Academic Bowl Rules

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Oklahoma Association for Academic Competition

Academic Bowl Rules and Definitions

Updated October 28, 2024

Table of Contents

I. Equipment

Equipment or Technical Malfunction – Pumpernickel Rule

Lock Out or Buzzer System

Lock Out or Buzzer Systems equipped with ‘next’ buzz feature

II. Froshmore Only Rules

Power and Neg

III. Game Rules

3 count

Blurt

Buzz-in

Changed Content during Answer

Conferring on a bonus question

Conferring on a toss-up or tie-breaker question

Completed Question

End of the game

End of the Tournament

Game definition

Game division

Incorrect Answer after question is complete

Incorrect Response

Interrupted Question (grades4-8)

Points

Stalling

Speech impairment

Devices

Time

IV. Grade Levels

Fifth Grade

Fourth Grade

Froshmore

Mid Level

Upper Elementary

V. Officials

Moderator or Moderator/Judge

Judge/Chief Judge

Time Keeper

Score Keeper

VI. OAAC Questions

Acceptable Answers

Bonus Questions

Tie Breaker Question(s)

Prompt

Question Breakdown

Questions per game

Question preview at host site

Question Unit

VII. Protest

Protest Over Question Content

Protest Over Procedure

Toss-up Question Protest

What to protest

When to protest

Ruling of the protest

Outcome of the protest

Final Ruling

If. . . What if situations

Bonus Question Protest

What to protest

When to protest

Ruling on the protest

Outcome of the protest

Final Ruling

VIII. Teams

Active Team Member

Team

Team Captain

Team Membership

IX. Time

Stalling

Time on a toss-up question

Time on a bonus question

X. Other

What to take

XI. Weather

I. EQUIPMENT

Equipment or Technical Malfunction

If a technical issue or equipment malfunction creates a situation that impacts both teams, e.g. the system wasn't cleared and neither team can buzz-in or there is a malfunction of the buzzer before an answer is given by either team.

Determine the origin of the technical issue If it is determined that the buzzer system is malfunctioning - that system should be switched out for a different system before the continuing. Once the origin has been determined -

a.) Clear the system.

b.) The moderator will use a key word to indicate permission to buzz in. The Moderator will tell the students. "I will re-read the toss-up question. At some point in the question you will hear the word "pumpernickel” You may buzz in when you hear me say pumpernickel. If you buzz in before, your answer will be ruled invalid."

c.)The moderator will begin re-reading the question and insert pumpernickel into the question at a spot of their choosing.

f the malfunction is discovered after an answer has been accepted. The question will be tossed out and a replacement question will be read for both teams. e.g. a student buzzer quits working and a student was trying to buzz but could not buzz in because of the malfunction.

Lock Out or Buzzer System – A buzzer system is an electronic system used in academic competitions. Each contestant has an individual response device. Once an individual response device has been activated the system will lock out all other responders until the answer has been ruled correct or incorrect.

Lock Out or Buzzer Systems equipped with ‘next’ buzz feature – If your buzzer system is equipped with the next buzz feature, that feature should be disabled before placing it in operation at a tournament. Not all systems have this feature. Many moderators are not familiar with the feature or how to use it in competition.

II FROSHMORE ONLY~FROSHMORE ONLY

Power and Neg - The Depth of Knowledge (dok) point, the -5 and +5 are for Froshmore competitions ONLY. Froshmore Level ONLY
Depth of Knowledge point (DOK) - If a student answers a toss-up question on or before a designated point in that question they receive a 5 point bonus. The moderator will indicate the extra points by saying +5.

Neg 5- If a student buzzes-in before the toss-up question is completed by the moderator and misses the question 5 points are deducted from the score. The moderator will indicate the deduction by saying Neg 5.

If a student buzzes-in after the question has been completed and answers incorrectly there is NO point deduction.

III. GAME RULES

3 Count - Once the team member has been recognized, they must begin to state their answer within 3 second. The moderator will give their 3 count at the beginning of each game.

Blurt -- If a student answers before being recognized by the moderator this is a blurt.

For UEL and up; a warning will be given to both teams at the beginning of the first game of the tournament then if any student answers before being recognized the answer will be ruled invalid, even if the answer was correct, and the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer the question. The moderator will say, "That was a blurt. The answer is invalid."

For 4th and 5th grade: teams will each be given a warning the first time a student blurts in a game for EACH team. This is to promote learning and give grace to new students to the game.

Buzz-in – A buzz-in occurs when a team member presses the individual response device and activates the lock-out system. Buzz-in is required for a toss-up question.

