Math Kangaroo Instructions for Faculty
Math Kangaroo Calendar of Happenings
Registration of participants on www.mathkangaroo.org. Registration at the registered centers/schools is open. Registration fee is $21. For financial assistance contact izabela@mathkangaroo.org.
DECEMBER
In December Math Kangaroo sends an e-mail to families asking them to verify and update if needed children names, participation level and participation place.
December 16 – December 31: Late registration with greater registration fee: $35 – subject to place availability.
JANUARY
The Centers Managers verify delivery addresses on their manager site.
FEBRUARY
Math Kangaroo Managers can download the participants’ list from their Manager’s Page.
During the first week of February after verifying with Manager Page: Each Manager sends email to the families of the registered students with the reminder about the date, time, place of the competition and the manager’s contact.
MARCH
March 1: Math Kangaroo material is delivered by this date. Managers should verify the content of the package promptly and to communicate any discrepancies no later than March 1 to info@mathkangaroo.org .
Names of the enrolled students can be accessed on Manager Page.
On the Math Kangaroo Day: Managers make sure that each participant uses her/his answer card and returns it right after finishing solving the test.
The managers need to make sure that neither question paper nor any notes are taken outside the competition room. They can be returned after the last competition day for all US students. Please consider asking your students to bring large envelopes (with their names on) for their tests.
Thursday or Friday morning after the test: Managers should scan original answer sheets and upload them to the system they got the sheets from. The sheets of absentees do not have to be uploaded.
Local Managers send congratulation e-mail to the participants and inform parents of the absent students how/when to claim their participation gift bags.
Registered students who do not attend the competition can claim their competition items from the center manager after April 1 and before June 1.
MAY
May 1: The results and ranking is available in parents’ and managers’ accounts.
Managers send congratulatory emails to the top 20 in the nation and top 3 in the state students and inform how and when the awards can be claimed from the center manager.
May 1 – May 8: Packages with awards are sent to the managers.
Results are available in the managers’ and parents’ accounts.
Awards Ceremonies take place at Math Kangaroo Centers across the USA. Feedback and pictures can be shared here:
info@mathkangaroo.org. Reimbursement for expenses needs to be requested by the end of May.
JUNE
Families of the winners who could not attend the awards ceremonies need to claim their awards from their local managers by June 1 – in person.
National Winners list is published on www.mathkangaroo.org by June 1.
Math Kangaroo Day Proctoring Instructions for Online Centers
The information below offers additional details and specifics for facilitating the Math Kangaroo 2023 Online Competition.
Timeline:
- Competition date: Third Thursday of March
- Competition time: As shown in your center information in the manager’s site.
- Manager should ask the students to show up 15-30 minutes before the assigned competition time and start exactly as the hour the competition is scheduled.
- Each online student will receive an exam link from Math Kangaroo the day before the exam. The link will lead to the exam only during the competition time when the manager allows access to it.
- After a manager allows the exam access, each student will have exactly 75 minutes to complete the test.
Logistics:
- Let your students know they will receive the exam login by email a day before and they should have it handy at the time of the competition. As always, if they do not see it, they should first check their “spam” folder.
- Send your students a ZOOM (or another platform) link one week ahead of the competition and again 1 day before the competition. Ask them to make sure they have the platform application set up on their computers by the time of the test. E.g. ZOOM download.
- Ask your students to log into ZOOM (or other platform) 15-20 minutes before the assigned time. Ask them to have their names written on the screen so you can easily identify them.
- When students are logged in, ask all to have their cameras on but the audio off. You, as a moderator, should set the zoom for everyone to be muted and chat unavailable with anyone but you.
- Introduce yourself and any volunteer you may have with you. Remind students about the rules: independent test solving/answering, no calculators, no walking away from the computer.
- When the exam time comes make the exam accessible to all students you can see in the zoom platform. If someone needs help – ask them to write you a chat message. A parent can send a chat message to you as well if there is some technical issue you should know about. You may have one room available for video chat if needed and have a volunteer to help.
- Students will have 75 minutes to finish the test. Some may finish earlier.
- During the time students are taking the test double check the attendance to make sure all present students have access to the exam.
- If you have a larger group of students you may put them in the break-out rooms and have a proctor assigned to each room. Math Kangaroo recommends one proctor per 20 students or less.
- You can choose to have a short chat session after the test to let students debrief about the test, how hard or easy or surprising the questions were. This can be done only after all students are finished with the exam.
- Do not record the session to respect students’ privacy.
- Feel free to take a screenshot if an apparent case of dishonesty takes place.
Have a wonderful time proctoring your students and remember to smile a lot – for many it’s a stressful experience although exciting at the same time.
Math Kangaroo Team
Math Kangaroo Day Proctoring Instructions for In-Person Centers
1.
Seat the kids and introduce yourself; write your name(s) on the board; check attendance with your enrollment document. As needed, remind any parents dropping off children when they should return for pick-up. Have the rules (see below) written on the board preferably before children arrive.
