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Rules for Local Spelling Bees.
Preface
The Rules for Local Spelling Bees have been revised. Please note, in particular, changes in requirements for eligibility.
We encourage spellers, parents, teachers, and spelling bee officials to read these
rules prior to any spelling bee.
These rules are guidelines designed to
assist spelling bee officials and spellers at the local level. Spellers should
check with their local spelling bee officials for the rules in effect in their
area. Spelling bee officials include the pronouncer, judges, coordinator, and
sponsor.
While local spelling bee officials have the prerogative to amend
Rules 2 through 11, amendments—particularly any amendments to the end-of-bee
procedure—should be undertaken only with careful consideration of the various
outcomes that may result from the amendments.
The Scripps National Spelling
Bee has no authority over the conduct of local spelling bees (namely, spelling
bees other than the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.). Consequently,
the national office will not render judgments relating to the conduct of local
spelling bees. Individuals bearing complaints about the conduct of local spelling
bees should register their concerns with local spelling bee officials. DECISIONS
OF LOCAL SPELLING BEE OFFICIALS ARE FINAL.
These Rules for Local Spelling
Bees are not the rules in effect at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington,
D.C. When a local spelling bee official says, "We use the national rules," he
or she is probably indicating that the Rules for Local Spelling Bees are
in effect.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., operates
under a significantly different set of rules called the Contest Rules of the
2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. These rules—obtainable through www.spellingbee.com—contain
provisions that are specific to unique conditions at the event in Washington,
D.C. Their successful implementation at the local level is considered impossible
and therefore is not recommended.
Rules
1. Eligibility: A speller
qualifying for the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in
Washington, D.C., must meet these requirements:
(1) The speller must not have
won a Scripps National Spelling Bee championship in Washington, D.C.
(2)
The speller must attend a school that is officially enrolled with the Scripps
National Spelling Bee.
(3) The speller must not have passed beyond the
eighth grade on or before February 1, 2008.
(4) The speller must not have
repeated fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grade for the purpose of extending
spelling bee eligibility. If the speller has repeated fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh,
or eighth grade, the speller must notify the Scripps National Spelling Bee of
the circumstances of grade repetition by March 26, 2008; and the Scripps National
Spelling Bee will, at its sole discretion, determine the speller's eligibility
status on or before April 30, 2008.
(5) The speller—or the speller's
parent, legal guardian, or school official acting on the speller's behalf—must
not have declared to another entity an academic classification higher than eighth
grade for any purpose, including high school graduation equivalency or proficiency
examinations and/or examinations such as the PSAT, SAT, or ACT.
(6) The
speller must not have earned the legal equivalent of a high school diploma.
(7)
The speller must not have completed or have been enrolled in more than six high
school–level courses or two college-level courses on or before April 30,
2008.
(8) The speller must not eschew normal school activity to study
for spelling bees. The Scripps National Spelling Bee defines normal school activity
as adherence to at least four courses of study other than language arts, spelling,
Latin, Greek, vocabulary, and etymology for at least four hours per weekday for
34 of the 38 weeks between September 1, 2007, and May 24, 2008.
(9) The
speller must not have reached his/her 15th birthday on or before September 1,
2007.
(10) The speller must have won a final local spelling bee on or
after February 1, 2008.
(11) Once having been disqualified at any level
of a sponsor's spelling bee program between June 2007 and April 2008, the speller
remains disqualified for the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee and may not seek
advancement in the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee program through another
sponsor and/or enrollment in another school.
(12) The speller, upon qualifying
for the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., must submit a
completed Champion Bio Form, a Certification of Eligibility Form, a signed Appearance
Consent and Release Form, and a hard copy of a photo to the Scripps National Spelling
Bee no later than March 26, 2008. The speller will notify the Bee—at least
24 hours prior to the first day of competition in the Scripps National Spelling
Bee in Washington, D.C.—if any of the statements made on the Certification
of Eligibility Form are no longer true or require updating. The speller's sponsor
will provide access to the necessary forms.
