours for part 2 in Session 2.
Students are expected to allocate 1.5 hours for homework per meeting.

The tuition for the Accelerated Championship (XC) Program is $2090 = $1045*2 (to be paid in two payments: $1045 per session) for a total 60 in-class hours (30 in-class hours per session, unit rate is $34.83 per hour) of teaching and homework/test grading.

The tuition for the Math Olympiad Studies (MO) is $2390 = $1195*2 (to be paid in two payments: $1195 per session) for a total 60 in-class hours (30 in-class hours per session, unit rate is $39.83 per hour) of teaching and homework/test grading

Why

IDEA MATH provides in-depth enrichment in important mathematical areas, particularly in the fields from which contest problems are drawn: algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. We believe students learn best by discovering, rather than simply memorizing, essential theorems and techniques. Our process puts students at the center of the classes, as students work together to develop their ideas. Our instructors lead this process by teaching vital ideas, giving meaningful examples, and guiding students through the problem-solving process.

How

We apply seminar-style teaching in our classes. Class sizes are small to ensure that students receive plenty of individual attention. Students are expected to work as a group and present their solutions and ideas to the class.

Zoom Class Policies

To protect students' privacy, we ask our students to:

  1. Always use student's full name along with IDEA MATH ID to join Zoom classes. Only enrolled students are allowed to join our LIVE classes.
  2. Turn on video and audio during the class.
  3. No recording or taking photos is allowed.

For more details on our online class policy, please visit here.

What are the unique strengths of IDEA MATH that distinguish it from other (summer/winter/online/weekend) math programs?

The unique strengths of IDEA MATH can be summarized as follows:

  1. Comprehensive and well-tested teaching materials, modeled after the training materials once used by our academic director Dr. Zuming Feng in his work with the Phillips Exeter Academy Red Lion (PEARL) math club/team and Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP).
    (Find more information about curriculum here.)
  2. Strong team of instructors, consisting of front-line teachers, coaches, and top former students.
    (Find more information about staff here.)
  3. Emphasis on student leadership and the development of an attitude conducive to learning.
  4. Focus on schools and the local math communities.

For more details, please visit our FAQ page.

Contact IDEA MATH

As always, we welcome parents' specific academic questions about our curriculum and teaching styles, as well as students' class-work and preparation. Please contact info@ideamath.org---make sure to include the following info in your email subject: student's full name, IDEA MATH ID, and intended program.

Courses Offered

IDEA MATH provides an extensive curriculum. The course list shown below consists of projected courses we will offer in this program. Two of the major strengths of our program---a strong academic team and a full range of materials---allow us to create new courses/groups to meet the needs of the students body. Therefore, the course list (and course schedule) is subject to change based on actual enrollment and staff availability.

Please visit detailed curriculum grid for a more complete reference of IDEA MATH course curriculums.

Courses* Date** Class Time**
XC7 Friday 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (US Eastern Time)
XC9 Friday 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (US Eastern Time)
XC10 Friday 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (US Eastern Time)
MO1 Sunday 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm (US Eastern Time)
MO2 Sunday 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm (US Eastern Time)

* Each course will only be offered when a minimum number of students have enrolled. Some courses might run multiple sections. To maintain the high standard of our students' learning experience, class sizes will remain small. In general, classes in PC0/PCA (and MCA, CWA) courses are capped by 16 students per class (more likely, 6-10 students per class), and classes in other courses are capped by 20 students per class (more likely, 6-12 students per class).

** All class times are in the US Eastern Time Zone. Each course will meet 24 times (two and half hours per meeting), 12 times in the Session 1 (Fall Session) and 12 times in Session 2 (Spring Session) for a total of 12*2.5*2 = 60 hours per course.

Course Placement and Placement Test

IDEA MATH provides an extensive curriculum. Our courses are intended for able students who wish to expand their mathematics knowledge beyond regular classroom settings. We emphasize study skills (such as taking notes, oral and written presentations, listening, observing, organization, etc).

In general, each applicant not recently enrolled (that is, who has not completed an IDEA MATH course this spring or summer) in our programs shall take a placement test in one of our open online/onsite placement test sessions. (For more details on our placement test/course placement process, please visit here.)

