MATHEMATICS LEAGUE

COACH'S MANUAL 2008 – 2009

1. Executive Summary.......................................………...................................................2

2. Introduction to the Math League and Its Purpose………………………….…………3

3. Eligible Individuals and Teams/ Registering a team......................................................3

4. Regular Season Rules……………... ........…………....................................................3
a. Overview of regular season structure and competition…
b. Meet rules
c. Hosting/running a meet
d. Uniform Grading procedures
e. Topics for events
f. League comments on building a team, level of difficulty
g. Division coordinator
h. End of season honors and awards
i. Postponement of meets

5. State Tournament Rules ..............................................................................................14
a. Overview of state tournament structure and competition
b. Tournament Invitational Event and Math Bowl
c. Tournament Team Contest
d. Recognition of Individual scoring leaders
e. Recognition of top scoring teams
f. Tournament weather procedures

6. Other Associated Competitions ....................................................................................18

7. Resources for Coaching......................................................................................….......19

8. Governance..........................................................................................................…......20

9. Division Alignment Rules.....................................................................................…....22

10. Divisions for 2007 – 2008 .................................................................................….......23

11. Schedules ..........................................................................................................……....24

12. Hall of Fame......................................................................................................…........24

1. Executive Summary

This page highlights new or changed rules . Also, this section of the manual is used to alert
coaches to special events or items of interest.

Communication
The league associate director would like every coach to provide their preferred email address
and phone number to improve communication especially in emergencies.

Fax Number for Reporting Meet Results – 320-587-2936

Summer Conference
Every year, the summer conference gives coaches the opportunity to renew friendships, learn
new coaching techniques, discuss league rules, explore new mathematical ideas, and establish a
sense of collegiality. This coming summer, the Coaches’ Conference is: July 24 - 25, 2009
Contact the Math League office with Topic Ideas for the coming conference.

**********IMPORTANT Board Actions*************

Director Elect: The Director Search Committee met several times to determine desired
attributes in a League Director, interview three candidates, define expectations and
compensation for a Director Elect, and select the best candidate. Committee members
enthusiastically supported the choice of Tracy Bibelnieks of Augsburg College as Director
Elect for the League. The board unanimously approved the selection.
Division Scoring Change: Scoring at each regular meet to determine division level team
awards and invitations to the tournament will be as follows:

1^st place team earns the number of schools in the division plus one point
2^nd place team earns the number of schools in the division minus one points
3^rd place team earns the number of schools in the division minus two points
continue the pattern until last place team at the meet earns a minimum of one point

A team that does not participate in a meet will not receive any points.
If there is a tie after five meets, tournament invitation determination will revert to overall total
points. The Hibbing Rule will apply. This proposal is a trial and will be in place for one year.

Bylaw Revisions: League bylaws were amended to better reflect current League practices
and procedures. A copy of the bylaws is available from the League office.

2. Introduction to the Math League and Its Purpose

The Minnesota State High School Mathematics League was founded in 1980-81 and was
modeled after leagues that have flourished along the U.S. eastern seaboard since the mid-1940s.
The first year four schools participated, followed by sixteen schools in the second year. It grew
to over 160 schools in 2007 - 2008.

The League exists to identify students with unusual mathematical ability, to give them
recognition and encouragement, to bring them together with similarly gifted students for
mutual stimulation, and to prod them into the study of topics not commonly taught in the high
school curriculum.

League activities are focused on students with unusual mathematical ability, but they are
inextricably related to other concerns in mathematics education. We have always believed that
a program for gifted students is shortsighted if it is not developed in a way that strengthens
mathematics education for all students.

3. Eligible Individuals and Teams/ Registering a team

The Minnesota State High School Math League is a competition for both individuals and
teams. Members are high schools in, or bordering on, the State of Minnesota.

Each year, schools need to notify the league of their intent to participate by September 15th.
Each school is required to pay a fee of $500 to participate in the league. Payment of the
registration fee must be received by October 15.

Individual contestants must be regularly enrolled students in a participating Senior High School
or a Junior High School in the district of the Senior High School. The number of students that
can participate from a school is unlimited.