The Scripps National
Spelling Bee may disqualify prior to or during competition any speller who is
not in compliance with any of its eligibility requirements; and it may—at
any time between the conclusion of the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee and
April 30, 2009—require any speller who is found to have not been in compliance
with any of the eligibility requirements to forfeit the prizes, rank, and other
benefits accorded to the speller as a result of participation in the 2008 Scripps
National Spelling Bee.
2. Format: The spelling bee is conducted
in rounds. Each speller remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round
spells one word in each round—except in the case of a written, multiple choice,
or online test. The spelling bee may be conducted orally or in writing or in a
manner that is a combination of the two; however, if the spelling bee officials
specify an oral format, the speller may not demand a written format except under
the conditions of Rule 4.
3. Word list: Local spelling bee officials
are responsible for selecting the word lists for use at each local spelling bee.
Many local spelling bee officials use word lists generated by the Scripps National
Spelling Bee. These lists include many words that appear in the current online
edition of Spell It! as well as some "end-of-bee" words. All words on Scripps
National Spelling Bee word lists are entries in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, the official
dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
4. Special needs: Spelling bee officials will strive to provide accommodation for spellers who have
physical challenges. All requests for spelling bee officials to accommodate special
needs involving sight, hearing, speech, or movement should be directed to spelling
bee officials well in advance of the spelling bee date. The judges have discretionary
power to amend oral and/or written spelling requirements on a case-by-case basis
for spellers with diagnosed medical conditions involving sight, hearing, speech,
or movement.
5. Pronouncer's role: The pronouncer strives to pronounce
words according to the diacritical markings in Scripps National Spelling Bee word
lists and Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its addenda
section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster.
Homonyms:
If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer indicates which word is to
be spelled by defining the word.
Speller's requests: The pronouncer
responds to the speller's requests for a definition, sentence, part of speech,
language(s) of origin, and alternate pronunciation(s). When presented with requests
for alternate pronunciations, the pronouncer or an aide to the pronouncer checks
for alternate pronunciations in either Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster or Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary, eleventh edition. The pronouncer does not entertain
root word questions or requests for alternate definitions.
Pronouncer's
sense of helpfulness: The pronouncer may offer word information—without
the speller having requested the information—if the pronouncer senses that
the information is helpful and the information is presented in the entry for the
word in a 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee word list or Webster's Third New
International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster.
6. Judges' role: The judges uphold the rules and determine
whether or not words are spelled correctly. They also render final decisions on
appeals in accordance with Rule 11. They are in complete control of the competition,
and their decision is final on all questions.
Interaction
with the speller: Because seeing the speller's lip movements may be critical
in detecting misunderstandings or misspellings, the judges encourage spellers
to face them when pronouncing and spelling the word.
Notice of rules:
The judges ensure that all spellers and audience members are given an opportunity
to receive a complete copy of the rules prior to the start of the spelling bee.
Misunderstandings: The judges participate in the exchange of information
between the speller and pronouncer if they feel that clarification is needed.
Also, the judges listen carefully to the speller's pronunciation of the word;
and, if they sense that the speller has misunderstood the word, the judges work
with the speller and pronouncer until they are satisfied that reasonable attempts
have been made to assist the speller in understanding the word. While the judges
are responsible for attempting to detect a speller's misunderstanding, it is sometimes
impossible to detect a misunderstanding until a spelling error has been made.
The judges are not responsible for the speller's misunderstanding.
Pronouncer
errors: The judges compare the pronouncer's pronunciation with the diacritical
markings in the word list. If the judges feel that the pronouncer's pronunciation
does not match the pronunciation specified in the diacritical markings, the judges
direct the pronouncer to correct the error as soon as it is detected.
Disqualifications
for reasons other than clear misspelling: The judges will disqualify a speller
(1) who refuses a request to start spelling; (2) who does not approach the microphone
when it is time to receive the word; (3) who does not comply with the eligibility
requirements; (4) who engages in unsportsmanlike conduct; (5) who, in the process
of retracing a spelling, alters the letters or sequence of letters from those
first uttered; or (6) who, in the process of spelling, utters unintelligible or
nonsense sounds.