It is important for each applicant to input accurate, complete, detailed, and up-to-date academic background information(i.e., age, grade level, math courses taken, official contest scores, etc.) in the applicant's IDEA MATH student account. We review this information to make initial course placement/placement test level decisions. We will find the most appropriate course placement based on placement test work and general academic information in the student account. Please note that our academic team will make the final decision on your course placement based upon your academic background and your work in the placement test. (Further course placement adjustments can be made, by our academic team, based upon your class work.)

Placement test levels and dates are shown below. Please click this link to register for the placement test. The placement test fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Test Levels and their corresponding courses
Test Level Targeted Course
T1 Extra Curricular Series: PC1 and PC2
Fall and Winter Contest Prep program: CE1/CE2
Holiday Contest Prep program: CW1/CW2
T2 Extra Curricular Series: PCX and UC1
Fall and Winter Contest Prep program: CE3/CE4
Holiday Contest Prep program: CW3/CW4
T3 Extra Curricular Series: UC2 and UC3
Fall and Winter Contest Prep program: CE5/CE6
Holiday Contest Prep program: CW5/CW6
T4 XC Series: XC7, XC9, and XC10
MO Series MO1
Fall and Winter Contest Prep program: CE7/CE8
Holiday Contest Prep program: CW7/CW8
T5 MO Series MO2 and MO3
Fall and Winter Contest Prep program: CE9/CE10
Holiday Contest Prep program: CW9/CW10
Placement Test Schedule for Session 1 (Fall Session)

For each course, Session 1 covers the first part of a two-part course.

Placement Test Date/Time* Placement Test Location Test fee paid by Test Fee**
July 28, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
Online July 25, 2024 $50
August 11, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
Online August 8, 2024 $75
August 18, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
Online August 15, 2024 $100
Special Placement Test Session
Online contact info@ideamath.org
for availability
$150
Placement Test Schedule for Session 2 (Spring Session) or Holiday Contest Prep

For each course, Session 2 covers the second part of a two-part course.

Placement Test Date/Time* Placement Test Location Test fee paid by Test Fee**
November 17, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
Online November 13, 2024 $75
December 8, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (US Eastern Time)
Online December 5, 2024 $100
Special Placement Test Session
Online contact info@ideamath.org
for availability
$150

*Each placement test is 90 minutes long. Students should arrive at the testing location (onsite or online) 10 minutes prior to the test. All test times are in the US Eastern Time Zone.

** The placement test fee is non-refundable and non-transferable; that is, it cannot be transferred from one applicant/student to another applicant/student, and it also cannot be transferred from a registered/chosen test session/date to another placement test session/date for the same applicant/student. Special test sessions (test fee of $150 or more) can be arranged depending on staffing availabilities. Please contact info@ideamath.org for inquires on special test sessions.

Registration and Tuition Payment Schedule

Note that registration is only the first step of towards enrollment. Enrollment (for each session) is completed only after the tuition is paid in full. The tuition payment is independent to student's course placement because the tuition is for the program, not for a specific course. The IDEA MATH staff will work with students on course placement by reviewing their academic backgrounds, assigning placement test levels, reviewing placement test work, and more. IDEA MATH staff make the final decision on students' course placements. (Please see our Course Placement Policy section for details.) All tuition refund for withdrawal will be processed based on the refund policy.

Pay Tuition

Please log in to your account to pay the tuition online.

Session 1 (Fall Session, September to December) Tuition Payment Schedule

For each course, Session 1 covers the first part of a two-part course.

Courses* Register by* Tuition paid by Tuition Amount
XC7, XC9, XC10 August 15, 2024 August 25, 2024 $1045
MO1, MO2 August 15, 2024 August 25, 2024 $1195

* The tuition payments may be stopped earlier than the published date if the program has reached to its upper capacity.

** After the tuition payment deadline date, a late fee ($100) will be applied to the tuition and admission can only be given if space is available.

Session 2 (Spring Session, January to May) Tuition Payment Schedule

For each course, Session 2 covers the second part of a two-part course.

Courses* Register by* Tuition paid by Tuition Amount
XC7, XC9, XC10 December 15, 2024 January 2, 2025 $1045
MO1, MO2 December 15, 2024 January 2, 2025 $1195

* The tuition payments may be stopped earlier than the published date if the program has reached to its upper capacity.

