GUIDELINES FOR
SCORING ROOM ADMINISTRATOR
REGIONAL PRELIMINARY EVENTS
2016
The Braille Challenge is a national competition for
school-age children who read and write braille
Copyright 2015 by Braille Institute of America, Inc.
SCORING ROOM ADMINISTRATOR
Braille Challenge Contacts
Marcy Ponzio (323) 663-1111, Ext. 1394
Braille Challenge M-F 8:30 am to 3:00 pm Pacific Time
Contest Scoring (626) 286-8747
Mon.-Fri. after 4:00 pm Pacific Time
Sat.-Sun. any time
Sergio Oliva (323) 663-1111, Ext. 3137
Director, Programs and Services
Marie Saldivar (323) 663-1111, Ext. 1215
National Programs Specialist
Christine Pak (323) 663-1111, Ext. 1321
Braille Challenge Administrator
All Scoring Rooms should have one person in charge, who we call the Scoring Room Administrator. It’s your responsibility to recruit volunteer transcribers/braillists to be trained before the event and score contests on the day of the event, and to have additional support from volunteers who will check contest scores and tally them.
Braille Institute will provide a print and/or braille Scoring Guidelines Booklet for your scorers to review, and a training DVD, demonstrating how to score The Braille Challenge®.
Five Age-Appropriate Contests
There are five contest groups: Apprentice (grades 1-2), Freshman (grades 3-4), Sophomore (grades 5-6), Junior Varsity (grades 7-9) and Varsity (grades 10-12). All contests are designed to be held in 25-minute-long sessions.
Apprentice and Freshman Sophomore, Junior Varsity and
• Spelling Varsity
• Proofreading • Proofreading
• Reading Comprehension • Reading Comprehension
• Speed and Accuracy
• Chart and Graph Reading
WHO DO YOU NEED ON YOUR TEAM?
YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST 1 certified transcriber to review all scored contests. It doesn’t have to be you. If you only have one on site, they must be the scorer for the Speed and Accuracy Contest, and be available to check scores if there are any questions during the contest. All other volunteers in the scoring room must be proficient braille readers, except Tally Sheet and Electronic Scoring Grid volunteers. We encourage using blind and visually impaired scorekeepers and have included separate instructions for them in the general Scoring Guidelines Booklet, which is available in braille.
Suggestions below are based on 60 contestants – adjust according to your anticipated attendance to complete scoring in one afternoon. It is preferable to have all contests scored and tallied on the day of the event, so that contestants can be presented with their awards that day.
Number of Volunteers Type of Volunteers
1 Scoring Room Administrator
2 Tally Sheet Volunteers
One can be the Administrator, if necessary. These
volunteers are responsible for recording contest
scores onto the Tally Sheet.
1 Electronic Scoring Grid Volunteer
This volunteer is responsible for recording contest
scores into the Excel database. They must have
computer skills.
15 Total Scorekeepers
3 (minimum) Speed and Accuracy**
(Ideally, all scorers for S&A should be certified)
2 Reading Comprehension
4 Spelling
2 Proofreading
2 Chart & Graph Reading
2 Score Checkers to check all contests
**Based on our experience at Braille Institute, having blind scorekeepers braille their own scoring document, as recommended in the Scoring Guidelines Booklet, is equally efficient for all multiple choice contests, but will add time to the scoring of the Speed and Accuracy contests. This factor should be considered when scoring contests within a tight deadline for same-day awards.
If possible, schedule scorers so that all of the contests for one grade level can be corrected by the same scorer, to ensure consistency. For example, one scorer for all Apprentice Reading Comprehension, and so on. NOTE: This does not apply to the Speed & Accuracy contest or score checkers.
Not all scorers will be working all the time. Nevertheless, the number of scorers specified should be planned for if at all possible. Available scorers can also do a second scoring for other scorers’ contests.
For accuracy in scoring, all tests should be marked to show correct answers or errors, as shown on the samples in the Scoring Guidelines Booklet. Keeping the scoring uniform will make it easier for score checkers, with less room for error in calculating totals. It also will assist Braille Institute staff when performing random scoring checks. Please be sure scorers are using the correct point value for each of the contests. Documents are also available on the Braille Challenge website.
