Local Contest Format And Rules

The National Bible Bee 2010

Taken from Pages 7-17 of the 2010 National Bible Bee Competition Rulebook

Posted by Erie Bible Bee

Table Of Contents

The Local Contest Format Slide 3 Written Test Round Slide 4 Preliminary Oral Round Slide 5&6 Preliminary Oral Round Judging Rules Slide 7-10 Final Challenge Round Slide 11-

14 Local Contest Day Rules Slide 15-16 Local Contest Material Security Slide 17-

18 Local Contest Volunteer ResponsibilitiesSlide 19-20

Slide 2

The Local Contest Format:

The Local Contest will consist of a Preliminary Oral Round and a Written Test Round for contestants in each age division.

The top five (5) scoring contestants from each age division will move on to the Final Challenge Round.

In the event of a tie for the fifth position, all tied contestants will advance.

Scores for Bible memory and Bible knowledge are weighted equally: 300 possible points for the Preliminary Oral round, and 600 possible points for the written test round, of which 150 points are based on Bible memory verses.

– This means that of the possible 900 total points, 300 points are for Bible memory verse recitation during the Preliminary Oral round, 150 points of the written test are for Bible memory verse comprehension for the written test round and 450 points are for Bible knowledge during the Written test Round.

Slide 3

Written Test Round

All Contestants will have one hour in a single sitting to complete a written test of 200 questions applicable to their age division

Each question will be worth 3 points. Thus, the written test will include a total of 600 points, consisting of 450 points from 150 Bible knowledge questions and 150 points covering the 50 Bible Memory questions (testing mostly factual information from the verses and comprehension of the verses).

The questions on the written tests will cover a wide range of Bible Knowledge including, but not necessarily limited to:

– Information from the selected book of the Bible specified for the 2010 Bible Bee competition

– Greek and/or Hebrew word studies arising from that book– passages using the same Greek root word in other books of the Bible, – and other books of the Bible which relate to or refer to the selected book

(75% of the questions), and comprehension questions from the Bible memory verses/passages (25% of the questions)

Slide 4

Preliminary Oral Round

Contestants will compete with other students within their same age division.

Each contestant will be asked to recite memorized Bible verses/passages from their age division level by two judges who will score the contestant’s recitation

– The CONTESTANT JUDGE will keep the contestant’s time and interact with the contestant.

– The RECORDING JUDGE will listen to and score the contestant’s recitation

Contestants will be asked to recite verses/passages from up to 30 Bible memory cards in 10 minutes. Bible memory cards contain verses or passages from the contestant’s appropriate age division.

Slide 5

Preliminary Oral Round contd.

Each verse or passage recited correctly constitutes 10 points.

The judges subtract one point for each error or prompt. If the contestant chooses to pass and not recite a

verse/passage, zero (0) points will be awarded. All scores and decisions by the Local Contest

Judges in the Preliminary Oral round are FINAL. Immediate family members of the contestants may

accompany the contestant in order to observe their Preliminary Oral Round.

Slide 6

Preliminary Oral Round Judging Rules

There must be 2 Judges for each room of contestants participating in the Preliminary Oral Round.

All decisions by the Judges are final. Contestants can earn between 0 and 10 points for each Bible

memory card recitation. A score of 0 is given if a contestant asks to pass and not recite the verse/passage requested by the Judge.

If a contestant recites an incorrect verse/passage rather than the one requested by the Judge, the contestant earns 0 points for that recitation.

Contestants may ask the judge to repeat a reference to a requested verse/passage without score penalty, but the time spent in repetition is included in the 10-minute limit.

The 10-minute time period for recitation begins at the beginning of the Judge’s request for the first Scripture address.

Slide 7

Preliminary Oral Round Judging Rules contd.

The Judge may, if the contestant speaks too rapidly or indistinctly, ask the contestant to repeat a verse/passage. Such repeats will not extend the 10-minute limit, nor do they constitute a “start over’.

One point is deducted for each instance of the following:– Contestant requires a one-word prompt– Contestant uses an incorrect word (see next slide)– Failure to begin the recitation or failure to end the recitation with

the address of the verse/passage. 2 points deducted for a failure to do both.

Slide 8

One Point Deducted for WRONG Word

These include but are not limited to: Wrong verb tense Plural vs. singular Additional word inserted Contestant omits a word Contestant transposes words

Slide 9

Preliminary Oral Round Judging Rules contd.

One start-over will be allowed per requested verse/passage. If a contestant attempts a second start-over, zero (0) points will be awarded for that verse/passage.

Start-overs include the following instances:– Contestant begins to recite an incorrect verse, stops on own accord

before the end of the verse, and starts over with the correct verse. In this instance, the Judge will only grade the recitation of the correct verse, with no penalty for the start-over.

– Contestant begins to recite the correct verse with no errors, and then begins the correct verse again. In this instance, the Judge will only grade the recitation of the verse as it is completed after the first start-over.

– Contestant begins the correct verse with errors, stops on own accord before the end of the verse and begins to recite the verse correctly. In this instance the Judge will not deduct points from the portion of the recitation before the start-over.

Slide 10

Final Challenge Round

The Final Challenge Round is an on-stage, single-elimination oral round for the top 5 contestants (or more in the event of a tie) from each age division, held in front of Judges and an audience.

Preliminary Oral Round scores and Written Test Round scores will be collected and tabulated for all contestants in the Local Contest according to age divisions.

The top 5 scores (or more in the event of a tie) for each age division will determine which contestants qualify to move forward to the Final challenge round.

