January 30, 2009
To Youth & Young Adults
Academic Decathlon: Just the facts
The first Indiana Decathlon Contest was held in 1985. Memorial High School is one of two teams that have participated every year in which they have been held. Memorial has been state champions in 2007 and 2008.
The competition consists of 10 subjects. They are Speech, Interview, Essay, Language and Literature, Social Studies, Science, Math, Art, Music, and Economics. Each year either the Social Studies or the Science subject is identified as the Superquiz subject.
In the Speech portion of the contest each participant gives two speeches, one prepared, the other impromptu.
The Interview is set up much like a job or college interview. Each student is evaluated on how well he presents himself.
In Essay, students are given 50 minutes to write an essay based upon their choice of three topics related to the materials studied for the competition.
Students are required to read one or two longer works, usually novels but sometimes plays or other types of literature; and several shorter works, such as poems or short stories, for the Language and Literature portion of the contest. The reading materials are related in some way to the Superquiz topic. Detailed questions about the works read, the authors, and the cultural context of the works form the majority of the test in this subject. A portion of that test also measures reading skills on a selection not previously read, much like an ISTEP or SAT test.
For Social Studies the students usually study one historical subject in great detail. In addition to the facts, they must also learn about various ways those facts have been interpreted by historians.
In Science, the students must master a detailed subject. In addition to facts, the students are also forced to examine the subject in historical context, and frequently look at broader implications related to the subject.
The Art and Music categories each focus on up to two dozen visual or musical pieces related to the Superquiz topic in some way.
In Economics about 90 percent of the test is based upon knowledge of classical economics.
The Math portion of the contest does not generally change much to reflect the focus of the competition. It does cover all subjects a good student will cover in four years of high school, including Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and Trigonometry.
The breadth and depth of these subjects make successful participation in Academic Decathlon very much like taking an extra semester of school on top of keeping up with regular school work.
Each team in Academic Decathlon consists of nine students. Three of them must have an A average, three a B average, and three a C average. Each student competes against others in his or her own category. The team score is based upon the top two student scores in each category. The team score includes overall scores from all ten subjects, so all nine students must master all ten subjects.
Awards are given for a variety of team and individual accomplishments. The first place team in each subject wins a plaque. There are also team awards for first, second, and third place in the overall competition. The individual student can win gold, silver, or bronze medals in each subject, as well as for the overall competition (within their competition category).