Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics
31st Annual Missouri Elementary Mathematics Contest
Qualifying Contest Sites and Dates
Ballwin (maximum of 200 students, 4 students per
grade level) – November 21, 2015
Donna Tucek
Rockwood School District
500 North Central
Eureka, MO 63025
Test Site: Selvidge Middle School
235 New Ballwin Rd.
Ballwin, MO 63021
tucekdonna@rsdmo.org
Louisiana – December 5, 2015
Ellen Elson
Louisiana Elementary School
500 Haley Ave.
Louisiana, MO 63353
elsone@louisiana.k12.mo.us
Kansas City – January 30, 2016
Ashley Schetter
Brookside Charter School
1815 E. 63rd
Kansas City, MO 64130
aschetter@brooksidecharter.org
Knob Noster – January 30, 2016
Ann McCoy
WCM 115
UCM
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Test Site: Knob Noster Middle School
211 E Wimer St.
Knob Noster, MO 65336
mccoy@ucmo.edu
Columbia – January 30, 2016
Bob Borst
Rock Bridge High School
4303 South Providence Road
Columbia, MO 65203
bborst@columbia.k12.mo.us
Wentzville, MO 63385
michellevaughan@wsdr4.org
Park Hills – February 6, 2016
Cathy Hawn & Jenny Beck
Mathematics Dept.
P.O. Box 1000
Park Hills, MO 63601
Test Site: Mineral Area College
5270 Flat River Road
Park Hills, MO 63601
chawn@mineralarea.edu
Cape Girardeau – February 20, 2016
Ann Schnurbush
Department of Mathematics (MS 6700)
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
anschnurbusch@semo.edu
Joplin – February 20, 2016
Becky Hendrickson
Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School
3401 E. Newman Rd.
Joplin, MO 64801
bhendrickson@tjeffschool.org
Kirksville – February 20, 2016
David Garth
Department of Mathematics
Truman State University
100 E. Normal
Kirksville, MO 63501
dgarth@truman.edu
St. Joseph – February 20, 2016 (maximum of 4 per
grade level)
Mike Otto
Oak Grove Elementary School
4901 Cook Rd
St. Joseph, MO 64505
Michael.Otto@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Wentzville – January 30, 2016
(maximum of 55 students total)
Michelle Vaughan
Boonetrail Elementary School
555 State Hwy N
1
West Plains – February 20, 2016
Jerry Trick
Missouri State University-West Plains
128 Garfield Ave.
West Plains, MO 65775
jerrytrick@missouristate.edu
Cassville – February 27, 2016
Jennifer Pendergraft
Cassville Middle School
1501 North Main
Cassville, MO 65625
jpendergraft@cassville.k12.mo.us
Malden – February 27, 2016
Rebecca Vipperman
Malden Elementary School
505 Burkhart St.
Malden, MO 63863
rvipperman@malden.k12.mo.us
Ravenwood – February 27, 2016
Kila Henry
Northeast Nodaway R-V
126 S. High School Ave.
Ravenwood, MO 64479
khenry@nen.k12.mo.us
Republic – February 27, 2016
Andrea Pullan
Republic Schools
Price Elementary
518 N. Hampton
Republic, MO 65738
andrea.pullan@republicschools.org
Rolla – February 27, 2016
Kim Allison
Mark Twain Elementary School
1100 Mark Twain Drive
Rolla, MO 65401
kallison@rolla.k12.mo.us
St. Louis (maximum of 70 students) – February 27, 2016
Sandy Bigg
New City School
5209 Waterman Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
sbigg@newcityschool.org
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A Missouri student may compete in the Regional competition if he or she participates in an elementary qualifying
round (either a local contest or the in-school qualifying round) during the school year and does any one of the
following:
· Earns at least 50% of the available points on any of the individual tests.
· Scores strictly higher than 80% of the participants in his or her grade on any of the individual tests.
· Participates on a team that scores either at least 50% of the available points or strictly higher than 80% of the
other teams on the team test.