The scores from the Preliminary Oral Round and Written Test Round will be sent to SKF to determine which contestants from each age division across the nation will be invited to compete in the National Bible Bee. These scores are the sole determinants for invitation to the National Bible Bee. [Note that the outcome of the Final Challenge Round does not determine who will or will not be invited to the National Competition]

Slide 11

Final Challenge Round contd.

The purpose of the Local Final Challenge Round is only to determine the Local Bible Bee contest award winners.

– Note that the local winner may or may not receive an invitation to compete in the National Bible Bee.

– For example, the second through fifth place finishers in the Local Final Challenge Round may, in fact, receive a National invitation, while a higher-ranked Challenge Round finisher may not.

– Conversely, the possibility exists that a contestant who did not qualify for his Local Final Challenge Round would receive, along with the top five, an invitation to the National Bee.

Each contestant is asked to recite memorized Bible verses/passages from his or her age division on stage in front of Judges and an audience. A single error in recitation removes the contestant from further competition (unless all of the remaining contestants commit an error on that round). The final contestants who remain standing in each age division are the winners of the Local Bible Bee Contest.

Slide 12

Final Challenge Round contd.

All decisions by the Local Contest Judges in the Final Challenge Round are final

The contestant must begin recitation within 30 seconds after the Judge completes the Scripture address request in order to avoid elimination. Additional requests for the Scripture address do not extend the 30 second limit.

Slide 13

Final Challenge Round contd.

Any of the following will eliminate the contestant: Any pause of 10 seconds or longer during recitation Contestant uses an incorrect word, including, but not limited to:

– Wrong verb tense– Plural vs. Singular– Additional word inserted– Contestant omits a word– Contestant transposes words

Any form of start-over Failure to begin the recitation with the address of the verse/passage Failure to end the recitation with the address of the verse/passage

Slide 14

Local Contest Day Rules

All Local Bible Bee Contests must be held on Saturday, August 28, 2010, within the hours of 8: 00 A.M. and 5: 00 P.M. of their respective time zones. Results from contests held before or after this date will not be accepted.

On the day of the Local Contest, contestants must be accompanied and registered by a parent/guardian or other designated adult (18 years or older). Contestants who are eighteen years or older may register themselves.

The Local Event Team will keep the sign-in sheets from the Local Contest Day registration until November 30, 2010, as proof of contestant participation for any finalists invited to the National Contest.

Contestants who arrive after the formal close of registration will be disqualified from the competition.

Parents/legal guardians may only accompany contestants in locations and rooms approved by the Local Event Team.

Slide 15

Local Contest Day Rules

Electronic devices such as cell phones, iPods, mp3 players and cameras (photo or video) or any other device with recording capabilities may not be in the possession of any contestant during any portion of the Local Contest. Family members who are Judges or Proctors are bound by the terms of the Volunteer Security Affidavit.

No immediate family members may be responsible for proctoring, judging, collecting, or grading tests or score sheets for the age division in which they have a child or youth participating. Immediate family is understood to signify the parents/guardians, grandparents, siblings, aunts, or uncles, whether or not they live in the same residence as the contestant.

All Proctors, Judges, Graders, Collectors, and Recorders volunteering at the Local Contest must be 18 years of age or older.

Slide 16

Local Contest Material Security

All Local Bible Bee Contests must use the SKF Bible Bee testing materials. These materials will be sent to a DESIGNATED TEST RECIPIENT, recommended by the Local Event Team Host, who does not have relatives competing in any 2010 Local Bible Bee Contest in the nation. This Designated Test recipient will keep the testing materials box unopened, in a secure location until August 27, 2010, when they will be given to the Local Event Team Host

Contestants and family members who have completed or attended parts of the Local Contest (i.e. Preliminary Oral Round or the Written Test) must not be allowed any contact with contestants who have not yet completed the same part of the Local Contest.

Slide 17

Local Contest Material Security

Scoring of the Written Test Round must be completed according to the directions provided by SKF.

Test scores and the individuals’ local rankings will be released to contestants and their families on or before September 3, 2010.

All test materials, including test documents, Preliminary Oral Round score sheets and Written Test Round answer sheets, automated scoring outputs, and names and rankings of Final Challenge Round participants must be sent to SKF headquarters no later than Monday, August 30, 2010.

Slide 18

Local Contest Volunteer Responsibilities

All Local Contest Volunteers including, but not limited to Judges, Proctors, Collectors, Graders, Score Reporters, and anyone else who has access to Bible Bee test materials are subject to the following rules

Volunteers accept their responsibility to protect the security of the testing materials by signing a Volunteer Security Affidavit.

Volunteers will not review any test questions, passages, or other test items independently or with contestants, parents/legal guardians, or any other unauthorized person before, during, or after testing.

Volunteers will not review or discuss contestant performance with contestants or parents/legal guardians before, during, or after judging/grading.

Volunteers will not alter test responses, influence, or otherwise interfere with contestant performance; not included in this rule are scripture reference prompts by Judges in the Preliminary Oral Round, and clarification of test instructions by proctors during the Written Test.

Slide 19

Local Contest Volunteer Responsibilities

Volunteers will not disclose the contents of tests, specifically or generally, to anyone through verbal, written, or other means of communication.

Volunteers will not copy, electronically record, or take notes about any part of the testing materials.

Volunteers will not allow contestants, parents/legal guardians, or any unauthorized person access to testing materials prior to testing.

Volunteers will not permit contestants, parents/legal guardians, or any other unauthorized person to remove test materials from the testing room.

Testing materials will only be released to the appropriate Bible Bee Coordinators or Volunteer.

Any questions or concerns about test security should be directed to a member of the Local Event Team or Host.

Slide 20