Several changes have been made to the rules and regulations for the 2012 WV State Social Studies Fair.  Be sure to read the new rules CAREFULLY before you begin working on your project.

Here are a few of the most important changes:

1.  Third grade students may now compete in the Social Studies Fair as part of Division I.  Read section V of the rules for additional information.

2.  Students are encouraged to continue using electronic devices as part of the physical display.  Electronic projects (those that do not include a traditional physical display) have been eliminated as a separate category.  All projects must now include some type of physical display.  Read section VIII of the rules for more details on the use of electronic devices.

3.  A list of prohibited items has been added.

4.  Projects must now score a minimum of 90 points in order to win a first place award, a minimum of 80 points for second place, and at least 70 points for third place.  It is therefore possible for a category to have no winning projects.  Read section IV and section XI of the rules for details.

5.  We are partnering with National History Day to give students even more opportunities to engage in project based learning.  NHD has its own set of rules, so be sure to read them carefully before starting work on a project.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION (PDF)

Use the links below to jump to a specific section of the rules:

INTRODUCTION

SOCIAL STUDIES FAIR:

I.  Levels of Authority

II.  General Rules

III.  Registration

IV.  Levels of Competition

V.  Project Classifications

VI.  International Category

VII.  Project Displays

VIII.  Electronic Devices

IX.  Written Abstracts

X.  Oral Presentation

XI.  Judging and Awards

XII.  Prohibited Items

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY:

I.  Levels of Authority

II.  General Rules

III.  Registration

IV.  Levels of Competition

V.  Project Displays

VI.  Electronic Devices

VII.  Judging and Awards

VIII.  Prohibited Items

DOWNLOAD A PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION (PDF)

The West Virginia State Social Studies Fair is very excited to be partnered with National History Day, a nationwide academic competition that provides students in grades 6-12 with another unique opportunity for project based learning. Winning projects at the state level competition may advance to a national competition. As a result, students who participate in National History Day must follow a different set of rules than those participating in the traditional WV State Social Studies Fair categories.

The rules are divided into two main sections: Social Studies Fair (SS) and National History Day (NH). Be sure to read and follow the correct set of rules as you develop your project for this year’s competitions.

NOTE: BECAUSE THE NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PARTNERSHIP IS NEW FOR THE 2011-12 SCHOOL YEAR, THERE WILL BE NO COUNTY OR REGIONAL COMPETITIONS. SCHOOL WINNERS WILL ADVANCE DIRECTLY TO THE STATE NATIONAL HISTORY DAY COMPETITION IN CHARLESTON. COUNTY AND REGIONAL NHD COMPETITION LEVELS WILL BE ADDED FOR THE 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR.


RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE 2012 WV STATE SOCIAL STUDIES FAIR

I. Levels of Authority

SS1. The fair coordinator (school, county, RESA or state) has the final decision on matters pertaining to the fair if these matters are not covered in fair regulations.

SS2. Disqualification of projects not meeting the project rules is the responsibility of the fair coordinator(s).

SS3. Any challenge at the school, county, RESA and/or state level must be submitted within 1 business day following the fair.

SS4. The fair coordinator at each level of competition (school, county, RESA, state) has sole and final authority to resolve issues, concerns, conflicts, or disputes at that level of competition. State fair coordinators will not intervene in issues at school, county, or RESA fairs. For example, a county fair coordinator may not intervene in a dispute at a RESA level fair. The final authority lies with the RESA fair coordinator in that instance.

II. General Rules

SS5. Each project must include a physical display, oral presentation, and written abstract (in the approved format with a complete bibliography). A project that does not include all three of the required components shall be disqualified from competition.

SS6. Emphasis must be on methods of research, inquiry, creative problem solving and predictions regarding the issues rather than on “displays” or “collections of artifacts.”

SS7. Projects must clearly demonstrate a social studies component that shows a connection to humanity.

SS8. Student, school or county names must not appear on any part of the project or abstract with the exception of projects about community or family histories or international projects.

SS9. Students may ask others for help and direction, but they must do all of the work themselves.

SS10. Projects may be modified or improved between each level of competition; however, the theme must be maintained.

SS11. Individuals and/or small groups may enter only one project.

III. Registration

SS12. The registration process for school and county fairs will be determined by the school or county fair coordinator.