The list of students who qualifies for the regional competition will be listed under the “Qualifiers to Next Level” link
within the results of your local qualifying competition at http://mathleague.org/results/elementary/ . All students who
qualify for the Regional competition must attend only his/her Regional competition. At regionals or state, all
individuals who qualified individually or through the team event will take all events (Number Sense, Target, Sprint,
and Team).
Elementary Regional Competitions
(To determine your region, visit https://moctm.org/Regional.aspx)
Central – Columbia- March 26, 2016
Ann Schlemper
Columbia College
Brown Hall
1001 Rogers St.
Columbia, MO 65216
aschlemper@ccis.edu
Northeast – Hannibal – March 19, 2016
Melinda Kneib
Hannibal Middle School
4700 McMasters Ave.
Hannibal, MO 63401
mkneib@hannibal.k12.mo.us
Northwest – Warrensburg – March 12, 2016
Ann McCoy
WCM 115
UCM
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Test Site: Knob Noster Middle School
211 E Wimer St.
Knob Noster, MO 65336
mccoy@ucmo.edu
St. Louis (including St. Louis City/ County
and St. Charles County) – March 12, 2016
Sonya Land
1402 Sycamore Manor Dr.
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Test Site: Parkway West High School
14653 Clayton Rd.
Ballwin, MO 63011
sonya@mathisfun.org
Southeast – Cape Girardeau – April 2, 2016
Ann Schnurbush
Department of Mathematics (MS 6700)
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
anschnurbusch@semo.edu
Southwest – Bolivar – March 5, 2016
Dr. Kevin Hopkins
Department of Mathematics
Southwest Baptist University
1600 University Ave.
Bolivar, MO 65613
Test Site: Wheeler Science Building, SBU
khopkins@sbuniv.edu
Any student whose total individual performance at the regional playoff is among the top 10 at the student's grade level
in the student's district will be invited to compete in all events at that year's state championship. Any team whose
sweepstakes performance at the regional playoff is the highest in the team's division within the team's district or
among the top 5 in the team's division across all districts in the state will be invited to compete in all events at the
state championship.
The State Math Competition will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Columbia College, Columbia, MO.
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MCTM Elementary Mathematics Qualifying Contest Official Entry Form
DEADLINE: 3 weeks prior to qualifying site date, and membership registration required on http://mathleague.org/membership.php
(see more about membership on the next page)
School Name ________________________________________________________________ Public or Private
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School Address ______________________________________________ City _________________________ ZIP
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Phone _____________________Fax_______________________ Sponsor Name(s) ________________________________________
(Sponsor agrees to serve as a monitor or grader. Two sponsors if more than 9 participants.)
E-mail (Sponsor/Principal required to confirm)_________________________________________________________________
PRINCIPAL'S SIGNATURE ________________________________________________________
ENTRY FEE: $7.00 per entrant (no fee required for alternates)
AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $ _______________
Make check payable to: MCTM. (Purchase orders WILL NOT be accepted.)
MAIL TO: SITE COORDINATOR (addresses on adjacent page) where your school plans to participate.
Name of Site:____________________________________
Don’t write here
CONTESTANTS: (Type or print legibly Last Name, First Name)
Grade 4:
Grade 5:
Grade 6:
Student# Room
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Educators to accompany students to contest and assist coordinator (indicate if a teacher, administrator, or parent):
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Mathematics Contest Rules
Grades 4-6
The Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for special
accommodations for persons with disabilities must be submitted in writing with documentation to the regional site coordinator at least 30
days in advance of the contest so special arrangements can be made.
Submission of this registration form grants permission to the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics to release the names and
photographs of participants in this contest to the news media, the MCTM web site, and the mathleague website.
Qualifying contests are open to students enrolled in grades 4, 5 or 6 in Missouri public or private schools. The maximum number of students
a school (elementary or middle) may enter at each grade level is eight. Home-schooled students are also invited to participate either as a
representative of the local public school team or as a representative for a minimum of 10 home-schooled children at the same grade level in
the region / home school organization. Site coordinators may limit the participation to 3 home-schooled children per grade level.
