Register by Feb. 12 for “Solve Together” Contest with Integrated Middle School Curricula
BOSTON – Jan. 28, 2021 – American Student Assistance® (ASA), a national nonprofit dedicated to helping students make informed choices about their education and career goals, announced today that registration is open to participate in their virtual career exploration challenge for middle schoolers. Through a partnership with MassiveU, a digital education technology company featuring its newest platform, Solvably, ASA has launched Solve Together: Tomorrow’s Leaders Tackling Today’s Challenges.
Working in teams facilitated by their teachers, middle school students will solve real-world problems to complete the challenge. Topics include the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, climate change, and colonization of Mars. As students navigate through the online platform they will develop and use creative problem-solving and communication skills, while learning about and role-playing various careers.
“Solve Together is a fun and creative way to help middle schoolers with career exploration, critical thinking, and teamwork, whether they are in the classroom or learning online,” said ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy. “This contest also supports educators – the unsung heroes of this pandemic –by providing a unique learning opportunity for their students during this challenging school year.”
Recent ASA research shows that only a quarter of middle school teachers believe their school is doing an excellent job at preparing students for job opportunities, and this is worse at majority Black and Latinx schools. Solve Together includes pacing guides and tools for educators to lead students through career exploration discussions, embedding the competition into their own classrooms.
AMLE (Association for Middle Level Education) is a premier partner of this challenge, as it is aligned with their mission of helping middle level educators reach every student, grow professionally, and create great schools. Stephanie Simpson, CEO of AMLE, commented: “This is a great opportunity for educators to cultivate the potential of young adolescents in their classrooms, and we look forward to seeing the inventive solutions middle schoolers find through the Solve Together challenge.”
Educators can register their classrooms now through Feb. 12, and the contest runs from Feb. 15 to March 12, 2021. Challenge winners will be decided by a panel of judges that includes representatives from AMLE and ASA. Top winners will be awarded monetary prizes for their schools: $10,000 (First Place), $5,000 (Second Place), and $2,500 (Third Place), with additional cash prizes to be split among the winning student teams.
“We are thrilled to work with ASA, utilizing Solvably to create a unique online challenge that will not only identify, develop, and track 21st Century competencies and workforce readiness, but will also provide teachers with an engaging way for learners to collaborate and compete in challenges aligned to their existing curricula,” said Angelo Biasi, MassiveU CEO and founder.
The challenge is open to public middle schools nationwide; teachers and students interested in entering Solve Together can visit ASASolveTogether.org for additional information, including: How It Works, FAQ, Rules & Regulations, and a Toolkit.
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About American Student Assistance® (ASA)
American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a national nonprofit committed to helping kids know
themselves, know their options, and make informed choices to achieve their education and career goals. ASA® has a 60-year legacy of working directly with students to increase their access to higher education through loans and financial education. ASA has turned its experience into impactful solutions for students in grades 6-12 to help them pursue their dreams. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-us