Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) I thought it might be good to make a listing of exams, competitions and olympiads that middle schoolers are eligible to participate in. AMC math competitions AMC 8 Exam date in November Exploratory Latin Exam Register NLT March; administer exam by April 1. National Latin Exam (for more advanced Latin students than the ELE) National Mythology Exam Register by January; administer exam Feb-Mar. North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad Geared to high school students, but accepts middle school students too. Please add on others that you are familiar with. Edited July 18, 2011 by Sebastian (a lady) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in WA Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I thought it might be good to make a listing of exams, competitions and olympiads that middle schoolers are eligible to participate in. AMC math competitions AMC 8 Exam date in November Is it my imagination or are they less homeschool friendly than they used to be? Q. #10. How do we get our organization (home schools, learning centers, testing center, etc.) involved in the AMC contests?A. #10. We prefer to offer our contest to public schools, a few government accredited private schools, colleges and universities. Before allowing other organizations to register for the contests, we would like to do further research about your academic structure. In order for us to do the required research, please provide American Math Competitions with complete information about your organization, including: Organization Name Contact Person Email Address Complete Address, City, State and Zip Accreditation Student Population Website Also include any other information helpful in our research. From: http://amc.maa.org/faq/faq.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjarnold Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 :bigear: Thank you so much for starting this thread! Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2OregonBoys Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 We're just now becoming interested in middle school academic competitions. Your thread is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom32boys Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 The Duke TIP program allows 7th graders with qualifying standardized test scores to take the SAT. http://www.tip.duke.edu Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Is it my imagination or are they less homeschool friendly than they used to be? From: http://amc.maa.org/faq/faq.shtml Wow, that is odd. When I see things like this for competitions it makes me think that a) the group has gotten burned by someone claiming to be homeschooled in order to get around preliminary competitions or that b) their goals are more about promoting changes to school curriculum than promoting excellence among individuals. And I'm usually struck by how little rulemakers tend to understand about home education (like that the vast majority of homeschools are not accredited). I haven't done the AMC competitions before. So I don't know just how homeschool friendly they are or are not (is this the same group that does Math Counts?). I guess I'll find out. I do think it is odd that there wasn't a link to this requirement under the Homeschool Admin tab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Wow, that is odd. When I see things like this for competitions it makes me think that a) the group has gotten burned by someone claiming to be homeschooled in order to get around preliminary competitions or that b) their goals are more about promoting changes to school curriculum than promoting excellence among individuals. And I'm usually struck by how little rulemakers tend to understand about home education (like that the vast majority of homeschools are not accredited). It's reason (a). In recent years, there have been quite a few instances of people pulling strong students from several schools & forming 'super-teams', and sometimes calling themselves homeschoolers. It does stink that now homeschoolers have to give proof of homeschooling before competing, but I don't really see any other good way around the problem. Hopefully it will put an end once and for all to the cheaters. I haven't done the AMC competitions before. So I don't know just how homeschool friendly they are or are not (is this the same group that does Math Counts?). I guess I'll find out. I do think it is odd that there wasn't a link to this requirement under the Homeschool Admin tab. MathCounts is strictly a middle school program. The AMC contests are a distinct entity, and they cover middle through high school kids. AMCs are the math olympiad contests in the US, just like the chemistry or biology olympiads. Students who perform well progress through different levels of the competitions, culminating with the selection of the team which represents the US every summer in the IMO (international math olympiad). The AMC folks have a tradition of being very welcoming to homeschoolers, and homeschoolers frequently reach the highest levels of the competition and even compete on the US olympiad team. Our experience over the last twelve years as homeschoolers has been nothing but positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 It's reason (a). In recent years, there have been quite a few instances of people pulling strong students from several schools & forming 'super-teams', and sometimes calling themselves homeschoolers. It does stink that now homeschoolers have to give proof of homeschooling before competing, but I don't really see any other good way around the problem. Hopefully it will put an end once and for all to the cheaters. MathCounts is strictly a middle school program. The AMC contests are a distinct entity, and they cover middle through high school kids. AMCs are the math olympiad contests in the US, just like the chemistry or biology olympiads. Students who perform well progress through different levels of the competitions, culminating with the selection of the team which represents the US every summer in the IMO (international math olympiad). The AMC folks have a tradition of being very welcoming to homeschoolers, and homeschoolers frequently reach the highest levels of the competition and even compete on the US olympiad team. Our experience over the last twelve years as homeschoolers has been nothing but positive.