SS13. County fair coordinators are responsible for registering projects for RESA-level fairs using the WV State Social Studies Fair Online Registration System at www.wvssfair.com. Use of this system is mandatory. Detailed information on the use of the Online Registration System will be provided to county and RESA fair coordinators.

SS14. RESA fair coordinators are responsible for registering projects for the State Social Studies Fair. Detailed information on the registration process will be provided to RESA fair coordinators.

SS15. At the State Social Studies Fair, students are not required to register or “check in” on the day of the fair. Upon arrival, students may proceed directly to their assigned project numbers and assemble their projects. Project numbers will be posted to www.wvssfair.com at least one week prior to the fair date.

SS16. It is the responsibility of the fair coordinator (county or RESA) to insure the accuracy of registration information (student names, project titles, category selections, etc.) prior to submission.

IV. Levels of Competition

SS17. There will be four levels of competition: school, county, regional (RESA), and state.

SS18. Counties may send only their first place winners in each Division, Category and Type to the RESA district fair. RESA districts may send only their first place winners in each Division, Category and Type to the State Fair in Charleston. A project must score a minimum of 90 out of 100 points to move on as a first place winner to the next level of competition. If no project scores 90 points or better in a certain category then no project from that category will move on to the next level of competition.

SS19. In the event that a first place project at a regional fair is unable to attend the state fair, a second place project may be substituted if: 1) The substitution is made BEFORE the regional fair coordinator submits project information to the State Social Studies Fair; AND 2) The second place project scored 90 or above at the regional fair. NO substitutions may be made after project information has been submitted to the state.

V. Project Classifications

SS20. All projects must be classified by the exhibitor at the time of entry by division (grade level), category (subject), and type (individual or group).

SS21. Divisions: Division I (Grades 3-5), Division II (Grade 6-8), Division III (Grades 9-12)

SS22. Categories: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, International (Small Group Only), Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, State and Local Studies, United States History, World History.

SS23. Types: Individual – Only one person worked on the project and presented it alone; Small Group – Two to six students worked on the project and will present the project together.

SS24. A RESA may submit no more than ONE first place project in each division / category / type for competition at the state fair. It is thus possible for a county to send 27 individual, 27 small group, and 3 International projects to the RESA district fair and the RESA could send 57 projects to the State Fair (27 individual, 27 small group, and 3 International). 

SS25. Projects in a specific division / category / type will compete only against other projects of the same division / category / type. For example, a project classified as Division I, Anthropology, Individual will only compete against other Division I, Anthropology, Individual projects.

SS26. If a classification is questioned, a final determination will be made by the school, county, RESA or state coordinator.

VI. International Category

SS27. International projects may only be completed by small groups, so each RESA may submit only one international project per division.

SS28. At least one member of the small group must be from a school in another country. Input from a student in another country may be provided in the form of a recording or video created prior to the oral presentation.

SS29. Students will investigate and research a problem, issue, condition, or historical event, then determine action(s) that could be taken to improve a mutual problem or current global issue. 

SS30. Students must consider a variety of perspectives in addition to their own and those of their counterparts then determine how to communicate those perspectives through an oral presentation with the help of a project display board and/or multimedia presentation.

VII. Project Displays

SS31. Each project must include a physical display.

SS32. A project display must be no larger than 30 inches front to back, 36 inches wide and 48 inches high.

SS33. The space under the table directly beneath the project may be used for storage.

SS34. Items may hang from the front of the table (table cloths, charts, etc.)

SS35. Display items may NOT be placed in the aisle.

SS36. The physical display must be self-explanatory.

SS37. Items of value should not be left unattended with the project display. Such items should remain in the student’s possession at all times.

VIII. Electronic Devices

SS38. Electronic devices (personal laptop, DVD player, MP3 players, cell phones, digital camera, hand-held gaming equipment or audio recorders may be incorporated into the physical display and/or oral presentation. Electronic devices should not be left with the project display. Such items should remain in the student’s possession at all times.

SS39. Computers and other electronic devices must be provided by the student.

SS40. Sound may be played at the time of the oral presentation ONLY. Volume must be limited so it does not interfere with other students’ presentations.

SS41. Electrical outlets will NOT be provided for project displays. All electronic devices must be battery operated.

SS42. An internet connection may be used as part of a project display ONLY if the student provides a means of connecting (laptop air card or phone with 3G connectivity). At the State level competition, use of the Charleston Civic Center’s internet connection (wireless or wired) will not be authorized under any circumstance, unless the project is in the International category. Requests for internet connectivity for International projects MUST be made in writing to help@wvssfair.com at least 2 weeks prior to the fair date.