All entries must be submitted on an Official Entry Form, or copy thereof, signed by the school principal and postmarked no later than 3
weeks prior to the contest date. A non-refundable fee of $7.00 is required for each participating student, and site coordinators do not accept
purchase orders. The entry form and check should be mailed to the Site Coordinator (see addresses on the adjacent pages) at the qualifying
site where the school plans to participate, which is normally the site closest to your school’s location and within your region. The Site
Coordinator reserves the right to return any late entries. Also, all schools must register for mathleague membership at
http://mathleague.org/membership.php to ensure that schools can be contacted regarding regional, state, and national qualifications. Schools
do not have to pay the membership dues unless they are interested in participating in the in-school contest or attending the state competition.
At the testing locations:
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No student or adult will be admitted to a testing room after a test has begun.
Students must furnish their own sharpened pencils and calculator. Any calculator that is allowed on the SAT will be
allowed for the Target and Team Events. Any student choosing to use a calculator must bring his or her own calculator to
the contest.
Scratch paper will be allowed on the Sprint and Team Events. Any space on the test may be used for calculations.
An answer sheet will be provided for recording and marking answers for each event. Care must be taken to write or mark
each answer in the appropriate space.
Answers involving fractional numbers must be expressed in simplest form (lowest terms) except for ratios which may not
have to be simplified.
MCTM/mathleague.org is solely responsible for the choice of questions, correctness of answers and the administration of
the Mathematics Contest. Test answer sheets will be collected, checked and scored by personnel selected by the Site
Coordinator. All decisions will be rendered on questions as they arise. These decisions are and will remain final.
The sponsoring school and/or parents must provide supervision at all times except when a student is taking a test. At least
one teacher/principal (two if more than 9 participants) must accompany the students to the regional contest and be
available to assist the Regional Coordinator as requested.
There will be four events: Number Sense (no calculator and no scratch paper), Target (calculator allowed), Sprint (no
calculator), and Team (calculator allowed). ALL students will take ALL events. For more details about each of these
events and how they will be scored, please go to http://mathleague.org/estests.php or read the Contest Coordinator
Handbook also available on the MCTM website at https://www.moctm.org/ElementaryContest.aspx
The students earning the five highest scores in Number Sense, Target, and Sprint at each grade level will be recognized. The top five
Sweepstakes scores will also be recognized. An honorable mention will be given to the top scoring student from each school. If a student
has already placed from a given school, an honorable mention ribbon does not need to be given to this student; this award is for recognizing
the top scorers from each school when no student from a school places in any other events. In each grade level, the top five combined scores
(target score plus sprint score plus one fourth of the number sense score) will be recognized. Please see Regional and State Qualifications on
page 3 of this registration packet.
A special request must be made if a religious belief prohibits participation in a Saturday contest. The request must be made in writing to the
regional site coordinator or the state finals coordinator at least 30 days in advance of the contest so that special arrangements can be made.
The arrangements may require that the contest participant go to another location to participate in the contest.
You may wish to go to mathleague.org’s website http://mathleague.org/freetests.php to sign up to receive a free elementary sample contest.
If you have any questions, please contact Jerry Trick, Elementary Contest Director, at jerrytrick@missouristate.edu or 417-255-7292.
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Strategies to Share with Sponsors and Students
(Feel free to distribute these next three pages in an email to all sponsors and in a hard copy to all sponsors the day of the contest.)
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The descriptions on page 1 of the handbook should be shared with all students prior to the day of the contest. Students should be
organized into teams of 1-4 students for the team event prior to the day of the contest. Teams may consist of students of different
grade levels.
Team Formation: Teams can be made up of 1-4 students of mixed or same grade levels; we encourage mixed grade level teams
since a fourth grader may be stronger in a particular topic than a sixth grader just because he or she recently studied that topic in
school. Every student attending will take the team test. The team event will be a part of the Sweepstakes score. A team's
Sweepstakes score is obtained by adding the individual scores of the team members, dividing by 4, and adding the team's score on
the team test. A maximum team total would be 400 points (300 points if the team had four members with perfect individual scores,
100 for the team test). Ties are broken by comparing team test scores (weighted by item analysis). If a team is not comprised of 4
members, there will be a 0 added into the sum for each missing team member before dividing by 4.
