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Scoring Guidelines

SCORING GUIDELINES & COUNSELING FORM

  1. All teams who participate and compete according to the rules must be scored and ranked. Please account for all 60 teams and make every effort to break ties, following the guidelines under the scoring section of the event rules, where applicable. In the rare event that a tie can't be broken, award points according to the place tied and then skip the next place (e.g., all teams tied for 3rd place get 3 points)

  2. Teams/devices that do not meet the requirements in the event rules will be allowed to compete if possible and are to be scored and ranked below those who met all of the specifications. They will be awarded event points in relation to their rank. Event Supervisors may, at their discretion, allow students to modify any device before it is impounded to bring it into compliance with the rules. That discretion, if extended, must be made available to all competitors equally.Anymodification must be completed,and the device impounded, before the expiration of the impound period. Supervisors and Officials may not provide assistance regarding the type of modifications or how to accomplish them prior to, or at any time during the tournament day. Supervisors are encouraged to post or have available student self-checklists such as those posted on: http://www.soinc.org/.

  3. Teams making an honest attempt to participate that cannot be assigned a raw score because of time, mechanical failure, wrong dimensions, etc., will be listed as a “P” for Participation for the raw score on the score sheet and will be awarded N points. “N” is equal to the number of teams registered to compete in the Tournament (we expect 60 teams for each division) as shown on your score sheet. Any device, which, in the judgment of the Event Supervisor, is a safety hazard to competitors, judges, or spectators, will not be allowed to compete and will be listed as a P (Participation) for the raw score on the score sheet and will be awarded N points.

  4. If a team does not show up or does not make an honest attempt to participate, the team will be listed as a No Show or “NS” for the raw score on the score sheet and awarded N+1 points. This includes teams who may be present but display no preparation for the competition.

  5. Teams should be Disqualified or “DQ” only for misbehavior (to include excessive use of improper or vulgar language) or cheating. Put DQ as raw score and award N+2 points on the score sheet. Also, note on the score sheet the reason why teams were disqualified. Event Supervisors may remove from competition any student(s) whose personal or ethical behavior does not adhere to the Science Olympiad Code of Ethics. This action will disqualify the affected student(s) from participation and scoring in that event only. If any team is DQed or Ranked Below Others, inform the student (and remind the student to inform their coach) as soon as a problem occurs and notify the head coach immediately if it determined after students have left and be sure to list the detailed reason on the score sheet.

  6. Teams who were scored and had a raw score placed on the answer sheet, are to be awarded points for each place as follows: 1 st – 1 point, 2 nd – 2 points, - up to 60 th – 60 points

  7. Teams considered as PARTICIPATION, NO SHOW, OR DISQUALIFIED will be ranked and assigned points as follows:

    Rank   Points
    PARTICIPATION (P) = N points = 60 points
    NO SHOW (NS) = N + 1 points = 61 points
    DISQUALIFIED ( DQ) = N + 2 points = 62 points

    (Note: N = number of teams registered to compete for each division of the tournament not the number of teams that actually enter the event. We expect 60 teams to be registered for each division in this tournament, so N=60)

  8. Provide raw scores and any supporting documentation when turning in the score sheet (answer sheets, master answer key, student papers, etc.). When turning in your scores, you will be asked to participate in a Score Counseling session to explain how you scored the teams (formulas, tie-breakers, etc.) for all 60 places, double checking that the forms are filled out accurately before they are entered into the computer. This will cut down on questions and mistakes that are discovered after the tournament. Please record the reason why a team was disqualified, not ranked, ranked below, or received only a participation score.

    Note: NATIONAL TOURNAMENT SCORING POLICY- At the end of the Science Olympiad National Awards Ceremony each team’s head coach will be provided one copy of the final scores. Places are tentative and may change if any scoring inconsistencies are brought to the attention of the arbitrators and verified within one hour after the ceremony is completed. If changes occur, the appropriate medals and trophies will be awarded. Scores for the National Science Olympiad are not official until they are posted on the soinc.org website.


SCORE COUNSELING FORM

Completed By:

____________

Checked By:

____________

National Science Olympiad

Event: ___________________________________ Division: B C

Supervisor: _____________________________________________

Checklist (please collect and place in five separate boxes):

Copy of test and key   Student answer sheets   Spirit Award

Event Supervisor Evaluation   Form/Info for Olympiad Review Mtg.

Counseling interview questions:

  1. How was the event run?

    2. Stations   Written test   Hands-on Activities   Other __________________________

  2. How was the winner determined? (Criteria: distance, number, closest to target, other (if time permits ask supervisor to show you a sample calculation). Circle or record here. ___________________________________________

  3. Please select a few students tests/results and show me how the score was derived. Verify that the scoring formula was correctly applied and that rank ordering was correct.

  4. Method of breaking ties-record here: _____________________________________________________________ (Remember: I n the rare event that there is a tie, give points according to the place tied and then skip the next place (e.g., all teams tied for 3 rd place get 3 points).

  5. Any appeals? Yes - No
    If yes, check for appeal’s resolution prior to submitting scores.

  6. Correct ranking for ALL schools (teams get the same number of points as place, e.g., 30 th place gets 30 points)

  7. Indicate Participation (P), No-Shows (NS) and Disqualifications (DQ) on the score sheet. Any team making an honest attempt to compete/participate (P) but not able to be ranked because of time, mechanical failure, wrong dimensions, etc., should be given N points, where N = total # of teams. Teams that do not show-up (NS) should be given N+1 points. Teams that are disqualified for behavior problems or cheating should be given N+2 points.

  8. Any DQs or Ranked Below Others? o Yes - o No. If yes, list the reason here and on the score sheet and check here if the student and the head coach has been notified o Yes - o No. If no, contact head coach immediately! List who was notified and reasons for DQ or Ranked Below here: _______________________________________
    ______________________________________________________________________________________________

If there are questions about your event, where can you be located during the next 2-3 hours?
Hotel/Home phone, Cell phone, etc. ____________________________________________