Alaska Academic Decathlon Coaches' Handbook

The tests in the six written test subject areas are multiple-choice with five answers. Each test has 50 items, except math, which has 25. Before beginning the coaching process in each of the subject areas, a thorough review of the official USAD Subject Area Guide and Practice Test for that area is advised!  The rule for preparing for the Academic Decathlon subject tests is “Keep It Focused!” Assistance from other teachers, from past Decathletes, or from community people should be welcomed in these areas, but they need to understand that the competition instruments are focused on the Study Guide Outline and therefore any outside instruction should pertain to that outline.

Test Room Seating Arrangement

We use arena testing for all of the written tests. Students are required to sit at least one row apart and two seats apart from teammates. Coaches should instruct their team to sit in the same general area while still abiding by the above rules. This will allow our aggressive testing schedule to be maintained. Coaches are required to provide their team with their ScanTron forms just prior to each of the written tests.

Coaches are not allowed to remain in the testing room after the test is started. Coaches are sometimes asked to be proctors for the test, in that event those proctoring will remain in the testing room.

Marking Instructions for ScanTron Forms

1.      Marking Instrument

2.      Quality of mark

Results can be less than satisfactory if:

1. The wrong marking instrument is used

        (A #2 pencil gives the best results and is provided)

2. The mark is not dark and does not fill the box

3. Erasures are not clean. Incomplete erasures can be read as a mark.

ART- Total Points Possible - 1000

The art test covers the specific pieces of art listed in the Study Guide, the artists, the schools of art, and the fundamental concepts and techniques that are utilized by those artists and within those schools of art. The Book of Art Reproductions contains full color reproductions of the selections. It is also possible to obtain slides of the art works from USAD, which many art teachers like to use for lecture purposes. Independent research on the artists’ techniques, concepts and schools of art will be required.

MUSIC - Total Points Possible - 1000

The music test covers the specific pieces of music listed in the Study Guide, the com­posers, styles, historical periods, and fundamental concepts of music including instruments and voices that are pertinent to the theme. The USAD Subject Area Guide in music provides information on each composer and the particular selection. Also available is a CD of the musical selections. In order to assure that students “experience” the music, a portion of the music involves a listening section, in which students listen to a 15-second excerpt, recognize it, and answer a question about the piece. Many coaches view the art and music sections of the Academic Decathlon as a wonderful opportunity to provide a rich cultural experience for students that may not be otherwise available.

Language and Literature - Total Points Possible - 1000

The language and literature event in the Academic Decathlon usually includes one or two novels and several poems. The tests in language and literature also contain a section on analytical reading in which the students read a new “unknown” passage about 25 lines long and answer 10 questions about it. In these questions, the students are asked to do any of the following:

Because this type of analysis is intrinsic to all reading comprehension, your team members will most likely have a long background of performing this type of task on standardized tests and in English classes. It is, therefore, an area that you will probably not address in your Decathlon preparation unless you have a lot of time or you win at lower levels and are trying to refine your skills for the state or national championship.

Ideally your team members have read the novel(s) during the summer. The language and literature test presumes a mastery of the novels that requires students to discuss characters by name, settings by location, and incidents by description. In addition, they must have a working knowledge of the literary terms that are used in literary analysis and the ability to apply them properly to the novels. Some time must be spent on focused team discussions of the novels with the aid of the Subject Area Guide.

There are usually several poems of varying length in the poetry section of the language and literature event. Students must be able to identify or discuss each poem by author, title, format subject, and theme, and must have a working knowledge of the literary terms and their application. While test items on the poetry often contain a reproduction of the particular line or lines from the poem that are relevant to the question, the student is expected to have sufficient recall of the poem to know how those lines fit into the total “happening” in the poem.

If you are not an English teacher, then recruiting one will prove very beneficial. You will need his or her help in many English related areas; essay, poetry, novels, and perhaps critical reading. You should consider recruiting them as an assistant coach. After the students have read and “learned” the literature, extended discussion periods on each piece of literature will be necessary for them to develop a full and accurate understanding of each one.

Economics - Total Points Possible - 1000

When economics is the theme of the Super Quiz it will not be a separate event. It is only in the last ten years that all states have finally adopted economics into the state curriculum. In most high schools it is now taught during the last semester of the senior year, usually opposite a semester of American government. If this is the situation in your school, then it is likely that at the time of your preparation for competition no one on your team has studied any economics. For this reason, the Academic Decathlon economics event is very basic made up of the most fundamental concepts and terminology. You should focus coverage of only the materials that students will need to master outlined in the Study Guide. Also helpful may be your school’s economics textbook. Be sure to determine which chapters and pages relate to the USAD outline, so that you are not asking your team to absorb an entire course in economics for one test.

Mathematics - Total Points Possible - 1000

Math is the event that is typically the least prepared for in the competition. Most coaches will allow students to rely on their years of math training and their inherent abilities to perform reasonably on the math test. It is possible to sharpen those skills with only one or two math sessions that could result in a significant improvement in scores.

On a comprehensive math test, the student spends time recognizing the type of problem presented and the proper solution process called for. A skillful math teacher can review the practice test with the students and prepare them for a quick recognition of each problem type.  Use of calculators is allowed, but they must meet the following criteria.