Changed Content during Answer - The first answer given by the team member is the answer to be accepted by the moderator. A team member may not change their answer.

Conferring on a bonus question - Team members may confer with the other team members at the table on a bonus question. Team members may not confer with anyone not sitting at the table during a bonus question. This exclusion includes, but is not limited to, substitutes, supporters, and coaches.

Conferring on a toss-up or tie breaker question - Team members may not confer with each other or any other individual on a toss-up question.

Completed Question - After the moderator has completed reading the question, team members must buzz-in before 5 seconds have expired. On a math or science computation question 15 seconds are given before a buzz-in is required. (see time for additional information)

End of the Game

The team with the most points at the end of the is the winning team. (Tournament ranking is based on the win/loss record first)
If the score is tied the teams will enter a best of 5 tie breaker.
If the score is still tied after the best of 5 tie-breaker the match will be determined by sudden-win.
The team answering the sudden-win toss-up will be the winning team.

End of the Tournament

The round robin tournament winner is the team with the best win/loss record.

If two teams have the same win/loss record, the team with the highest total points will be the winner.
If the win/loss record and the highest total points are identical, the tie is broken by the results of the game in which the two teams played one another.
(UNDER REVIEW) If a team leaves the tournament, without playing all scheduled games, all points, wins and losses for that team and for their opponents in games they have played will be removed.

Game – A game is the event played between two teams.

Game Division -- There are 4 quarters in each game.

Incorrect Answer after Question is Complete - If a student buzzes-in after the question has been completed and answers incorrectly there is NO point deduction.

Incorrect Response - If the first team to buzz-in answers incorrectly, the opposing team may buzz-in and give an answer. If the rebounding team (second team to answer) is also incorrect, the correct answer will be given and the moderator will read the next question.

Interrupted Question (4-8) - If the toss-up question is interrupted the moderator will stop immediately. The student will be recognized and give their answer. If the answer is incorrect the moderator will finish the question by picking-up at a logical point and complete the reading of the question. If the student interrupts and answers correctly, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer. (4-8 grade only – Froshmore interrupted question information, see Froshmore Only)

Points awarded – 10 points are given for a correct response (4-8 grade – Froshmore point information, see Froshmore Only)

Stalling - a sound or phrase used to gain extra time before giving the answer to the question. A drawn out "Um-m-m-m" "Uh-h-h" "The Answer is" "I think that is"

Simply saying 'um' or 'uh' before giving the answer is NOT considered stalling.
The moderator will call stall if a stalling phrase is used to gain extra time.
A called stall is the same as an incorrect response.
Stall counts will be 4 seconds as counted by the moderator/judge

Students with a speech impairment - If a student on your team has a stutter or stammer issue or has a type of speech impediment that could delay an answer, the coach will notify the host site and other schools in attendance in advance. Moderators are instructed to give additional time to those students before a stall is called.

Devices Any device that can send or receive messages including but not limited to tablets, phones, watches and computers are prohibited from being at the players table. All devices must be given to their coach or left in the audience turned off. If a student is found with a device during the game the player will be ejected from the remainder of the match. A second offense will warrant suspension from the tournament.

Heart monitors or Diabetes related apps may stay on but the device must still be kept in the audience or on the coach. In this event, a coach must have the IEP/504 showing the need for the device to remain on. The device must be kept with the coach and not at the table.

Time - The clock begins when the moderator says the last word in the question. The clock is set for five (5) seconds for a regular toss-up question or fifteen (15) seconds for a computation question.

For math or science questions ONLY- fifteen (15) seconds are given for computation before time is called.The moderator will say “This is a math (or science) computation question.
If neither team attempts to answer the question, the timer will say "Time" at the end of the allotted five or fifteen second time span.
If the moderator is interrupted while reading a question the time does start.The timer begins timing ONLY when the moderator has finished a question.
If a team member buzzes and the allotted time has expired at the same moment, a tie, the advantage goes to the student.
If the time keeper is from a participating school, they will not give answers or act as a team member in any manner.Such action by a timer could cause the disqualification of the time keeper's team.

IV. GRADE LEVELS

Fifth Grade Academic Bowl – Fifth Grade Academic Bowl is for students in the 5th grade. Younger students may play up on an 5th grade team. Older students may NOT play down.
Students are allowed to play on multiple level teams. e.g. A 5th grade student may play on a 5th grade team, a UEL team and a ML team.

Fourth Grade Academic Bowl – Fourth Grade Academic Bowl is for students in the 4th grade. Younger students may play up on an 4th grade team. Older students may NOT play down.
Students are allowed to play on multiple level teams. e.g. A 4th grade student may play on a 4th grade team, a UEL team and a ML team.