2.
Explain the rules to the kids (see below). Tell them how happy you are to see them today and that they are among 6 million of Math Kangaroo participants in the world.
3.
Distribute pencils, scratch paper, and answer sheets and go around the room to check the names. If time permits, this may be done before the children arrive or during setup.
4.
Tell the children to write their names on the question booklet. Ask them to wait until you set the timer.
5.
Set the timer and announce that they may begin. Gently and briefly announce when one hour has passed (that is, 15 min are left), and when 5 min remain in their testing time.
6.
Control the environment to maintain silence and proper test-taking behavior.
7.
For any type of inappropriate behavior, send the child out of the room immediately, to keep the distractions to other participants at a minimum. Make sure somebody on your team can take care of the students that leave the testing room.
8.
Collect the answer sheets and put a check mark on the attendance sheet.
9.
If any child finishes early, they may leave the room to join their parents or quietly read a book or draw on the scratch paper.
10.
When everyone is finished or the time is up, check the attendance sheet to see if all answer sheets are collected.
11.
Collect all signed paper tests and notes. Students can pick up their tests from you after April 1.
12.
Distribute the T-shirts and toys. Refer to the attendance sheet or to the answer form to get the right size of the T-shirts. If time permits, this may be done before the children arrive or during setup.
13.
Ask the kids to gather for the competition photo. If time permits, this may be done before the children arrive or during setup. Make sure to exclude children from photographing who have a photo restriction marked in their registration page.
14.
Ask them to put the chairs and desks back in order, however moving desks and chairs should not be done during the test time.
15.
Dismiss the students making sure the parents are ready for dismissal.
Obey test proctors.
Respect others—no noise, no talking.
Raise your hand if you have a question; quietly wait for the proctor to come to you.
No sharing items.
No turning around to look at other students’ answers.
Have nothing on the desk except writing utensils, scratch paper, answer card and the question booklet.
No food or drink (except bottled water).
Silence and put away phones.
No calculators.
Math Kangaroo Day Suggested Script
Please distribute the answer sheets and the question booklets at the beginning when students are seated or at the start as soon as students arrive. If you arrive at the testing center and time allows, you may distribute these items before the children arrive. Have one team member write the rules on the board during setup. Your proctoring team should be paying attention, so students do not open the booklets before the competition starts. You may also want to remind the class at this time that now is a good time to use a bathroom if they must do so. Note: all members of the proctoring team should have their electronic devices and phones set to silent mode.
After you have encouraged the restroom, and when all children are present and settled in their seats, here is below suggesting script, that you may follow:
“Good afternoon (or evening) and welcome to the 2021 Math Kangaroo event. My name is (*your name*), and I will be supervising your test today.”
“Before getting started, we need to go over some rules, which you can see on the board. [then, briefly go over rules on board], and ask, ‘Are there any questions?’ Pause after asking whether there are any questions.
“Ok, please write your name on the question booklet. Make sure your name and grade are correct on your answer sheet. Do not open your question booklet until I tell you to start.”
“You will have a total of 75 minutes to complete the test. I will let you know when 15 minutes remain, and when there are 5 minutes left. If you finish early you may bring up your answer sheet, test booklet, and scratch paper and leave with your parents. Please be quiet when you come forward.
“Does anyone have any questions? You may now start.”
Information for Math Kangaroo Day Volunteer Helpers
On behalf the Math Kangaroo Organization, thank you for volunteering on Math Kangaroo Day. We are glad to be able to count on you again this year!
Allow me to point out a few details that will be helpful on exam day. The Math Kangaroo manager will go over the organizational specifics. Please, be available for designated tasks, as they may be different at each location.
Here are some general expectations and sample tasks:
Help with seating the children; try to ensure that participants of the same level are not sitting next to each other.
Direct parents to the designated waiting area(s); they may have questions. Encourage them, especially parents of younger children, NOT to leave the testing site. Some students are done very quickly.
At check-in time the team should verify student registration information such as name and grade level.
Help with passing out the gifts: T-shirt, souvenirs, and pencils.
If there is no one else designated at the site, make sure there are pictures taken throughout the event. Ideally, there should be a group picture taken. As it might be difficult with a large group of participants, the best time is to gather the children for a group photograph before the test begins. As they have up to 75 minutes to work on the problems, some will complete the exam much earlier than others and leave at that time.
It is important that you maintain a quiet testing environment as students finish and leave – remember that silence is required for those still working.
Information about the test and its logistics:
75 minutes multiple choice test.
24 questions for students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 4.
30 Questions for students in grades 5 and up.
Students can NOT take home their competition booklets after the test. The paper tests, the answer sheets, and the scratch paper must stay with the proctor.
Answer key will be available one month and one day after the original International competition day.
The winners’ list will be posted on the website by June 1.
Registered students who do not attend the competition can claim their competition items from the center manager after April 1 and before June 1.
Top winners will be invited to the awards ceremony by email in June if such a ceremony takes place.