Speller activities that do not merit disqualification:
The judges may not disqualify a speller (1) for failing to pronounce the word
either before or after spelling it, (2) for asking a question, or (3) for noting
or failing to note the capitalization of a word.
7. Speller's
role: The speller makes an effort to face the judges and pronounce the word
for the judges before spelling it and after spelling it. The speller while
facing the judges makes an effort to utter each letter distinctly and with
sufficient volume to be understood by the judges. The speller may ask the pronouncer
to say the word again, define it, use it in a sentence, provide the part of speech,
provide the language(s) of origin, and/or provide an alternate pronunciation or
pronunciations.
Misunderstandings: The speller is responsible
for any misunderstanding of the word unless (1) the pronouncer never provided
a correct pronunciation; (2) the pronouncer provided incorrect information regarding
the definition, part of speech, or language of origin; or (3) the speller correctly
spelled a homonym of the word and the pronouncer failed to either offer a definition
or distinguish the homonyms.
8. Correction of a misspelling: The pronouncer and judges will not ask the speller to correct another speller's
misspelling, even in end-of-bee circumstances.
9. Misspelling: Upon
incorrectly spelling a word, the speller immediately drops out of the competition,
except as provided in Rule 10.
10. End-of-bee procedure:
If
all spellers in a round misspell: If none of the spellers remaining in the
spelling bee at the start of a round spells a word correctly during that round,
all remain in the competition and a new round begins.
Ties: All
spellers eliminated in the same round are tied for the same place. After the champion
has been determined, spelling bee officials may opt to conduct tiebreakers (of
their own design) if tiebreakers are necessary for the awarding of prizes or the
determination of qualifying spellers for the next level of competition.
If
only one speller in a round spells correctly: If only one speller spells correctly
in a round, a new one-word round begins and the speller is given an opportunity
to spell the next word on the list (anticipated championship word). If the speller
succeeds in correctly spelling the anticipated championship word in this one-word
round, the speller is declared the champion.
Example: In Round
12 there are four spellers. Spellers 6 and 21 misspell. Speller 30 spells correctly.
Speller 42 misspells. So, Speller 30 is the only speller in the round to spell
correctly. Speller 30 begins Round 13—a one-word round—and is offered
the anticipated championship word. Speller 30 correctly spells the anticipated
championship word and is declared champion.
Example: Two spellers spell
in Round 10. Speller 14 misspells. Speller 25 spells correctly. Speller 25 begins
Round 11—a one-word round—and is offered the anticipated championship
word. Speller 25 correctly spells the anticipated championship word and is declared
champion.
Example: Two spellers spell in Round 16. Speller 3 spells correctly.
Speller 9 misspells. Speller 3 begins Round 17—a one-word round—and
is offered the anticipated championship word. Speller 3 correctly spells the anticipated
championship word and is declared champion.
VERY IMPORTANT: If a speller misspells the anticipated championship word in a one-word round:
A new round begins with ALL the spellers who spelled (correctly and incorrectly)
in the previous round. These spellers spell in their original order.
Example:
In Round 8 there are three spellers. Speller 12 spells correctly and Spellers
23 and 37 misspell. Round 9—a one-word round—begins, and Speller 12
is offered the anticipated championship word. Speller 12 misspells the anticipated
championship word. Round 10 begins and includes Spellers 12, 23, and 37. The rules
prescribe that spellers 12, 23, and 37 spell in their original order; so Speller
12 gets the next word on the list even though Speller 12 misspelled the previous
word on the list. Round 10 is not complete until all three spellers have spelled.
Tip: Spelling bee officials may find it helpful to designate a record keeper
or judge to track the progress of spellers throughout the rounds. The record keeper's
information will be helpful in preventing end-of-bee confusion.
11.