IX. Written Abstracts

SS43. Each project must have a written abstract in the approved format (see abstract template). The abstract must remain with the project display at all times.

SS44. Abstracts may be handwritten or typed.

SS45. Points may be deducted for grammatical and spelling errors.

X. Oral Presentation

SS46. All projects will include an oral presentation. Participants should notify fair officials IMMEDIATELY if they are denied the opportunity to deliver their complete oral presentation.

SS47. Oral presentations for individual projects must not exceed 5 minutes. Oral presentations for small group projects must not exceed 10 minutes in length. The question and answer period is not included in the oral presentation time limit.

SS48. Each student participant in a small group project must have a speaking part in the oral presentation.

SS49. Each student should be prepared to respond to questions from judges.

SS50. If a member of the small group has an acceptable excuse for being unable to attend, the other members of the group may represent the project.

SS51. Oral presentations may not be pre-recorded unless they are by members of a project in the international category residing outside the United States.

XI. Judging and Awards

SS52. Each project at the state level competition will be assigned a judging time and project number. Project numbers will be posted to the State Social Studies Fair website at www.wvssfair.com at least one week prior to the fair date. Judging times will NOT be provided prior to the fair date. Requests for time changes or for specific judging times will NOT be honored.

SS53. A project must score a minimum of 90 points out of 100 points to be identified as a first place winner, 80 or above to be identified as a second place winner, and 70 or above to be identified as a third place winner. It is therefore possible for a category to have no winning projects. Honorable mention awards are granted upon the judges’ recommendation and are not dependent upon the score.

SS54. Ties for first, second or third place awards are not permitted at the school, county, RESA or state level.

SS55. At the State Social Studies Fair, winning projects will be identified with a ribbon or sticker prior to the public viewing. Only those students whose projects are identified with a sticker or ribbon are required to remain for the awards ceremony. Students who are unable to attend the awards ceremony must identify someone to receive their award. Awards will NOT be mailed.

SS56. Access to the project display room is limited to fair officials, judges, and students during the scheduled judging period. Parents and teachers may not accompany students into the project display area during the scheduled judging period.

SS57. Projects may not be removed until after the public viewing. Students who are unable to retrieve their projects following the public viewing and awards ceremony must identify someone to do so. Anything left at the fair will be discarded at the conclusion of the event.

SS58. Projects that win first place at the state level will not be eligible to compete in school, county, RESA or state fairs in subsequent years.

SS59. Issues or concerns about the judging process, particularly those issues related to oral presentations, must be addressed with the fair coordinator immediately. It is often impossible to resolve such matters after a category has closed and judges have been dismissed.

SS60. At the state level, student copies of score cards will be provided to county fair coordinators ONLY. Score cards will not be released to students or parents.

XII. Prohibited Items

SS61. The following are prohibited at all levels of competition (school, county, RESA, and state):
a. Live animals
b. Flames, highly flammable materials, or sources of heat (hot plates, etc.).
c. Dry ice
d. Weapons and ammunition (including replicas)
e. Sharp items (for example, syringes, needles, knives)
f. Tobacco products
g. All hazardous substances or devices (for example, chemicals, poisons, and drugs).
h. Batteries with open-top cells (for example, car and motorcycle batteries).
i. Any item prohibited by WV Board of Education Policies.
j. Any item that the fair coordinator deems unsafe or inappropriate for public display.



RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE 2012 WV STATE
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY COMPETITION

I. Levels of Authority

NH1. The State Social Studies Fair coordinator has the final decision on matters pertaining to the fair if these matters are not covered in fair regulations.

NH2. Disqualification of projects not meeting the project rules is the responsibility of the fair coordinator(s).

NH3. Any challenge at the state level competition must be submitted within 1 business day following the fair.

II. General Rules

NH4. Projects competing in the state level National History Day (NHD) competition must abide by all rules and regulations for the national level National History Day competition as established in the National History Day Rules Handbook. This document is available for download at www.wvssfair.com or www.nhd.org and should be reviewed carefully prior to beginning work on a project.

NH5. In addition to the rules in the National History Day Handbook, projects competing in the state level competition must also abide by all NHD rules in this document (identified by the NH designation in the rule number – NH1, NH2, etc.). These rules are additions to the NHD rules and are not meant to replace them. Rules in this document with the SS designation (SS1, SS2, etc.) do NOT apply to NHD projects.