[/QUOTE] That is good. I sent them an email requesting authorization to participate. I thought the guidance at the FAQ was a little odd (requesting student population and accredidation for homeschools seems like trying to fit the into an ill fitting category). And while I understand how the Math Counts folks could be frustrated and irritated at what they perceive as an end run around the school competition process, I have always shook my head a bit. In my mind it could have been just as good to promote lots of community teams (scouts, churches, Boys & Girls clubs, neighborhood groups, STEM related businesses, etc) that would expand the opportunity for participation beyond the pool of willing schools. Would that allow the creation of superteams? Maybe. But it would also allow for interested community groups to do an end run around schools that weren't up to participating. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 AMC I'm not too worried about -- we've done it for three years now, being perfectly transparent about who we are and what our proctoring arrangements will be each time, and we haven't had any trouble... My guess is that they just don't want a single family registering as a school, but a homeschool group would be fine. And while I understand how the Math Counts folks could be frustrated and irritated at what they perceive as an end run around the school competition process, I have always shook my head a bit. In my mind it could have been just as good to promote lots of community teams (scouts, churches, Boys & Girls clubs, neighborhood groups, STEM related businesses, etc) that would expand the opportunity for participation beyond the pool of willing schools. Would that allow the creation of superteams? Maybe. But it would also allow for interested community groups to do an end run around schools that weren't up to participating. Sigh. Mathcounts is still up in the air for this year I think... I haven't heard back from our local coordinator, anyway. We'll participate as individuals if we have to, but it really does make it virtually impossible for us to advance to state from our uber-competitive chapter (moving us from "snowball's chance" to "not even a snowball's chance..." LOL) They're both worth the effort, even if the rules can be frustrating at times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) AMC I'm not too worried about -- we've done it for three years now, being perfectly transparent about who we are and what our proctoring arrangements will be each time, and we haven't had any trouble... My guess is that they just don't want a single family registering as a school, but a homeschool group would be fine. Mathcounts is still up in the air for this year I think... I haven't heard back from our local coordinator, anyway. We'll participate as individuals if we have to, but it really does make it virtually impossible for us to advance to state from our uber-competitive chapter (moving us from "snowball's chance" to "not even a snowball's chance..." LOL) They're both worth the effort, even if the rules can be frustrating at times! Ds placed 4th in individuals in our chapter. It is sort of frustrating knowing that at least 5 of the people advancing to the state level scored lower than you. (I'm pretty sure that the top 2 teams and (or including) the top 3 individuals advanced. It was over a yr ago and those sorts of details are fuzzy now.) Edited July 21, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I did get an email back this evening that said there was no problem with homeschoolers' participating. The reply reiterated the requirement for a public testing venue and an independent proctor. So despite the FAQ, it seems like for the AMC, it is a non issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Terrific news! That's all they've ever required of us. They've never even minded that I usually tested my kids as a sole homeschooler & not part of a homeschool association. Hope your kids have fun with AMC's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 The Duke TIP program allows 7th graders with qualifying standardized test scores to take the SAT. www.tip.duke.edu Any student can sign up to take the SAT or ACT - they don't need any prior test scores. I did not know this the first year my oldest participated in the talent search. If I had, I could have saved about $35 in testing fees by registering directly with the College Board (for the SAT) or the ACT folks. If your child is under the age of 13, you need to register via snail mail. Most libraries have SAT registration forms. If your child is 13 years of age or older, you can create an account for him with the College Board and sign up over the internet. All scores taken during the middle school years are deleted unless you specify in writing that you would like the scores retained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) Any student can sign up to take the SAT or ACT - they don't need any prior test scores. I did not know this the first year my oldest participated in the talent search. If I had, I could have saved about $35 in testing fees by registering directly with the College Board (for the SAT) or the ACT folks. If your child is under the age of 13, you need to register via snail mail. Most libraries have SAT registration forms. If your child is 13 years of age or older, you can create an account for him with the College Board and sign up over the internet. All scores taken during the middle school years are deleted unless you specify in writing that you would like the scores retained. For CTY (I don't know about TIP or the others), parents may parent-nominate students for eligibility for testing for talent searches w/o prior testing if they believe their student is in the top 5% of students. http://cty.jhu.edu/bin/o/e/nomination.pdf (that is how I signed up my ds) Since we tested through CTY's form for the talent search, I'm not sure if you can test and then submit the scores. I do not believe that that approach is possible, however I may be incorrect. Of course, testing and not pursuing the talent search option is obviously an alternative plan. Edited July 21, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Since we tested through CTY's form for the talent search, I'm not sure if you can test and then submit the scores. Your middle schooler can register for the SAT/ACT directly with the testing company and still participate in the talent search programs if qualifying scores are obtained. I just faxed in the hard copy of the SAT score that I received in the mail from the College Board to CTY - as I write this, my oldest is at CTY summer camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Your middle schooler can register for the SAT/ACT directly with the testing company and still participate in the talent search programs if qualifying scores are obtained. I just faxed in the hard copy of the SAT score that I received in the mail from the College Board to CTY - as I write this, my oldest is at CTY summer camp. Is it that they are simply still eligible to participate in CTY programs or that they are eligible for the talent search? