As most coaches and contestants affi liated with the contest know, this year’s high school Calculator Applications Contest has undergone major changes. We have tried to make the contest more interesting, more up to date and fairer. One of the changes involves the calculator clearing procedure.
In the past, it was the responsibility of coaches to clear calculators of all program memory prior to the start of the contest. This burden on coaches conceptually allowed a contestant to load an arsenal of programs in sundry locations of calculator memory and to challenge the person clearing the calculator to fi nd them all and to erase them. Whatever was not located and cleared would then be available to the contestant once the contest began.
This did not seem appropriate or fair. Therefore, after consultation with coaches and representatives from the TMSCA, it was decided to make contestants present cleared calculators to coaches/verifi ers and to penalize the contestant for not doing so. This approach has been embodied by changes to the UIL Contest Rules that are described here.
This statement has been added at the end of the fi rst rule in the Summary of Rules read by the Contest Director prior to the start of the contest (CCR Section 924.g.1):
“It is the responsibility of contestants to present to verifi ers calculators cleared of all programmable memory and numerical storage registers. Failure to clear programs will result in disqualifi cation of that violating calculator which may not be replaced. Clearable programs include but are not limited to program steps, equations, functions that can be cleared, applications, programs and executable items stored in archived locations. Contestants with no qualifi ed calculators after verifi cation will be disqualifi ed.” The last paragraph of Section 924.g has been amended to start with:
“Prior to the contest, verifi ers present shall verify that calculators are adequately cleared by contestants. Calculators with clearable programs shall be disqualifi ed. Contestants with no qualifi ed calculators will be disqualifi ed. After forewarning the contestants...” These rules, like others in this and other contests, engender a set of procedures to assist in their application at meets. Please see the new verifi cation procedure that captures the intent.
As is usually the case with most new rules, there will certainly be some mid-course corrections as time goes on, to make the rules and their enforcement coincident with the goals and aims of the contest and its participants. I appreciate your help and patience as we make these important changes to the contest.