State and County Spelling Bees to See New Format
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Late last month, Blaine County Superintendent of Schools, Valerie White received notice that the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee, as well as the intermediate (county) competition, would see revisions in its structure. That means that the familiar County Spelling Bee—where several school spelling bee winners congregate in one location for a spell-off to qualify for state competition—will not take place in its traditional format.
This announcement came from the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee Director, Matthew Henry, who cited volatile pandemic conditions in some areas as the cause for the changes. As an alternative, the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee will be held through use of Scripps’ Online Testing Platform (SOTP). With the introduction of the SOTP, schools have the option of either holding in-person bees or using the online test to determine their school champions.
In light of these circumstances, the deadline for holding school bees has been extended until February 10. Whether a school holds its bee in person or with the online test, it is required to register a champion on the Scripps website by February 10.
Registration of a school champion automatically enters the student in the next level of competition, which is the Intermediate (County) Level Bee. The Intermediate Level Bee will utilize the SOTP, and scores on the test will determine which students advance to the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee. The top sixty scorers on the intermediate test will qualify for state competition. This qualification measure differs from the past when a representative from each county advanced to the State Bee.
Via email, school champions, their parents, and teachers will receive instructions for taking the Intermediate Level test after the window for holding school bees has closed on February 10. Consisting of both spelling and vocabulary questions, the test will have a time limit of 30 minutes. Contestants may take the test any time during the test window of February 22-27 but must complete it in one sitting.
The test may be taken on any device, either at home or at school. However, in order to preserve the integrity of the test-taking option, the speller must be proctored by a parent or a teacher. In addition, contestants must sign an integrity pledge and cannot access other devices or study aids during the test. Contestants will be notified by email after the intermediate test window has closed on February 27 if they have qualified for the state bee.
Following a similar format, the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee will be conducted using the SOTP with the same protocols as those used with the intermediate test. Contestants will again receive emailed instructions for taking the state test, which will be held on a single day: Thursday, March 25. After the bee is held, contestants will be notified of their qualification status.
According to Henry, the top scorer on the state test will represent Montana at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee for the chance to win $50,000.00 in college scholarships and other prizes. Travel expenses for the contestant and his/her parent, as well as other prizes, will be provided by the Treasure State Spelling Bee sponsor, the Montana Television Network.
Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact White’s office by calling 357-3270.
Additional information is available on the Scripps website (http://spellingbee.com/), and questions can also be directed to the State Bee Director. Henry, who serves as the Superintendent of Schools in Gallatin County, can be reached by phone: 406-582-3090 or by email: matthew.henry@gallatin.mt.gov.