During the restroom break (approximately 10:00-10:15), students are expected to remain in the area near their testing rooms.
Restrooms and a water fountain will be nearby. No food or drink may be taken into the testing rooms.
No student will be allowed to enter a testing session after a test has begun. Students are expected to remain in their assigned rooms
and to refrain from talking throughout the individual testing sessions. Any student making disruptive noises may be asked to leave
the room. During the team event, students should talk quietly with their teammates so that they do not inadvertently share answers
with other teams.
Students should bring at least 2 sharpened pencils and a calculator. Any calculator allowed on the SAT may be used
(http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/calculator-policy).
Calculators are allowed ONLY on the Target and Team Events. A student must furnish his or her own calculator. Calculators are
NOT allowed on the Number Sense and Sprint Events.
Students may not use any dictionaries or other reference materials. If any student's proficiency in the language(s) the tests are
offered in is so severely limited as to preclude participation in mathleague.org contests, that student's coach may make arrangements
with mathleague.org to provide a written translation of the tests, so long as the translation can be accomplished in a timely and
secure fashion, and at no cost to mathleague.org. Any such translation must be approved by mathleague.org before use at a contest.
Most questions will not require units since it will be included in the question; however, if a student writes the incorrect units, his or
her answer will be counted as incorrect (e.g., “13 meters” written as an answer to something that was to be measured in square
meters).
Fractional numbers must be expressed in simplest (lowest) terms or as an equivalent decimal fraction, unless a ratio is requested.
For example, 0.33 is not equivalent to 1/3 and would be counted incorrect if the answer were 1/3. All improper fractions may be
expressed as mixed numbers or improper fractions.
Mental computation and estimation items are intended to be performed mentally. Paper and pencil computation may be slower,
allowing less time for working problems. Scratch paper will be given on Team and Sprint.
Students may be working in adult-sized arm chairs in university classrooms.
Each participant will receive a Ribbon of Participation.
The students earning the five highest scores in Number Sense, Target, and Sprint at each grade level will be recognized. The top
five Sweepstakes scores will also be recognized. An honorable mention will be given to the top scoring student from each school.
If a student has already placed from a given school, an honorable mention ribbon does not need to be given to this student; this
award is for recognizing the top scorers from each school when no student from a school places in any other events. In each grade
level, the top five combined scores (target score plus sprint score plus one fourth of the number sense score) will be recognized.
Please see Regional and State Qualifications on page 3 of this registration packet.
In the past, MCTM has not released any portion of the students’ tests due to using some similar questions from year to year.
However, mathleague.org would like to encourage all site coordinators to keep all of the students’ tests by school, and return them to
the appropriate schools after all of the contest sites have been completed for that month. This allows students to see what they have
missed, learn from their mistakes, and even have time to learn some new concepts before the state competition on Saturday, May 14,
2016. Site coordinators may choose to mail the contest papers or forego the expense of mailing out large amounts of paper and
make them available for pick up at their school after the last Saturday of the month the contest was held.
In addition to releasing the test materials, results of ALL sites will be available online at mathleague.org to the public after the
results have been finalized by the site coordinator. Students’ names will not be listed; the school’s name will be listed and the
student’s first and last initials. Students will now be able to see how they rank with regard to everyone else at a particular site and
across the state. Please encourage all students to understand the penalty for guessing on all events. On Number Sense, they should
answer quickly but accurately. On Sprint, students should once again work accurately and generally not guess unless they can
narrow it down to 2 choices. It is possible and probable that students will receive negative scores on the Number Sense and Sprint
rounds due to not understanding the penalty for incorrect answers. For example, a student who gets 2 questions correct on Sprint
and then guesses on the remaining 28 (getting all 28 wrong) would have a score of 4×2 – 28×1 = -20. On Target and Team, students
should never leave a question blank—they should always guess since there is no penalty for guessing.