Fifth Grade Academic Bowl – Fifth Grade Academic Bowl is for students in the 5th grade. Younger students may play up on an 5th grade team. Older students may NOT play down.

Froshmore Academic Bowl – Froshmore Academic Bowl is for students in the 9th and 10th grade. Younger students may play up on a Froshmore team. Older students may NOT play down. Students are allowed to play on multiple level teams.

Mid Level Academic Bowl – Students in 7th and 8th grade may play on a Mid Level Academic Bowl (ML) team. Younger students may play up on an ML team. Older students may NOT play down.

Upper Elementary Academic Bowl – Students in 5th and 6th grade may play on an Upper Elementary Academic Bowl (UEL) team. Younger students may play up on an UEL team. Older students may NOT play down. Students are allowed to play on multiple level teams.

V. OFFICIALS

Additional staffing guidelines and training instructions are available in The Book.

Moderator or Moderator/Judge- one moderator for each competition room. The moderator will read the question recognize the student on a toss-up question and tell the student if the response is correct or incorrect. The moderator may be a trained student if one of the other officials is an adult.

The moderator will determine the correctness of a question if it is challenged. If there is not a chief judge, the moderator may, leave the room to confer with officials from the other competition rooms. If there is not a judge, the moderator has the final word on the decision about the protest.
The moderator will treat all teams with courtesy and fairness.
The moderator will be familiar with the questions and the rules of the game.
The moderator will maintain the security of the questions at all times.
The moderator/chief judge is the head official of the game.

Judge or Chief Judge - If there is a chief judge; the judge will work with the moderator to conduct the meet. The chief judge may be a trained student if another official in the room is an adult.

If the moderator requests the judge to do so, the chief judge will recognize the student by calling the students name.If students from opposing teams have the same name, the chief judge will say the team name first followed by the students name.
The chief judge will, with the assistance of the moderator, rule on all protests.
The chief judge will treat all teams with courtesy and fairness.
The chief judge will be familiar with the questions and the rules of the game.
The decision of the chief judge is final.
The chief judge will maintain the security of the questions at all times.

Time Keeper – one time keeper (timer) for each competition room. The time keeper will sit next to either the chief judge or moderator and starts the clock when the moderator finishes reading the question.

The clock begins when the moderator says the last word in the question.The clock is set for five (5) seconds. The time keeper may be a trained adult or a trained student.
FOR MATH QUESTIONS ONLY- 15 SECONDS ARE GIVEN FOR MATH AND SCIENCE COMPUTATION QUESTIONS.THE MODERATOR WILL SAY, "THIS IS A MATH (or computation) QUESTION."
If neither team attempts to answer the question, the timer will say "Time" at the end of the allotted time.
If the moderator is interrupted while reading a question the time does NOT start.The timer begins timing ONLY when the moderator has finished a question. If a team member buzzes and the allotted time has expired at the same moment, a tie, the advantage goes to the student.
If the time keeper is from a participating school, they will not give answers or act as a team member in any manner.Such action by a timer could cause the disqualification of the time keeper's team.

Score Keeper – one scorekeeper for each competition room. The scorekeeper will sit at the officials table.

The scorekeeper may be a trained adult or a trained student.
The scorekeeper will keep an accurate accounting of the score.
The scorekeeper will be familiar with the score record before the tournament begins.
A scorekeeper from a participating school will not give answers or act as a team member in any manner. Such action by a scorekeeper could cause the disqualification of the scorekeeper's team.
If a separate individual is not available to keep score, coaches will act as official scorekeepers. They should compare scores and reconcile differences at the end of each quarter.

VI. OAAC QUESTIONS

Acceptable Answers - The information required to be given as an answer for the answer to be correct will be in bold and underlined. Any additional information given by the student to answer the question must be correct information.

Leading articles such as "the," "an," and "a" are not required e.g. Tale of Two Cities is an acceptable answer for (A) . However, if an article is given, it must be the correct one. An answer of The Tale of Two Cities would be incorrect.
Plural/Singular answers are acceptable unless otherwise delineated in the question e.g. orangutan and orangutans are both acceptable answers.
Last names will be considered a complete answer unless there is more than one person within the topic area with the same last name.e.g. If the question asks about a U.S. president and the student answers Roosevelt, the moderator will prompt for additional information. The student would then need to add the correct first name to make the answer correct.

Bonus Question – A question, in the same subject area, asked when a team correctly responds to a toss-up question. A bonus question is ONLY for the team answering the toss-up correctly. Active team members may confer on a bonus question. A bonus question is worth 10 points. There is not a rebound on bonus questions.