III. Registration

NH6. County social studies coordinators will be responsible for registering projects for the state NHD competition. Information on the registration procedure will be posted to the WV State Social Studies Fair website at www.wvssfair.com.

NH7. At the State Social Studies Fair, students are not required to register or “check in” on the day of the fair. Upon arrival, students may proceed directly to their assigned project numbers and assemble their projects. Project numbers will be posted to www.wvssfair.com at least one week prior to the fair date.

NH8. It is the responsibility of the county social studies coordinator to insure the accuracy of registration information (student names, project titles, category selections, etc.) prior to submission.

IV. Levels of Competition

NH9. For the 2011-12 school year ONLY, there will be only two levels of competition: state and national.

NH10. For the 2011-12 school year ONLY, ALL participating NHD projects within a school will be permitted to advance to the state competition. There will be no school, county, or regional level National History Day competitions this year.

V. Project Displays

NH11. Project displays must adhere to the size restrictions established in the National History Day Rules Handbook.

NH12. Display items may NOT be placed in the aisle.

NH13. Items of value should not be left unattended with the project display. Such items should remain in the student’s possession at all times.

VI. Electronic Devices

NH14. Electronic devices (personal laptop, DVD player, MP3 players, cell phones, digital camera, hand-held gaming equipment or audio recorders may be incorporated into the physical display and/or oral presentation. Electronic devices should not be left with the project display. Such items should remain in the student’s possession at all times.

NH15. Computers and other electronic devices must be provided by the student.

NH16. Sound may be played at the time of the oral presentation ONLY. Volume must be limited so it does not interfere with other students’ presentations.

NH17. Electrical outlets will be provided for project displays for NHD PROJECTS ONLY.

NH18. An internet connection may be used as part of a project display ONLY if the student provides a means of connecting (laptop air card or phone with 3G connectivity). At the State level competition, use of the Charleston Civic Center’s internet connection (wireless or wired) will not be authorized under any circumstance.

VII. Judging and Awards

NH19. Each project at the state level competition will be assigned a judging time and project number. Project numbers will be posted to the State Social Studies Fair website at www.wvssfair.com at least one week prior to the fair date. Judging times will NOT be provided prior to the fair date. Requests for time changes or for specific judging times will NOT be honored.

NH20. Ties for first, second or third place awards are not permitted.

NH21. At the State Social Studies Fair, winning projects will be identified with a ribbon or sticker prior to the public viewing. Only those students whose projects are identified with a sticker or ribbon are required to remain for the awards ceremony. Students who are unable to attend the awards ceremony must identify someone to receive their award. Awards will NOT be mailed.

NH22. Access to the project display room is limited to fair officials, judges, and students during the scheduled judging period. Parents and teachers may not accompany students into the project display area during the scheduled judging period.

NH23. Projects may not be removed until after the public viewing. Students who are unable to retrieve their projects following the public viewing and awards ceremony must identify someone to do so. Anything left at the fair will be discarded at the conclusion of the event.

NH24. Issues or concerns about the judging process, particularly those issues related to oral presentations, must be addressed with the fair coordinator immediately. It is often impossible to resolve such matters after a category has closed and judges have been dismissed.

NH25. At the state level, student copies of score cards will be provided to county fair coordinators ONLY. Score cards will not be released directly to students or parents.

NH26. NHD projects that receive a first or second place award at the state level competition may choose to advance to the national NHD competition at the University of Maryland (June 10-14, 2012). IN ORDER TO ADVANCE TO NATIONAL LEVEL COMPETITION, NHD WINNERS MUST BE PRESENT AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY AND MUST ATTEND A MANDATORY INFORMATIONAL MEETING IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CEREMONY.

VIII. Prohibited Items

NH27. The following are prohibited at all levels of competition (school, county, RESA, and state):
a. Live animals
b. Flames, highly flammable materials, or sources of heat (hot plates, etc.).
c. Dry ice
d. Weapons and ammunition (including replicas)
e. Sharp items (for example, syringes, needles, knives)
f. Tobacco products
g. All hazardous substances or devices (for example, chemicals, poisons, and drugs).
h. Batteries with open-top cells (for example, car and motorcycle batteries).
i. Any item prohibited by WV Board of Education Policies.
j. Any item that the fair coordinator deems unsafe or inappropriate for public display.