Rules for Advancement to the State Competition

Rules for Advancement

The Northern California State Competition date and location will be announced at a later date.

To the California State Championships Amended June 22, 2019

All Star Teams comprised of Team Members and/or Individuals are no longer recognized as part of the California MATHCOUNTS Program. Participation at the State Competition is now for School Teams and top scoring competitors from Chapter Competitions.

In accordance with National MATHCOUNTS mandates, a minimum of one team and two additional top scoring competitors per chapter will advance to the State Competition. The additional top scoring competitors will advance to the State Competition as an “Independent”. (Note: An “Independent” may have been registered at the chapter level as an Individual or as a Team Member, but s/he has progressed to the State Competition based on his/her own merit and will compete at the State Competition without a team. This California-specific term has been created to easily identify this type of competitor.)

• Independents will participate in the Sprint and Target rounds only. Based on these results, they will be eligible to qualify for the Countdown Round.
• Independents will also be eligible for individual competitor awards and advancement to the national competition.
• Independents are not eligible to release his/her position to another student. That position, once vacated, will be forfeited.
• Alternates and Unofficial Competitors
• Students that participated as alternates or unofficial competitors at the Chapter Competition are not eligible to advance to the State Competition. Alternates and unofficial competitors will not be seated at the State Competition.
• Substitutions:
• Coaches may not substitute a Team Member for the State Competition unless a student voluntarily releases his/her position on the school team. Such a request must be submitted in writing to the State Coordinator by February 28. Exceptions to this rule will be considered by the State Coordinator on a case by case basis.
• Substitutions that are not recorded with the State Coordinator by 10 am the day prior to the event will not be recognized and the student will not be allowed to compete under any circumstances. Additional restrictions on substitutions such as requiring parental release are at the discretion of the State Coordinator.

Highest Scoring School Teams advance as follows:

• 1 – 10 schools registered in chapter – allowed 1 Team

• 11 - 20 schools registered in chapter – allowed 2 Teams

• 21 - 30 schools registered in chapter – allowed 4 Teams

• 31 - 40 schools registered in chapter – allowed 5 Teams

• 41 or more schools registered in chapter – allowed 6 Teams

If the winner of the Chapter Competition is a magnet school and/or has won the Chapter Competition for the second consecutive year one additional team will be allowed to advance to the State Competition. No more than one additional team per chapter is allowed to advance in this manner.

Advancing Teams will be the top scoring Teams based on overall Team scores at the Chapter Competition.

Independents are selected as follows:

• 1 -10 Schools registered in chapter – 2 Independents advance

• 11-20 Schools registered in chapter – 3 Independents advance

• 21-30 Schools registered in chapter – 5 Independents advance

• 31-40 Schools registered in chapter – 6 Independents advance

• 41 or more Schools registered in chapter – 7 Independents advance

Independents will be the top scoring competitors at the Chapter Competition (based on Sprint and Target Round scores), who are not on an advancing School Team. Independents may have been registered as a school Team Member or an Individual. Regardless of registration status at the chapter level, Independents will compete only in the Sprint and Target Rounds at the State Competition, and the Countdown Round if

qualified.

State Competition Cap

The state reserves the right to place a cap on the total number of students at the State Competition at 375 participants statewide. Because the approximate number of competitors is not available until final registration has been completed, the State Coordinator will make any necessary adjustments to the above described advancement numbers and notify all chapter coordinators at that time. It will be the responsibility of the Chapter Coordinator to notify their participating coaches of any changes.