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Number Sense Event
The philosophy behind Number Sense is that students should learn how to do mental math quickly and accurately:
 Because of the emphasis on mental math, no calculators or scratch paper are allowed. Scratchwork on the test is highly discouraged
because successful Number Sense students often find that it is faster to do all calculations in their head. In addition, students in
Texas should note that when they move to middle school and high school, the rules regarding scratchwork are MUCH stricter, so it's
in their best interest not to develop a habit of working their answers out on the test that could harm them later.
 Because of the emphasis on speed, students are given only 10 minutes to complete as many of the 80 problems as they can.
 Because of the emphasis on accuracy, answers must be completely legible, exactly correct, entirely numerical, fully computed, and
in simplest form (see below). If the form of an answer is specified in the problem, the answer must adhere to that form.
The student's intended answer for a given problem is interpreted to be the entirely numerical portion of anything written in the answer blank
that is not marked out or erased. Note that, in contrast to other Number Sense rules you may have seen, markouts or erasures are not counted
as incorrect in this version of the test, but nothing that is marked out or erased will be counted as the student's answer either. The "entirely
numerical" portion of an answer will consist of any digits (0-9), decimal points, commas, negative signs, and pi symbols (π) that appear in the
answer blank without being marked out or erased. Unless the specific form of an answer is specified in a problem, the following forms of an
answer are equivalent if they can be expressed exactly and in simplest form using only the approved symbols: decimals, mixed numbers, and
improper fractions. Every tenth problem is an estimation problem, for which the answer must be an integer and must be within 5% of the
exact answer to earn credit. Problems that ask for an answer in dollars must include a decimal point and be precise to the exact cent. Thus if
the answer is twelve dollars the correct answer is 12.00, not 12 or 12.0 (in this context 12.00 is considered simplest form because the question
deals with currency that is defined to require two decimal places). Note that there was a major revision to the rules at the beginning of the
2013-2014 season, so tests from earlier years may have symbols in the answer keys that do not conform to the guidelines listed here.
At the end of 10 minutes, the tests are collected and each student's answers are graded, starting from question 1 and proceeding to the last
question for which any intended answer is visible in the answer blank (i.e. the last question attempted). Each correct answer is worth 5 points,
and each incorrect answer is worth -4 points. Note that problems beyond the last question attempted are not counted incorrect.
Below are SOME examples of what would and would not be counted correct on Number Sense for a problem where the question asks the
student to divide 600 by 800 but the form of the answer is not specified:
Answer
Outcome
Notes
3/4
CORRECT
this is one of only two possible answers that would be accepted at Texas middle and high school contests
.75
CORRECT
this is one of only two possible answers that would be accepted at Texas middle and high school contests
0.75
CORRECT
this is considered a fully simplified equivalent to the preferred answer of .75
0,75
CORRECT
this is allowed as some students use commas in place of decimal points
.75 miles
per hour
CORRECT
although this is not entirely numerical, the entirely numerical portion is .75, which is correct
.750
INCORRECT this is not in simplest form and conveys information that is not equivalent in every way to .75
6/8
INCORRECT this is not in simplest form
600/800
INCORRECT this is not in simplest form
75%
INCORRECT
this is not entirely numerical, as % is not an approved symbol; according to the rules above, this answer would
be interpreted as 75, which is not correct
3:4
INCORRECT
this is not entirely numerical, as : is not an approved symbol; according to the rules above, this answer would
be interpreted as 34, which is not correct
3÷4
INCORRECT
this is neither entirely numerical nor fully computed; according to the rules above, this answer would be
interpreted as 34, which is not correct
three
fourths
INCORRECT
this is not entirely numerical; according to the rules above, this answer would be interpreted as a non-answer,
which is not correct
6/8 = 3/4
this is not entirely numerical (note that if the student scratches out the "6/8=" part and leaves the 3/4, it would
INCORRECT be counted correct); at best, this response looks like the student intended to give two answers to the question,
which is not allowed
42
INCORRECT this is not exactly correct
Notice that if a student has the correct numerical portion but does not have the correct units, this is counted CORRECT. Most of the time, the
units are already printed on the test itself, so students do not need to write units.
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