Policies 2024-2025

A. Locations

B. Competition

1. Schools are divided into Divisions A, B, and C based on previous years' final standings. New schools are automatically placed in Division C. Note also that schools can always "opt up" if they would like to compete in a higher division.
2. Tests are divided into four subject areas: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus. Each subject is further divided into Division A and Division B/C difficulty levels.

3. Schools in Division A will take the Division A contests, and schools in Divisions B and C will take Division B/C contests. Students are strongly encouraged to compete on the contest corresponding to their grade level. That is, a ninth-grader would compete on Algebra I, a tenth-grader on Geometry, an eleventh-grader on Algebra II, and a twelfth-grader on Precalculus.

   Students in grades 9-11 are allowed to take a more advanced contest if circumstance dictates. For example, a ninth-grader could compete on the Geometry contest if your school did not have enough sophomores to make up a complete team for that contest. A student may never compete down. For example, a junior could only take the Algebra II or Precalculus contests.

4. Student selection is at the discretion of the home school.
5. A team consists of 24 starters, six in each subject area, in addition to any alternates.
6. A school does not need a full team to compete.
7. Coaches must designate alternates BEFORE the start of the exams. Alternates' scores will not be used in computing team scores, but alternates are eligible to win individual awards. Schools with large numbers of alternates are asked to bring sufficient staff to aid in the grading. A minimum of two adults should accompany all teams.
8. Team participants may vary from contest to contest.
9. Calculators are allowed on contests 1, 3, and 5. No calculators are allowed on contests 2 and 4. CAS calculators are never allowed on a CCML contest.
10. Students are expected to behave with integrity and true team spirit. Coaches are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional ethics.
11. The site coordinator may determine when individual behavior falls below expected standards. Such behavior may result in withholding of any awards and possible exclusion from any future competitions. This refers to behavior beyond the bounds of courtesy and good sportsmanship. Any such action may be appealed in writing within five days to the directors.

C. Contest Questions and Scoring

1. The contests should begin at 9:00 a.m. and should end about 11:30 a.m. with the actual test lasting 50 minutes and consisting of 20 questions. Immediately following individual tests, there will be a candy bar competition, which will consist of 20 questions in 50 minutes for the entire school to work on together.
2. Scoring will take place after the tests, but student answer sheets will only be returned to the school coach.
3. All information requested on the answer sheets must be completed by the student; incomplete identifying information may result in disqualification of the individual student.
4. Topics covered on each regional test are based in part on the Chicago Board of Education and the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics guidelines.
5. The topics covered on each test are listed for each contest. The questions may include all previous topics and knowledge of all topics in previous courses. (Algebra II may include Geometry, etc.)
6. With the diversity of schools and students within the system, the best guides for contest preparation are the contests from previous years, which can be obtained by a coach from the CCML website.
7. Team scores are computed as the sum of the four highest scores out of the six starters on each contest.
8. Appeals regarding contest questions should be made at the grading room as soon as possible.
9. ANY APPEALS AFTER THE CONTEST MUST BE EMAILED TO THE DIRECTOR WITHIN 5 DAYS OF A CONTEST! [Appeals must be mailed via email]: Melanie Pierce, MSOh@cps.edu
10. Answers must be written in an appropriate form, per the CCML Guidelines for Acceptable Forms of Answers.

D. Awards

1. Regional Competition

   Ribbons are awarded for the top three students in each subject. Ties are not broken. For example, if the highest scoring students in a competition had scores 15,15,14,13,13,13,12,10, etc., two first place ribbons, one second place ribbon and three third place ribbons would be awarded.

   Ribbons are also awarded for the top six-person teams in each area of competition: Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus. Ribbons are given to the top two teams in Division A, and the top three teams in Division B or C at each of the three contest sites.

   A school top score ribbon is given for each subject of competition a school competes in.

2. City Finals Individual Awards

   Unlike regional competition, ties are broken when possible. Two or more students who have the same score will have the tie broken by tie-breakers indicated by the contest writer and editor. If the tie cannot be broken after the tie-breakers have been examined, then the students remain tied.

   The top five students in each area of competition earn a ribbon based on their score at the final meet.

   The McCarthy-Murzyn award is given to students who have the highest cumulative totals for the year, including the city finals. Twenty-four awards will be given out, three per each subject in Division A and in Division B/C. Ties will be broken, if possible, based on students' scores at the final meet.

3. City Final Team Awards

   The top three scoring teams in each of Divisions A, B, and C win a trophy. Team totals are the cumulative team scores of each team over the course of all five meets.

   Plaques will also be awarded to the top three schools in each subject: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus, by division.

   A Most Improved team plaque is also awarded to the team in each division that increases its point total the most over the previous season.

   Each school can bring up to six students in each subject to the finals. Alternates can qualify for the final meet in one of two ways: (1) place in the top thirty students in their subject over the course of the first four meets or (2) attending each of the first four meets. Note that as in other contests only the six designated starters can have scores that count towards the team total.