Appeals: The speller's parent(s), legal guardian, or teacher may appeal to
the judges for the speller's reinstatement provided that the appeal is in compliance
with the appeal protocol. The judges render a final decision on the appeal in
accordance with the reinstatement protocol.
Appeal protocol
A
written appeal must be hand delivered to the designated official (usually the
spelling bee coordinator/director). The deadline for delivering an appeal is before
the speller affected would have received his/her next word had he/she stayed in
the spelling bee; however, to minimize disruptions to the spelling bee, every
effort should be made to deliver an appeal by the end of the round in which the
speller was eliminated. When five or fewer spellers remain, the written appeal
requirement is suspended, and an oral appeal must be made before the speller would
have received his/her next word had he/she stayed in the spelling bee. A written
appeal must provide the speller's name, the word in question, and the reason the
speller should be reinstated.
While the competition is in session, individuals
who have filed appeals may not directly approach the judges unless explicit permission
to approach the judges has been given. The judges will contact the speller if
they decide to reinstate the speller. To minimize disruption to the pace of the
spelling bee and the concentration of the spellers, the judges are under no obligation
to stop the spelling bee in order to discuss with the speller's parent(s), legal
guardian, or teacher a denied appeal. The judges' decisions are final and are
subject neither to review nor to reversal by the Scripps National Spelling Bee's
headquarters office.
Reinstatement protocol
Pronouncer
mispronunciation: An appeal claiming that a speller's elimination from the
spelling bee was due to pronunciation error should be denied unless there is agreement
that the pronouncer never offered a correct pronunciation.
Alternate
pronunciations: An appeal claiming that the pronouncer did not offer alternate
pronunciations should be denied unless it is determined that the speller requested
alternate pronunciations and the pronouncer did not accommodate the speller's
request for alternate pronunciations and it appears that the speller's
spelling almost matches the correct spelling.
Speller's misunderstanding:
An appeal claiming that the speller's elimination from the spelling bee was due
to the speller's not understanding the word [its pronunciation(s) and/or other
information about the word] should be denied. It is the speller's responsibility
to understand the word.
Speller offered correct spelling, as indicated
in Webster's Third: An appeal claiming that the speller correctly
spelled the word should be denied unless an audio recording of the bee's proceedings
or bee officials' recollections clearly indicate that the word was indeed spelled
correctly.
Exception: If the speller's spelling is listed in Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, Merriam-Webster,
copyright 2002, the speller should be reinstated if all of the following three
criteria are met: (1) The pronunciations of the words are identical, (2) the definitions
of the words are identical, and (3) the words are clearly identified as being
standard variants of each other. Spellings at other locations having temporal
labels (such as archaic, obsolete), stylistic labels (such as substand,
nonstand), or regional labels (such as North, Midland, Irish) which
differ from main entry spellings not having these status labels will not be accepted
as correct.
Speller offered correct spelling, as indicated
in a dictionary other than Webster's Third: An appeal claiming
that the speller spelled the word correctly according to a dictionary other than Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright
2002, Merriam-Webster, should be denied.
Homonym: An appeal claiming
that the speller's elimination was unfair because the speller's word is a homonym
should be denied unless the pronouncer failed to define the word and the
speller correctly spelled a homonym of the word.
Incorrect or unsolicited
information: An appeal claiming that the speller's elimination was unfair
because the pronouncer offered incorrect or unsolicited information about the
word should be denied unless it is determined that the pronouncer indeed gave
factually incorrect information and it appears that the speller's spelling
would have been correct if not for the incorrect or unsolicited information provided
by the pronouncer.
Bee officials failed to correct a misunderstanding:
An appeal claiming that the speller misspelled because the judges and/or pronouncer
failed to correct the speller's mispronunciation of the word should be denied.
It is sometimes impossible to detect a speller's mispronunciation or misunderstanding,
and ultimately it is the responsibility of the speller to understand and correctly
pronounce the word.
Disqualification request: An appeal seeking
to dislodge another speller from the spelling bee should be denied.
