MATHEMATICS LEAGUE

c. Hosting/Running a Meet

Structure of a Meet :

Divisions run meets somewhat differently but often follow this structure:

i. convene all students in a central gathering space
ii. welcome students, serve refreshments and remind students of the rules
iii. gather graders in a separate room and review problems and solutions
iv. announce event A and move A participants to designated room(s)
v. administer event A, set up event B
vi. bring event A answers to graders
vii. post event A answers so students can learn solutions or challenge scoring
viii repeat steps iv . through vii. for events B,C,D
ix. allow students time to review all solutions to A,B,C,D or challenge scoring
x. announce team event and move teams to separate rooms
xi. administer team event
xii. bring answers to graders
xiii. post team solutions and allow challenges
xiv. terminate challenges after 15 minutes/finalize scores/ report scores

Proctoring

It is suggested that in Individual Events, tests and scratch paper be laid on desks, face
down, before contestants enter the room. It is also suggested that contestants from the
same school should not sit next to each other. In some divisions, contestants write their
names and schools on the backs of the exams before turning them over on the signal to
start . The proctor should give a two - minute warning before the end of the event.
Contestants should lay their pencils down and turn their papers over when time is
called. The proctor collects papers off the desks after contestants leave.

Coaches’ Duties

Before the day of the meet, prepare an assignment sheet to be given to each coach upon
arrival. This sheet should assign coaches (and perhaps extra people as needed from the
host school) to:

• Serve as proctors of Events A, C
• Serve as proctors of Events B, D (This allows proctors for Event B to set up
the room for Event B while A is underway, etc.)
• Serve as graders (2, preferably 3 or more)
• Monitor waiting areas, supervise distribution of refreshments (if any)

These assignments should leave the host coach free to respond to unexpected requests
and generally oversee the meet. The assignment sheet should also give locations for the
various events.

Rooms Needed

• Large meeting area for students (initial announcements, announcing of events, holding
area, posting of solutions and scores, etc.)
• One room or set of rooms for Events A and C; similarly for B and D.
• A room for each team (and for alternate teams if your division allows them) for use
during the team event.
• A room, preferably isolated from areas of activity, for grading. Keep exam materials
here during the meet; proctors pick them up as needed. Materials should be turned
over so they cannot be read while the meet is going on.

Displaying Scores

Before the meet, prepare a scoreboard large enough to be seen at some distance. The
scoreboard should list team total points accumulated during the season so far. A large
chalkboard will do, but many divisions use poster board which can then be awarded to
the team winning that day's meet so they can display it the next day at their school.
Some divisions use other technology (overheads, monitors) for displaying results.

Copying Materials

Try to have access during the meet to a duplicating machine, just in case you run short
of materials.

Grading

Graders are to receive a computer-generated team roster that are supplied by the
League Office from each coach before the meet begins. Graders should also assemble a
packet of answers and solutions for each coach at the meet. In case of any questions not
covered by the Uniform Grading Procedures, the decision of the graders shall be final
for the division. Any cause of difficulty should be brought to the attention of the League
Director.

Graders should complete the Meet Summary Sheet and give it, together with completed
Team Rosters, to the host coach. The host coach or division coordinator must fax the
Meet Summary Sheet and the Team Rosters to the League Associate Director as
soon as possible (certainly no later than the next day).

Refreshments

Some divisions serve refreshments to participants at each meet; some do not. Such a practice
does, of course, appeal greatly to the participants, and can often be funded either by school
funds, the PTA, etc. The League does not provide funds for meet refreshments. Host coaches
should follow practices established in the division.

d. Uniform Grading Procedures

Individuals and teams like to compare their scores with participants in other divisions. And, at
season's end, invitations to participate in the state tournament are issued on the basis of scores
achieved during the season. In order to make comparisons meaningful and invitations fair, it is
important that grading practices be uniform from one division to another. These rules,
necessarily arbitrary in some instances, are developed to assure as much uniformity as possible.

1. Unless specific instructions are given to the contrary in the problem statement or in
the official answer key, no partial credit should be given on any individual or team
question.

2. Questions sometimes call for answers in a particular form, as in "the quotient of two
relatively prime integers," or in the form , in which case credit should only be
given for the form requested.

It should always be remembered that we want to give credit to students on the basis of what
they understand, and never want to withhold credit for failure to observe some legalism.
(For example, if the form is called for, is surely okay; no one should insist on
.)

When no form is specified, answers expressed as a multiple of π, e, or a root of some
number are always acceptable. Likewise, decimal answers correct to three places to the
right of the decimal are acceptable ; answers carried to more than three places are also
acceptable if correct to three places.

"Correct to" shall mean either truncated to or rounded to. If "rounded to" is asked for, then
truncated is not given credit.

3. When a problem statement requires the simplification of radicals or complex
numbers, the standard simplification rules apply ; i.e., no radicals or complex
numbers are allowed in the denominator. Thus,

is wrong; it should be

is wrong; it should be i

However, when simplification is not required, answers such as
are acceptable.

4. Though participants should be able upon request to express the measure of an angle
in either degrees or radians, either system shall , in the absence of instructions, be
acceptable.

5. When fractions , either numeric or algebraic , occur as answers, any equivalent form,
whether reduced or not , shall be accepted unless the directions specify otherwise.
Thus, 51/34 and (1-x²)/(x-1) are correct unless directions specify that the student is
to express the answer as the quotient of relatively prime integers (an expression that
participants are expected to understand) or as a reduced fraction, in which case the
correct answer is not (51/34), but 3/2; not (1-x²)/(x-1), but either -(1+x) or -1-x.

6. Roots of numeric terms need not be simplified unless simplification is a required
part of the problem. Therefore and are acceptable in the absence of
instructions to simplify.

7. Unless a problem obviously calls for attention to units (as when data is given in
terms of both feet and inches, meters and centimeters, etc.), students should not be
penalized for omitting units in their answer.

8. If the answers provided contain an error, participants who believe their answer to be
correct must challenge the answer before leaving the meet, and the challenge must
be submitted NO LATER than 15 minutes after the team event has concluded.
Credit given on the basis of an error in the answer key that is undetected before the
event is scored shall remain unchanged. Announcement of the 15-minute challenge
period should be made before each meet by the coordinator or the host.

9. A student (team member or non-member) may not participate in more than two (2)
events (A-D) at a meet. If three (3) tests are taken intentionally or in error, those
situations need to be taken care of at the host site. If the error gets sent to the state
office, the highest score will be thrown out, even if the student was on the team and
scheduled to take that test.

No more than 4 scoring team members may participate in an individual event.
If more than 4 participate, the 4 lowest scores are used.

10. Graders are the final authority for the divisional scoring at a particular meet, and
their decision at the meet is final. No corrections or changes will be made after
teams leave the meets, unless the office is assured that such a change is agreed
to by all coaches in the division.

Experience will undoubtedly uncover ambiguities in the stated rules, together with a need
for other rules to cover situations not here anticipated. Any suggestions should be made to
the League Director, and review of such suggestions will be undertaken at meetings of the
Division Coordinators.