NEW THIS YEAR – Unified English Braille Only for Apprentice Contests
NEW THIS YEAR – Unified English Braille Option for Freshman Contests
To support students who are just learning braille this year in Unified English Braille (UEB), Freshman contestants have been given a choice of taking The Braille Challenge in EITHER English Braille, American Edition (EBAE) or UEB.
o All Freshman contestants will be asked to braille which code they are using directly UNDER THEIR NAME on the upper left corner of every page.
BE SURE TO USE THE CORRECT ANSWER KEY BASED ON WHICH CODE THE STUDENT SELECTED. Please indicate which code the student used on the Contest Face Sheet.
To simplify this option as much as possible, Freshman Spelling will not be impacted: we have purposely selected words that are ‘code neutral’: they will not contain contractions that are different in EBAE and UEB. There will be one Answer Key provided to be used for both EBAE and UEB Spelling contests.
o Freshman Reading Comprehension contests will also have only one Answer Key for both EBAE and UEB.
o Freshman Proofreading contests will have separate Answer Keys for EBAE and UEB. Be sure to check the Answer Key for the correct code as they will be labeled EBAE or UEB.
IT IS HELPFUL IF FRESHMAN SCORERS KNOW UEB, BUT IT IS NOT MANDATORY, since they can refer to the answer keys provided.
IMPORTANT: Contestants may not mix codes – they must select one code for all three contests. IF THEY MIX CODES THEY WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FINALS.
NOTE: Contest orders are shipped out to arrive at regional event locations approximately two weeks before event date. Be sure to check with whoever is in charge of receiving contest materials so you can get any necessary documents needed to conduct training for the contest scorers.
SUGGESTED SCHEDULE FOR BRAILLE CHALLENGE PREPARATION
Two Months Before Contest Day:
1. Recruit your volunteer team, based on attendance projections.
2. Schedule a training day for your contest scorers. IMPORTANT: Please be
sure ALL contest scorers attend the training day EVEN if they are veteran scorers, as the Scoring Guidelines may have been revised. Also, please stress to scorers that they need to read the Scoring Guidelines booklet.
3. Review the current training DVD and Scoring Guidelines provided by Braille Institute to be able to discuss scoring procedures on training day with your scoring volunteers. Make sure you have enough copies of the Scoring Guidelines for all the scoring volunteers on training day, and also for the day of the event. Be sure your visually impaired scorekeepers have reviewed their specific instructions and your Tally Sheet Volunteers are familiar with the format they will be using to indicate scores.
4. Confirm where your scoring room will be on the day of the event to begin planning your set-up.
5. Be sure you have access to the computer you are going to use in the scoring room, load the Electronic Scoring Grid and input sample scores to be sure your program works. Some Excel file cells are locked to protect the automatic calculations imbedded by Braille Institute. Check to be sure that when sample scores are entered, a ratio score for each sample contest and a total ratio score for each sample contestant is generated.
6. BE SURE TO USE THE 2016 SCORING GRID. This year’s grid includes an embedded formula that will allow for negative scores on Speed & Accuracy.
7. Identify someone as your Electronic Scoring Grid Volunteer and be sure they are able to run this program.
8. Coordinate with your Regional Coordinator on the contest schedule. If possible, Speed and Accuracy and Spelling should be the first contests of the day. These two contests are the most time consuming to score.
NOTE: We have found it helpful to distribute Speed & Accuracy “answer keys” to S&A scorers prior to day of event so they can familiarize themselves with content. This seems to make day of scoring run a little more efficiently.
One Week Before Contest Day:
1. Get the list of contestants expected to take each contest from your Regional
Coordinator. If possible, you or your electronic scoring grid volunteer should enter the names of all registered contestants into the appropriate contest
category.
If not possible, this should be done early on day of the contest, before
scoring begins.
2. Get all necessary scoring materials needed from your Regional Coordinator. Be sure you have braille copies available for visually impaired scorers. This should include:
a. A copy of the Maximum Score Sheet -- make copies for all your
scoring room volunteers.
b. One copy of each contest for each grade level in print and braille.
c. Answer keys for all contests to keep in the scoring room.
d. IMPORTANT: These copies of contests and answer keys MUST
BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL AND IN A SECURE LOCATION UNTIL
THE DAY OF THE EVENT. THEY ARE NOT TO BE SHARED WITH
ANYONE.
e. One (1) Tally Sheet for each grade level.
f. Proctor Instructions booklet for reference.
g. Scoring Guidelines booklet.
