Pengi Editor's Note
This article from Think Academy reflects on the two pillars behind effective math education — rigorous curriculum content and highly qualified teachers — drawing from Think Academy's own 2020 AMC 8 results as a case study. It offers parents a useful lens for evaluating any math program: not just what topics are covered, but how the material is developed and how teachers are trained. The Pengi editorial team selected this piece for families comparing enrichment programs and wanting to understand what separates high-performing math programs from average ones.
Source: Think Academy Blog
Keys to Success: Good Teachers + Good Content
Despite long-term classes starting less than a year prior, Think Academy ranked first in the 2020 AMC 8 Global School Honor Roll with a score of 75. According to available statistics, more than 200 Think Academy students won awards in the 2020 AMC 8. The formula: excellent curriculum content and highly qualified teachers working together in harmony.
Keys to Success: Good Content
"Professional" is the foundation of effective math instruction. Think Academy's parent company TAL has more than 4,000 curriculum developers with over ten years of teaching experience and a million-scale original question bank.
Think Academy insists that all handouts are written independently, and content is updated in real-time based on test analysis and classroom feedback. The long-term class system covers all AMC 8 test topics.
Course content goes through eight development steps — refined production ensures more accurate learning content suitable for each child's stage of learning.
For AMC 8 alone, there are four distinct course types: AMC 8 practice class, AMC 8 sprint class, AMC 8 last class, and the comprehensive long-term class. The long-term class comprehensively covers all AMC 8 knowledge points, and eight real test topics appeared in the question bank over 200 times.
Keys to Success: Good Teachers
To become a Think Academy teacher, candidates must complete six major screening steps: resume screening, preliminary examination, teaching and internal skill assessment, re-examination, final examination, and training. The final acceptance rate is less than 0.1%.
Think Academy teachers are graduates of Stanford University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and other prestigious institutions.
Each teacher prepares lessons collectively during the preparation process. For every class, lesson preparation time is no less than two days and must be collective — consisting of three links: sharing by both the main and preparation teachers, feedback from trainers, and a full pull test.
Think Academy teachers believe that good grades are only the result. Every child has the ability and strength to achieve good grades.
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