What is Academic Decathlon?*

About: Section Title

*Information from usad.org

Our Mission

Georgia Academic Decathlon, which began in 1987, focuses on the importance of developing well-rounded individuals and provides an antidote to intellectual apathy and underachievement.

Our mission is to promote learning and academic excellence among students of varying achievement levels by developing and providing multidisciplinary academic competitions using Academic Decathlon curricula.

Our Vision

Our vision is to provide all students the opportunity to excel academically through team competition.

Our core values are:

The academic growth of students
Challenging multidisciplinary learning
Teamwork as a means to achieve self-knowledge and life skills
Providing equal opportunities for students of different achievement levels
The importance of inclusivity and diversity to learning and the human experience
High standards of honesty and integrity
Transparency in our relations and interactions with all of our stakeholders
Excellence in our programs, services and activities
Respect for diverse points of view.

Teams

Teams are divided based on GPA calculations of core classes (no performing arts or any non-academic electives!)

Honor: 3.80 – 4.00
Scholastic: 3.20 – 3.799
Varsity: 3.199 and below

The teams are divided for awards purposes. At competitions, there will be gold, silver, and bronze awards given for each test (7) and event (Speech and Interview at the State and National competitions) among each team. Each team takes the same test. Each person from each team are able to compete at every competition preceding the District competition, including District. However, the top 3 scorers from the District Competition** will make the team for the State Competition. There may be one alternate per team in the case of emergencies, but only three people per team can compete. Only the top two scores from each team count towards the total school score (6 scores total). Each test and event is weighed at 1000 points, and there are 7 tests and 3 events (Speech, Interview, and Essay) with a total of 10,000 points.

**The team is subject to change as necessary as time progresses. If someone not from the Top 3 scorers has improved and is more qualified and prepared for the State Competition, they may replace a member on the team.

Curriculum

ART: The art curriculum will include a section on art fundamentals and will largely focus on an exploration of art during the Cold War.

ECONOMICS: The economics curriculum will cover fundamental economic concepts, microeconomics, and macroeconomics and will also include a thematic section on the economics of the Cold War.

LITERATURE: The literature curriculum will include critical reading, one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The long work of literature will be Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum will cover general mathematics, geometry, and an introduction to differential calculus.

MUSIC: The music curriculum will introduce students to various musical works from the Cold War era.

SCIENCE: The science topic will be an introduction to astronomy and will include sections on the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

SOCIAL SCIENCE The social science curriculum will introduce students to the history of the Cold War.

Events

SPEECH: The speech is composed of two parts: the prepared speech and the impromptu speech. The prepared speech may be over ANY topic, but it must be between 3:30-4:00 minutes. Any time below or above this interval will result in a penalty. The second art is the impromptu speech: the competitor is given three prompts in which they may choose from, and they have one minute to come up with an outline for a speech. The impromptu must last between 1:30-2:00 minutes, and any time outside this interval will result in a penalty. The prepared speech is worth 700 points, and the impromptu speech is worth 300 points, totaling 1000 points for the Speech event.

INTERVIEW: The interview is an 8-10 minute interview with two to three judges where you present your resume, and they ask you questions regarding your resume and other related questions. This event is out of 1000 points.

ESSAY: The essay is written online, where three prompts are given, and the student must choose one prompt to write about. The prompts will be relevant to the curriculum. The essay will test your ability to argue an idea. This event is also out of 1000 points.