“Promoting excellence in education and showcasing the talents of all our youth.”

 

The qualifying round is a written test and is not designed for audience viewing.
The Final round is a team competition and is open to the public. Click links for specific round information.

 

Final Round of Competition

The 10 teams with the highest team scores on the written qualifying test will advance to the final round of competition. The final round will focus on team competition and will consist of a mixture of short answer questions, stated problems, and problems that require a “hands on” solution. Each team will be seated at an individual table and will be equipped with the materials needed for the competition. A moderator will be either seated or standing at a visible spot for the teams. The winning teams will receive points for correct solutions. The team compiling the most points will be declared the winner of the competition. In the “hands on” non-routine problems, points will be awarded to a team based on a rubric which will take into account the correct answer, the originality of the solution, and the team work that contributed to the solution.

Unlike the preliminary event, the final event is a team competition. The ten teams with the highest team scores on the preliminary test will advance to this final competition. Sponsors, alternates, and parents are invited to watch this competition.

This final round will focus on team competition and will consist of a mixture of short answer questions, stated problems, vocabulary, and problems that may require a “hands on” solution as well as logical thinking skills. The competition organizers try to find problems that are non-routine and require higher levels of thinking as well as a team strategy to solve. There will be a time limit on the problems.

Each team will be seated at an individual table and will be equipped with the materials needed for the competition. A moderator will be standing at a visible spot for the teams. A judge will be assigned to watch the interaction at each table. The winning teams will receive points for correct solutions. The team compiling the most points will be declared the winner of the competition. In some of the “hands-on” or non-routine problems, points will be awarded to a team based on a rubric which will take into account the correct answer, the originality of the solution, and the team work that contributed to the solution.

The correct answers will be shared after time is called and the judges have scored each table. However, the cumulative scores of the teams will not be revealed during the competition because experience has shown that it is demoralizing to the students who fall behind. Parents and teachers are encouraged to attend; however, the gallery of observers must remain quiet during the team work sessions and should not signal or communicate with the teams in anyway.

 

Final Contest Format

1. The only materials to be used in solving the problems are pencil, paper, and any items or materials provided by the judges.
2. Students are allowed to talk during the team problem solving. When the moderator is speaking, students and audience should be especially quiet to hear and understand the instructions.
3. Students may move around their table to work, but may not walk to the tables of other teams.
4. The audience should not assist the teams in finding answers in any way.
5. The decision of points awarded by the judges is final.
6. All work and talk must cease when time is called on a problem.
7. Students must not ask a judge to proctor how to solve a problem, what a word in a problem means, or any interpretation that might assist in the solution.

There are 4 group problem solving activities that will be timed at about 5 minutes each. Judges will score the problems based on a stated criteria. The point value of the problems will be shared with the students and the audience. These problems may require computation that is appropriate
for grades 4-5: however, they will also require logical thinking, problem solving skills, and a command of mathematics vocabulary. Short answer lightening rounds will be interspersed between the 5 minute problems. One minute will be given for writing the solutions for most lf the short answers with most of the problems counting 2 points each.

Please take your team to the restroom before entering the room for registration.