scrappyhappymama Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2012/mar/09/8/lori-anne-madison-6-wins-prince-william-spelling-b-ar-1754744/ I didn't know kids this young could even compete! Congrats to little Lori Anne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) My DD's going to be very upset-our regional doesn't let kids compete below 4th grade. DD's won the K-3 one the last 2 years and is DYING to compete in the 4th-8th so that she can go to the regional and national ones. I keep telling her that it just gives her more years to practice and learn more words, and gives her more chance of winning when she DOES get to the higher level bees, but I don't think she believes me. Edited March 12, 2012 by dmmetler Because mommy CAN spell, honest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Yeah, the minimum age is at the discretion of local sponsors. Ours also requires a 4th grade minimum. Does your dd use the Hexco spelling materials? If she's serious, you could go ahead and start with those now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I'm glad she got a chance AND came out on top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My DD's going to be very upset-our regional doesn't let kids compete below 4th grade. DD's won the K-3 one the last 2 years and is DYING to compete in the 4th-8th so that she can go to the regional and national ones. I keep telling her that it just gives her more years to practice and learn more words, and gives her more chance of winning when she DOES get to the higher level bees, but I don't think she believes me. You'll probably find that her parents grade advanced her to meet the minimum grade requirement. We've seen that around here (though the students didn't win here.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smdgl Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 In our area they had an age and grade requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 You'll probably find that her parents grade advanced her to meet the minimum grade requirement. We've seen that around here (though the students didn't win here.) Ahh....My parents coordinate JSHS and ISEF science preliminaries for the western half of their state, and are very, very against playing games with grades for homeschoolers- while also being some of the most homeschool friendly coordinators out there (to the point that they regularly get participants in their preliminaries from other regions and even other states where homeschoolers are NOT allowed to participate). 5th year seniors (or worse), where the parents grade advanced the child into high school early in order to let them compete, but then decided NOT to graduate the child aren't all that uncommon, but they're not looked on well in competition if it's known that was what was done because it's seen as an unfair advantage-which then leads to questions, at the highest levels, of whether homeschoolers should be allowed to participate at all. While PS students do sometimes spend 5 years in high school, usually it's not the students who are competing in academic competitions who do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 There was one homeschooler in the Los Angeles County Regional Bee this year, although he was plenty old enough. I am unsure about what the pp said about 5 year high school kids, because high school students are too old for the Scripps bee, right. The Scripps program is for elementary aged students, and if they have taken more than 2 high school classes, they are disqualified. Our region allowed any student who won their school bee, and several 3rd graders were present. The winner was in the 6th grade, I believe. The whole night was very exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMA Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 When I was in school, first graders and up participated in the Scripps bee and I went to a public school. I won from my class in first grade and I won second place in the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) There was one homeschooler in the Los Angeles County Regional Bee this year, although he was plenty old enough. I am unsure about what the pp said about 5 year high school kids, because high school students are too old for the Scripps bee, right. The Scripps program is for elementary aged students, and if they have taken more than 2 high school classes, they are disqualified. Our region allowed any student who won their school bee, and several 3rd graders were present. The winner was in the 6th grade, I believe. The whole night was very exciting! I was comparing to ISEF, which is for high school students-and where there has been a problem in the past with parents listing homeschooled students as high schoolers early so they could compete, and then having them listed as the same grade more than once. If the cutoff is being under X grade, that's different than a range of being between X and Y. Regardless, I may be calling around to different preliminaries next year to see if any is more flexible than our local homeschool regional. My DD would LOVE to be allowed to try to compete against the big kids, instead of just in the K-3 that doesn't go on to anything else if it's legitimate for her to do so. I don't think she'd win-she does well with words she's seen, but Scripps gets into some very obscure words-but she'd LOVE the experience! Edited March 13, 2012 by dmmetler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I just saw the little girl interviewed on Fox News. That girl handled herself beautifully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 ...5th year seniors (or worse), where the parents grade advanced the child into high school early in order to let them compete, but then decided NOT to graduate the child aren't all that uncommon, but they're not looked on well in competition... Specifically with regard to Scripps, holding kids back for additional eligibility (when they fit the *age* requirements, which are unbending) is *strictly* forbidden. If a kid makes it to the national level but has been held back a grade, the parents must submit documentation regarding the reason and it must not have to do with spelling bee eligibility. ... Now, I'm certain there are occasionally families that try to find their way around this, but they do have rules in place to curtail it. *If* the 6yo was grade advanced (and I don't know -- some local and regional sponsors do *not* have a minimum age or grade requirement, and Scripps itself does not), she would lose future eligibility (when she's more likely to win anyway) by doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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