Tie Breaker Question(s) – A series of 5 questions asked after the game has ended with a tie score. The team with the most correct answers at the end of the tie breaker will be awarded 10 points to break the tie.

Toss-up Question – A toss-up question is a free response question. Any active team member from either team may buzz-in and respond to the question. Each team will be allowed only one attempt at a toss-up question. Team members may not confer on a toss-up question. Toss-up questions are built in pyramid format with decreasing difficulty as the question progresses. A toss-up question is worth 10 points. If the question is missed by the first team to buzz-in, the opposing team may rebound the question.

Prompt – If a moderator requires additional information from the student to clarify an answer, the moderator will say “Prompt”.

The prompt should not indicate if the answer being prompted is correct or incorrect.
If the prompted information needs additional clarification, the moderator will again say “Prompt"
If the required information is still not correct after two prompts, the answer will be ruled incorrect and the game will proceed as in any incorrect answer.
For Example: The student says "Wizard of Oz" when the title of the book is "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" then the moderator should prompt. No incorrect information is given thus a prompt is warranted. The student is showing they know the information and now the prompt allows for clarification on whether they know the full title of the book.

Question Breakdown for each division:
Science question selection will be based on NSTA standards. (nsta.org)

4th/5th/Upper Elementary - 24 total question units 3 Language Arts, 2 Literature, 2 History(focus on Oklahoma History), 3 Geography, 4 Science, 4 Mathematics, 3 Fine Arts/Humanities, 3 Current Events/Pop Culture

Mid Level 24 total question units 2 Language Arts, 3 Literature, 2 History, 3 Geography, 4 Science, 4 Mathematics, 3 Fine Arts/Humanities, 3 Current Events/Pop Culture

Froshmore - In each of the 4 subject area tournaments 10 will be from the main subject with 4 each from the other 3 categories, 2 current events/pop culture.

Questions per game -- 4th grade Academic Bowl, 5th grade Academic Bowl, Upper Elementary, Mid Level and Froshmore - have 24 question units per game. 6 question units per quarter.

Question preview at a host site – When the questions are received. The sealed packet of questions should be given to the head moderator for preview. Once previewed, the questions should be placed in a secured (locked) location until tournament time. Questions sent to a tournament site are NOT practice questions. The questions are to be used for tournament play only.

Question Unit-- A question unit consists of a toss-up question and the related bonus question.

VII. PROTEST

Protest – Over Question Content - A protest concerning question content must be lodged by the team coach at the end of a quarter. Once the new quarter begins, protests over questions in the previous quarter are inadmissible.

Protest -- Over Procedure - If there is a procedural error, the coach may indicate so by standing. The protest will be addressed by the moderator and/or chief judge immediately.

Toss-up Question Protest

What to protest - A coach may protest the answer given to a question if...
the response their team gave was a correct response but was ruled incorrect by the moderator.
or
If the response given by the opponent was an incorrect response but was ruled correct by the moderator.

When to protest - Question protests must occur at the end of each quarter. If a protest is not raised at the end of the quarter, all right to protest questions from the quarter that has just finished are relinquished upon the start of the next quarter or when the Moderator, after giving the final score and asking if there are questions, says "This ends the game." A protest over a question in the first quarter must be lodged at the end of the first quarter. A protest over a question in the second quarter must be lodged at the end of the second quarter. A protest over a question in the third quarter must be lodged at the end of the third quarter. A protest over a question in the fourth quarter must be lodged before the Moderator ends the game.

Ruling on the protest - The moderator will determine if the protest is valid.

If there is a chief judge, the moderator may confer with the judge. The chief judge will give the final ruling. The judge has the final word on the decision about the protest.

If there is not a chief judge, the moderator may, if necessary, leave the room to confer with officials from the other competition rooms. If there is not a judge, the moderator has the final word on the decision about the protest.

Outcome of the protest - -If a protest is upheld

Correct response ruled incorrect for a toss-up - If the team giving the correct answer, but ruled incorrect, was the first team to buzz in, a replacement question from the same subject area, if possible, will be read for that team only.

If the team giving the correct answer, but ruled incorrect, was the second team to buzz in, a replacement question from the same subject area, if possible, will be read for that team only. There will not be a rebound opportunity as the first team to buzz in missed the question initially.

Final Ruling - The ruling of the room official is final.

If… What if situations

If the first team buzzing-in interrupts and gives an incorrect answer and , a replacement question will be read for the second team ONLY.
If a creates a situation that impacts teams, e.g. the system wasn't cleared and neither team can buzz-in or there is a malfunction of the buzzer an answer is given by either team.