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Is it that they are simply still eligible to participate in CTY programs or that they are eligible for the talent search? I am not sure I am understanding your question correctly, so please let me know if I misunderstood.:confused: If you register your child directly with the testing company, your child's scores won't be be included in the talent search statistics or awards, but the student is still eligible for SET, and they can participate in all of the CTY programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I am not sure I am understanding your question correctly, so please let me know if I misunderstood.:confused: If you register your child directly with the testing company, your child's scores won't be be included in the talent search statistics or awards, but the student is still eligible for SET, and they can participate in all of the CTY programs. Yes, that is what I was asking. I knew they could still take advantage of the classes and camps. I thought they would be ineligible for the regular and Grand ceremonies but wasn't sure. I didn't realize they could still participate in SET, though. That is good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 I thought it might be good to make a listing of exams, competitions and olympiads that middle schoolers are eligible to participate in. [snip] Please add on others that you are familiar with. I got an email today about two more academic exams that I'd not heard of before: National Classical Entymology Exam (testing knowledge of roots and derivatives, new division for students with no background in Latin and Greek). The registration deadline is October 15, 2011 National Roman Civilization Exam Having gone through the sample exam for NRCE, it looks like it would be quite a challenge. Not impossible, but requiring more than casual familiarity. If you go to the National Junior Classical League homepage, both of these exams are under Academic Contests and then NJCL Online Exams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 National French Exam: http://www.frenchteachers.org/concours/ STEM Competition called eCybermission: https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx West Point Bridge design competition: http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/download2011.htm Future City competition: http://www.futurecity.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 National French Exam: http://www.frenchteachers.org/concours/ STEM Competition called eCybermission: https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx West Point Bridge design competition: http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/download2011.htm Future City competition: http://www.futurecity.org/ OOH the bridge design competition looks really cool. And you can use last year's program to practice/play around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I got an email today about two more academic exams that I'd not heard of before: National Classical Entymology Exam (testing knowledge of roots and derivatives, new division for students with no background in Latin and Greek). The registration deadline is October 15, 2011 National Roman Civilization Exam Having gone through the sample exam for NRCE, it looks like it would be quite a challenge. Not impossible, but requiring more than casual familiarity. If you go to the National Junior Classical League homepage, both of these exams are under Academic Contests and then NJCL Online Exams. Thanks for this. I just signed up for the Etymology one! Dds are excited. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 I wanted to post a follow up. I did get a prompt reply from the AMC folks, saying that it was no problem for us to register as a group and to give the test. We did have to have a proctor who wasn't related to the students testing. I had a hard time coming up with a proctor (I'll start earlier next year). But I was able to eventually get hooked up with a private study group that was administering the test. (This was a connection I found through the secondary schools listing at the AMC website.) We treked to the other side of town and took the test with them. All in all, I think it was an interesting experience and one we'll pursue again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 I thought it might be good to make a listing of exams, competitions and olympiads that middle schoolers are eligible to participate in. A friend of mine found this one: National History Bee. It seems to be a newer competition. Homeschoolers can take the qualifying test at a local registered public school (I don't know how hard this will be to coordinate). History Day Competition This one has been around for several decades. Competition at the local level and then state level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chava_Raizel Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 History Day Competition This one has been around for several decades. Competition at the local level and then state level. Has anyone here participated in this? Is it homeschool friendly? My dd was reading over my shoulder and was really excited about doing a project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 There was some discussion on the high school board with people who've done this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Patriot's Pen Competition from VFW. due Nov 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 We did the National Mythology Exam last year but I think we may add the History Bee! Looks like fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Has anyone here participated in this? Is it homeschool friendly? My dd was reading over my shoulder and was really excited about doing a project. My ds has done this for two years. I think the set-up depends on your state, but we found it to be very homeschool friendly. The students can compete either as individuals or as small groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhomeschool Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The Geographic Bee, of course ( we participated through our co-op). And not really a test, but Destination Imagination is a great competition to be part of! http://Www.idodi.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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