Subchapter D: 2nd-8th Grades (1401)

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Section 1401: A+ PROGRAM ACADEMIC PLAN

(a) PURPOSES.
 

Participation in UIL academic contests should help students develop oral language and communication skills, become independent readers and writers, develop conceptual understanding, learn to solve problems and apply knowledge to all facets of their lives.

(1) All A+ competitions should be conducted so that educational objectives are achieved, highest standards of sportsmanship are upheld, and no single phase of the program is promoted at the expense of other programs.

(2) Schools are encouraged to participate in a full range of contests, to offer as many opportunities for competition as possible, to administer all contests fairly and efficiently, to provide specific, positive feedback and to see that competition is conducted in a nurturing and educational environment.

(3) Faculty leaders are encouraged to fully prepare students for competition while insuring that broad educational objectives are never compromised in the pursuit of victory.

(4) Administrators should help create learning environments, structures and policies that encourage educational competition while adhering to the school’s general educational mission.

(b) A+ MEET CODE.
 

The general A+ Meet Code means to:

(1) participate in contests in the spirit of fairness and sportsmanship, observing all rules – both in letter and in spirit;

(2) sponsor and advise individuals and teams without resorting to unethical tactics, trickery which attempts to skirt the rules or any other unfair tactic which detracts from sound educational principles;

(3) accept decisions of officials and judges without protest and extend protection and courtesy to officials;

(4) regard opponents as guests or hosts while placing personal and/ or team integrity above victory at any cost. Maintain grace and poise in victory or defeat. Conduct that berates, intimidates or threatens competitors, based on gender or ethnic origin, has no place in interscholastic activities;

(5) provide information or evidence regarding eligibility of any contestant or school to local school administrators or to the appropriate judicial bodies upon request;

(6) understand and appreciate the educational values of competition and abstain from modifying or soliciting another teacher to modify grades for eligibility purposes, knowing that such behavior defeats the character-building purposes of extracurricular competition;

(7) abstain from any practice that makes a student feel pressured to participate in non-school activities; and

(8) at all times, ensure that competition is relative to a more important overall educational effort, using competition as a tool in the preparation of students for citizenship and successful adulthood.

(c) SALARY/STIPEND.
 

Any salary or stipend arrangement which makes it to the financial interest of a coach, director or sponsor to win a UIL contest will be in violation of the A+ Meet Code, and the member school district, participant school and the school district personnel shall be subject to the range of penalties outlined in Sections 27 and 29.

(d) CONTESTS.
 

The Academic Meet Plan covers these A+ Academic Activities for the grade levels indicated in parentheses:

(1) Art (4-8)
(2) Calculator Applications (6-8)
(3) Chess Puzzle (2-8)
(4) Creative Writing (2)
(5) Dictionary Skills (5-8)
(6) Editorial Writing (6-8)
(7) Impromptu Speaking (6-8)
(8) Listening (5-8)
(9) Maps, Graphs, & Charts (5-8) 
(10) Mathematics (6-8) 
(11) Modern Oratory (6-8)
(12) Music Memory (2-8)
(13) Number Sense (4-8)
(14) One-Act Play (6-8)
(15) Oral Reading (4-9)
(16) Ready Writing (3-8)
(17) Science I and II (7-8)
(18) Social Studies (5-8)
(19) Spelling (3-8)
(20) Storytelling (2-3)

Instructions and required contest procedures are found in the A+ Handbook.

(e) MEMBERSHIP IN UIL; FORMING DISTRICTS.
 

(1) Membership. Elementary, middle and junior high schools receive membership in the UIL through the paid memberships of their parent high schools. The superintendent shall have final responsibility for membership. For school systems with no high schools, refer to the membership fee structure in Sections 10 through 14.

(2) Statement of Participation. Elementary, middle and junior high schools should indicate their desire to participate in UIL activities by registering with the UIL office. Deadline for registration is designated on the official UIL calendar.

(3) Compliance with the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules. Contest directors shall not deviate from the Constitution and Contest Rules in administering UIL A+ academic contests. The district executive committee may elect to add or delete UIL contests from its specific meet plan.

(4) The UIL’s elementary contest plan is restricted to academic competition. No interscholastic athletic competition is allowed in any conference for teams in the sixth grade and below. This does not apply to annual inter-school elementary field days. For athletic exceptions to allow sixth grade students to participate, Refer to Section 1478 (c).

(5) Elementary and junior high school contestants do not qualify to a higher post-district meet.

(f) ORGANIZING THE DISTRICT.
 

Elementary, middle and junior high schools will not be assigned to districts or conferences by the UIL office. Schools may follow the high school Academics Meet district assignments or form their own district.

(1) Required Assignments. The UIL office reserves the right to assign contestants or teams to districts.

(2)  Composite or Combined Teams. Students will represent their campus. Combined or composite teams are not allowed in UIL district academic competitions.

(3)  District Executive Committee. This body shall be composed of an administrator from each of the participating schools in the district. Duties include: enforcing the eligibility rules in the district; selecting the district director; selecting the site and date for the meet; arranging for financing the meet; determining which events will be offered and for which grade levels; designing a district meet entry form; notifying members of the district of the events and entry restrictions; soliciting entries from each school; cooperating with the schools in effecting and promoting a district organization; and adjudicating disputes arising within the district subject to provisions of Subchapter E of the Constitution.

(4)  District Information and Materials Order. This information shall be submitted to the UIL office online through the UIL website. The meet director’s name shall be included. Submission deadlines are designated on the official UIL calendar for district meets held between December 1 and January 31, and for meets held between February 1 and the Saturday before Memorial Day. This may be done by either the district executive committee or the district director.

(5)  District Director. Each district shall select a district director for A+ activities. Duties include: selecting the directors of the contests in accordance with individual contest plans; arranging for necessary facilities; requisitioning all contest materials from the UIL office; distributing the materials to contest directors; assuming immediate responsibility for conducting the meet in an orderly manner; being available to assist contest directors when questions arise; and seeing that a list of winners is compiled immediately from the reports furnished by the contest directors. The district director shall notify all participant schools regarding the dates and contest schedule of the meet, but each school has the final responsibility for ascertaining the dates and schedule.