Determine the origin of the technical issue If it is determined that the buzzer system is malfunctioning - that system should be switched out for a different system before the continuing. Once the origin has been determined -

a.) Clear the system.

c.)The moderator will begin re-reading the question and insert pumpernickel into the question at a spot of their choosing.

f the malfunction is discovered after an answer has been accepted. The question will be tossed out and a replacement question will be read for both teams. e.g. a student buzzer quits working and a student was trying to buzz but could not buzz in because of the malfunction.

Bonus Question Protest
If the response the team gave was a correct response but was ruled incorrect by the moderator a protest may be lodged.
or
If the response given by the opponent was an incorrect response but was ruled correct by the moderator a protest may be lodged.

Ruling on the protest - The moderator will determine if the protest is valid.

If there is a chief judge, the moderator may confer with the judge. The chief judge will give the final ruling. The judge has the final word on the decision about the protest.

Outcome of the protest - -If a protest is upheld

An incorrect response initially ruled correct but determined to be incorrect, the team answering the bonus will not receive the points.

If the team gave the correct answer, but was ruled incorrect points will be awarded

Final Ruling - The ruling of the room official is final.

VIII. TEAMS

Active Team Member– One of 4 team members sitting at the competition table while a game is being played.

Team – A team consists of four active members and substitutes. For awards purposes, 8 members will constitute a team. A team may have more than 8 members but will have to purchase additional awards for all members over 8. If necessary, a team may play with as few as 2 members.

Team Captain – The designated team member who will give the answer to a bonus question. A team captain may defer to another team member by saying 'defer' or otherwise indicating the answer will be given by someone other than the captain.

Team Member – A member of a team must be a student within the grade parameters enrolled at the school district for which they are competing. A younger student may play up to the next level. An older student may NOT play down.

Team Membership – Students are allowed to play on multiple level teams. eg. A 5th grade student may play on a 5th grade team, a UEL team and a ML team.

IX. TIME

Stalling - a sound or phrase used to gain extra time before giving the answer to the question. A drawn out "Um-m-m-m" "Uh-h-h" "The Answer is" "I think that is"

Simply saying 'um' or 'uh' before giving the answer is NOT considered stalling.

Time – On a toss-up question – Once the question has been finished, 5 seconds are allowed for the teams to buzz-in. If no one has buzzed-in after 5 seconds the correct answer is given and the next toss-up question is read. If the question is a computation question -- either math or science -- the teams are given 15 seconds to buzz-in. If no one has buzzed-in after 15 seconds, the correct answer is given and the next toss-up question is read. A non-computational math or science question will be given the regular time of 5 seconds.

Time - On a Bonus question – Once the question has been finished, the students are given 10 seconds to confer. When the 10 second conferring period is over, the moderator will call for the answer. If the question is a computation question -- either math or science -- the teams are given 15 seconds to confer. A non-computational math or science question will be given the regular time of 10 seconds. When the 15 second conferring period is over, the moderator will call for the answer.

X. OTHER

What to Take
1. Your buzzer system... Don't forget it!! Make sure it's in good working order. It is important to have enough Light Board/Buzzer Systems and an extra or two in case of a break down. If your system requires batteries, be sure you have extras.
2. Help for your host site... check with your host site to see if they need official help (timer, scorekeeper, moderator, judge...) Train your bus driver or son or daughter or parents to serve as officials.
3. Name tags to set in front of each student. These can be elaborate and permanent or simple tri-folded pieces of typing paper. Have your students name (first name is okay unless you have two Matilda's then use an initial for the last name) and your school name.
Mary
Bugtussle

Eligibility rosters are no longer a requirement 4. Eligibility roster - signed and dated by your principal for the week of competition. Give the eligibility roster to the host site tournament director.

XI. WEATHER

The OAAC Board of Directors say if ANY school scheduled to attend a tournament is in a travel advisory or warning or if weather/road condition is declining (not a watch) the tournament must be canceled and rescheduled.

Be weather wise. Have a plan in place.
If you are hosting a tournament have a plan in case the weather turns bad. Have a list of participating schools travel agendas and a cell phone number for someone who will be with the team. Be sure they have your home and/or cell number and you have theirs. Even if your roads are clear, 30 miles away they may iced in.
If you are attending the tournament, Fax or e-mail your travel agenda and your home and cell phone numbers to the host site.
If you are experiencing icy weather call the host site EARLY in the day to let them know travel may be a problem.

Equipment

Froshmore Only

Game Rules

Grade Levels

Officials

Questions

Protest

What if. . .

Teams

Time

Other

Weather