Individual Participation from a school without a Math team
Students who attend schools having no mathematics team may come to meets with another
team if that team's coach is agreeable, but such a participant's score only counts toward
individual honors, not toward the score of the team that brings him or her. However, if the
schools involved have a cooperative agreement and notify the league of such an agreement,
students from both schools may fully participate in all aspects of the competitions as one team.

Fee for schools with small numbers of participants
The league will allow up to four individuals from any school (public, private, or home school)
to register as individuals in the league and to compete only in the individual events. The
registration fee is $100 per student and the school must provide a chaperone.

4. Regular Season Rules

a. Overview of Season Structure and Competition

The regular season of the league consists of 5 meets, as noted in the schedules. Teams and
individuals compete in divisions; all teams in a division convene at a predetermined school on
the day of the meet to compete. The number of students that can attend a meet is unlimited
and each student’s score is recorded for individual honors. However, only 8 pre-selected
student scores are counted for the total team score (see further explanation below). Individual
and team scores are kept for all meets and the cumulative score for an individual or team is
used to determine invitations to the state tournament. The league acknowledges the difference
between large schools and small schools and recognizes team accomplishments by awarding
trophies in two tiers (classes).

b. Meet Rules

A meet is organized as follows:

Individual competition

Each student is given four events to choose from but can only compete in two of these four
events. The events are labeled A, B, C, and D but are essentially Algebra I topics (event A),
Geometry topics (event B), Trigonometry /Precalculus topics (event C) and Algebra II/Analysis
topics (event D). Each event has 4 questions. The first question is worth 1 point while the
other 3 are each worth 2 points for a total of 7 points per event. Questions often increase in
difficulty. The students are given 12 minutes (exception: Event 5A is a 20 minute event) to
solve as many of these 4 questions as they can. Students are not allowed to help each other
during these individual events. Topics for these events vary by meet and are outlined later in
the manual.

Team Competition

Since the number of participants is unlimited, larger schools would have an advantage
if all student scores were counted for the total team score. To mitigate this advantage,
coaches must choose 8 students before the meet to be scorers for the team. These 8 students
must each be entered in 2 events, 4 students per event (students still compete in 2 events, to
keep individual scores comparable ). After the individual events are completed, these 8 students
(but none of the others who have participated as individuals) compete in a final team event
consisting of 6 questions. They are given 20 minutes for this event and they can discuss
answers and help each other. Teams are sequestered in different rooms so that they cannot hear
another team’s discussion. Each question on the team event is worth 4 points, for a total of 24
points. The 8 pre-selected team members can vary from meet to meet.

Age Restrictions on team scoring members

No more than six of the 8 team scoring members shall be beyond the 10th grade. The 8
team scoring members representing a school in a particular meet shall be listed before the meet
begins on forms to be provided to the coaches.

Distribution of Team Members across events A - D

Important: A school with 8 team members cannot allocate its 8 team members unevenly –
e.g. have 5 students in event A and 3 students in event B. Teams with 8 team members may
only have 4 team members in any one event A - D

Exception: Some teams may not have a full complement of 8 participants and therefore may
not be able to get a full slate of 4 students per event. These teams can have uneven allocations
but still cannot have more than 4 students per event.

See Uniform Grading procedures for explanation of penalties for violation of this rule.

Summation of Points

Individuals (team scorers or not) can earn up to 14 points in any one meet or 70 for the fivemeet
season. The maximum team score for a meet is 136 points (14 perfect score for each
individual 8 team members + 24 perfect team score) for a possible 680 for the five meet
season. Points are reported for teams and individuals to the league office and are tabulated and
posted on the league web page for the top scoring teams and individuals.

Calculator Usage

The current policy states that any calculator can be used, though by Board action at
its 2002 meeting, calculators may be banned from a particular event. In such cases,
prior notice will be given. We allow 2nd language translators (which can have a calculator
built in), pencil and eraser - AND NOTHING ELSE - especially CELL PHONES (with or
without a calculator built in)!! Paper is supplied by host school. By Board action at its 2004
meeting, a student may bring only one calculator to events where calculators are allowed.