3. Create a Tally Sheet for each contest grade level (also see attached sample on following page). This helps you track details on contest day, such as getting all contests you expected, or if a contestant is taking the wrong contest level.
4. Confirm the schedule of contest times to finalize planning your day.
5. Organize materials for your scoring room set-up:
- enough tables, chairs – SEE “Day Before Contest Day,” item 4.
- Red pencils, sharpener, and writing tablets (DO NOT SCORE IN PEN)
- calculators for scorers and checkers, to track tallies
- dictionary, to confirm if there is more than one acceptable spelling
- and snacks! -- SEE “Day Before Contest Day,” item 4.
6. Check with Regional Coordinator that all Permission Forms are completed,
signed and organized by grade level.
7. Confirm date and time with your volunteer team to be sure they are
ready, know when to arrive, and how long they will be staying.
8. Be sure proctors have set margins on braillewriters for 8 ½” X 11” paper.
Regional Coordinators are being asked to ensure that all brailler margins are set for a 28-cell line.
Day Before Contest Day:
1. Confirm the Electronic Scoring Grid is loaded and running on your scoring room computer. You or your volunteer will copy and paste the final list of names and ID#s of all registered 2016 contestants from the Registration Log into the appropriate contest category of the Scoring Grid. If not possible, this must be done early on day of the contest, before scoring begins. BE SURE TO USE THE 2016 SCORING GRID. This year’s grid includes an embedded formula that will allow for negative scores on Speed & Accuracy.
2. Label an area in the scoring room for Answer Keys by contest grade level, contracted or uncontracted, and for Freshman, if for EBAE or UEB or both. We recommend creating a labeled box for each category. You can also use these boxes for completed contests ready for scoring and waiting for an available scorer -- so everything is all in one place.
3. Double check that you have enough copies of the Maximum Score Sheet for
each scorer and score checker, and enough answer keys.
4. If possible, set up your scoring room with boxes, tables, chairs and computer
with Electronic Scoring Grid. You will need at least one table to place boxes for the contests and answer keys. You will also need enough tables for scorers, score checkers and your tally sheet / electronic scoring grid volunteers. Be sure you have a workspace as well. Set up enough tables for scorers to allow for plenty of space around each scorer. We recommend no more than two per table. Lastly, we recommend a SNACK TABLE -- coffee, sweets, water, sodas, etc.
5. Be sure your visually impaired scorekeepers have a brailler or slate and stylus and braille paper available to create their own score sheets.
On Morning of Test:
1. Check with Regional Coordinator to confirm any additions or deletions of
contestants in each contest. Electronic scoring grid volunteer should make
necessary changes on Scoring Grid and Tally Sheets.
2. Place answer keys in proper grade level boxes.
3. Be sure you have one copy of each contest with you -- BUT DO NOT distribute them or place them in the boxes. They are for your reference only.
4. Review procedures to be followed by all volunteers – how they receive
contests and answer keys, how to mark and check scores, and the person to
whom to return contests.
5. Give each scorer and score checker a copy of the Maximum Score Sheet.
Suggested Scoring Room Procedures
1. Runner brings contests to you, as the Administrator.
2. Check that Contest Face Sheet is filled out, and that a contestant’s name is on each page of the contest. Only one Contest Face Sheet is required for each contest per contestant regardless of number of passages, etc., completed.
3. Give contests and answer keys to available scorer, clarify any questions. For Freshman, check which code the student indicated under the name and provide the corresponding Answer Key – EBAE or UEB.
4. Scorer grades contest and totals score, checks score against Maximum Score Sheet, marks it on first page of contest and Contest Face Sheet, and initials it.
5. Scorer brings graded contests and answer keys to you. All scored contests
must first be given to you, as the Administrator.
6. You separate out the answer key and return it to the appropriate box, then
give contests to score checkers.
7. Score checker checks contests for accuracy of point values and addition.
Also provides a second check to be sure scores are not higher than point
values listed on the Maximum Score Sheet.
8. Contests are reviewed by Braille Institute, so all scoring errors must be marked directly on the contest or noted on an attached braille document.
9. If the score checkers find no error, they bring contests to the Tally Sheet