** After the tuition payment deadline date, a late fee ($100 or more) will be applied to the tuition and admission can only be given if space is available.

Calendar

For the class schedule, please check the course schedule.

Session 1 (Fall Session, September to December) Class Dates*

For each course, Session 2 covers the second part of a two-part course.

Course Time* Dates*
XC7 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 18, 25,
Nov. 1, 8, 15, Dec. 6, 13, 2024
XC9 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 18, 25,
Nov. 1, 8, 15, Dec. 6, 13, 2024
XC10 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 18, 25,
Nov. 1, 8, 15, Dec. 6, 13, 2024
MO1 Sunday
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 20, 27,
Nov. 3, 10, 17, Dec. 8, 15, 2024
MO2 Sunday
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 20, 27,
Nov. 3, 10, 17, Dec. 8, 15, 2024

** All class times are in the US Eastern Time Zone. In this session, each course will meet 12 times (two and half hours per meeting) for a total of 12*2.5 = 30 class hours.

Session 2 (Spring Session, January to May) Class Dates*

For each course, Session 2 covers the second part of a two-part course.

Course Time* Dates*
XC7 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 28,
March 7, 14, 28, Apr. 4, 11, 2025
XC9 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 28,
March 7, 14, 28, Apr. 4, 11, 2025
XC10 Friday
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 28,
March 7, 14, 28, Apr. 4, 11, 2025
MO1 Sunday
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Jan. 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16,
March 2, 9, 16, 30, Apr. 6, 13, 2025
MO2 Sunday
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
(US Eastern Time)
Jan. 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16,
March 2, 9, 16, 30, Apr. 6, 13, 2025

** All class times are in the US Eastern Time Zone. In this session, each course will meet 12 times (two and half hours per meeting) for a total of 12*2.5 = 30 class hours.

Tuition Refund Policy

For Session 1 (Fall Session), Withdrawal Request Made in Writing Refund Amount
Before September 1, 2024 Paid Tuition - $150
On or after September 1, 2024 No refund
For Session 2 (Spring Session), Withdrawal Request Made in Writing Refund Amount
Before January 5, 2025 Paid Tuition - $150
On or after January 5, 2025 No refund

Please note that only tuition is refundable per the above policy. Other fees (including, but not limited to, fees for the placement test, bus, lunch, application, etc.) are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Credit cannot be transferred between different type of programs---summer, year-round, contest edge, winter contest prep, etc.

For programs of a similar type (e.g., between summer programs), we will follow the withdrawal/refund policies posted on our website. For example, after tuition is submitted and before date X, we will apply the transfer in the following way (assuming space is available for the intended program): switching programs/series is considered a withdrawal from one program/series and an enrollment to another program/series, and any difference in tuition rates will apply.

To request a refund and withdraw your student, please send a complete request in writing to info@ideamath.org. You must include the payee name and mailing address matching the information in the student's account in order for your request to be deemed complete and submitted. Please include "Refund Request" and the student's name in the subject line. The amount of the refund will be based on the time that a complete request is submitted; incomplete requests will not be deemed to meet deadlines for withdrawal.

If a student is ill and chooses to withdraw from the program after the refund deadlines, we can offer prorated credits (paid tuition deducted by $300, then prorated per meeting) towards a future program. A note from a licensed physician is required. The doctor's note should clearly assert that the student's current medical status does not allow the student to complete the remainder of the program. The date when the doctor's note is submitted to IDEA MATH (via info@ideamath.org) is considered the initial date for the prorated refund (credit) calculation. The same policies apply if the IDEA MATH staff determine that the student must withdraw due to illness in order to protect the health and welfare of themselves or other students.

For all purposes related to this refund policy, a day shall be deemed to begin at 12:01am local time in the US Eastern Time Zone (US ET).

Academic team

Academic Director

Dr. Zuming Feng

Academic Team

Mr. Ivan Borsenco

Mr. Kevin Cong

Dr. Zachary Franco

Dr. Ray Li

Dr. Yanfei Li

Mr. Alex Song

Mr. Luyan Wang

and more, to be updated soon.