As we get closer to the district, regional, and state competitions, we need to revisit our thoughts on what should be done concerning bad problems and/or incorrect solutions. Before the inception of the “wild card” team, these issues could be handled at each of the contest sites without having to worry about the effects it would have on other contest sites. However, the “wild card” concept has changed all that. Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept and think it is great for our competitions. We must be careful about making any changes at the district and regional meets because of the effect it will have on the “wild card” team.
Hopefully, with the extra precautions I have taken while writing the tests and with the tests being proofed by our past test writer, Don Skow, we hope to have caught the bad problems and solution errors. Of course, we are not so naive as to think that we still won’t let a bad problem get by or a wrong solution occur. We work to make the test as clean as possible.
One problem occurs because of individual interpretation of problems. Different folks tend to see things differently from others. We have tried to avoid any ambiguous problems, but they can still appear. So, what do you do at your contests if you think a problem is bad or a solution is incorrect?
If you make a change and no other site does, then it affects the “wild card” situation. It is important that you not make a change without consulting UIL or myself. UIL is able to contact me 24 hours a day during the two-week district time slot via three different phone numbers.
Your district contest director can contact me by phone (325-483-5446) or by e-mail at texasmath@aol.com. Also, they can contact me during the Regional contest time slot.
Most regional directors have their contest directors proof the test before the contest and some contact me if there appears to be a problem. If a problem should appear, then I will inform UIL of the action that should be taken and will e-mail all the regional contest directors about any changes.
It is important we stay consistent in how we handle problems and solutions. We must grade according to UIL rules as stated in the C&CR and not make changes or decision base upon or own sites. It is important we keep the playing field as fair as possible. Feel free to contact me at any time concerning these contests. Your feedback will only help in making the contests the best they can be.