HS Future Problem Solving

 

Key art

 

KAAC Future Problem Solving Training Dates for 2011-2012 (MG/HS only)

Experienced Coaches' Certification Training - Monday, November 14 from 4:00-5:30 Gheens-Room 208

0-1 Yr. Coaches Certification - Saturday, Nov. 5, OR Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9:00 am- 1:00 pm Gheens -Room 208

***To register for these KAAC training sessions, please log on to www.kaac.com and click on their training link. You should be able to register beginning in late September. You only need to attend one of these sessions to be certified. Teams who wish to participate in Governor’s Cup must have a KAAC certified coach.

 

Please read the following message from KAAC regarding FPS certification changes this year:

Dear FPS Coaches and Officials:

Kentucky writing standards are poised to change significantly, moving away from holistic scoring toward a more analytical approach. In an effort to keep pace with those changes, KAAC Future Problem Solving trainers have been busy this summer updating the FPS Evaluation Manual and the FPS Scoresheet for 2012 Governor’s Cup.
Because these changes are both necessary and extensive, the two-year certification number you received during the 2010-11 school year is no longer valid.  The decision to revoke two-year FPS certification was approved in July by the KAAC Board of Directors.

If you wish to be certified in FPS for 2012 Governor’s Cup, you must attend a certification clinic and successfully complete an online follow-up quiz. FPS clinics included in your registration fee will be offered during the KAAC Conference scheduled for September 22-24, 2011 at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky, or at over 100 local sites across the state free of charge. The local clinic dates will be posted in late September.

After passing the online quiz, you will receive a new two-year certification number by email. You may take the quiz as many times as you like until you receive a passing score.   
Please understand that this decision was made with the best interests of Kentucky students in mind. If you have any questions, please contact me. 

Warmest regards,


Brenda Darnell
Program Director, KAAC
502.223.0088 Ext. 24

NOTE: 0-1 year coaches will still be required to score a booklet and send it in to KAAC as part of the training and certification process. However, 2+ year coaches will take the online quiz instead of scoring the booklet and sending it in to KAAC.

JCPS FPS League Teams Will Compete:

Host: Deborah Amerman-Ballard
10/20/2011-District topic-Coral Reefs
Presentation

Results:

1st   Eastern: 155.25
2nd  Manual: 142
3rd  Atherton: 140.5
4th  Ballard: 128.5
5th  Male: 126

Host: Eastern –David Deckard
11/3/2011-Regional Topic– Human Rights
-Scored booklets must go in the pony on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 for receipt by Friday, Nov. 11.

Results:

1st - Eastern 105 and 117 - Average 111

2nd - Ballard Seniors 87 and 122 - Average 104.5

3rd - Manual 97 and 85 - Average 87

4th - Male 90 and 77 - Average 83.5

5th - Ballard Freshmen 83 and 78 - Average 80.5

Host: Loretta Dowell- Fairdale
11/17/2011-State Topic-Trade Barriers
- Presentation

Results:

1st -Atherton:  122.75 points 
2nd - Eastern:  112
3rd -Male:  102.5
4th -Fairdale:  96

LG&E topic: Human Rights -Presentation

 

FPS League Competitions:

The fall league session for FPS will consist of three mandatory competition sessions. We will use a hosting rotation, so the burden of hosting doesn’t always fall to the same schools. One will be a written competition, like KAAC's Governor's Cup, and two will be presentation style. one large room, such as a library or cafeteria, will suffice for hosting. The teams should be spread far enough apart that they can whisper to each other and not be heard. For presentation style competitions, teams may consist of 4-10 students.

For the written competitions, teams will meet at the host school, be given a scenario, and will complete a full booklet just as if they were competing at Governor’s Cup. The time allotted will be the same as a Governor’s Cup competition as well. No more than 4 students may compete on a team. However, schools may have more than one team compete. Coaches who enter more than one team must score more booklets. (1team entered = 2 booklets to score; 2 teams entered = 4 booklets to score, etc.) If a team will be entering more than one team in a competition, the coach must inform the Office of academic Competition at least two weeks prior to the date of the competition, so the correct number of packets can be sent to the host school.

For league purposes only (NOT for Governor’s Cup) teams may compete with fewer than four on a team as long as there is more than one person. The reasoning behind this is that league is for practice, and it is not helpful if a whole team is not allowed to practice because a teammate was ill on a competition day.

After the time is up, the host school will make two copies of each booklet to give to the coaches to score. Coaches may not score their own teams’ booklets. The host school’s coach will randomly give each coach two booklets to score, making sure no coach receives their own school’s booklet. Included in the hosting packet will be the score sheets and addressed envelopes for the coaches to return the score sheets and booklets to my office by the deadline, which will be one week after the competition. The score sheets will be returned to the coaches to be used for feedback on their team’s progress. When we receive score sheets, we will average the scores and rank the competing teams. Points will be awarded for league standings based on the averaged score (each booklet will have been scored by two different evaluators). Score sheets must be returned by the deadline listed.

Note: These competitions (including the scoring of the booklets on time) are mandatory in order to receive full pay as a FPS coach in middle and high school. Please make sure you and your team can attend and participate on the competition dates.

Future Problem Solving Topics 2011-2012 (MG/HS only)

October 20, 2011.........District Topic: Coral Reefs (League Presentation)
November 3, 2011.......Regional Topic: Human Rights (League Written)
November 17, 2011 ....State Finals Topic: Trade Barriers (League Presentation)
International Conference: Pharmaceuticals

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are sometimes known as "the rainforests of the sea." Reefs are some of the world's great tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems. Coral reefs support the livelihoods of millions of people. Worldwide, already 25 percent of coral reefs have been destroyed or badly degraded and some scientist predict that by 2020 up to 70 percent might be permanently lost. These are areas rich in marine species that are found only in a small area. Therefore, they are highly vulnerable to extinction. They supply seafood, building materials, sources for medicinal products, and draw in much needed tourism revenue. Reefs also protect shorelines and communities from storms and erosion. Coral reefs are deeply threatened by human activities and global climate change. Coral reefs are an important source of food for hundreds of millions of people, many of whom have no other source of animal protein. However, especially reefs in developing countries are threatened and if human impact on reefs is not reduced there is a great danger that some of the world's poorest people will lose an important source of nutrition, and in many cases, their livelihoods.

Human Rights

Since the end of World War II, many people have prioritized the protection of human rights around the world. But what exactly are human rights? Do they vary depending on religion and culture? Many western countries criticize the Islamic world for its treatment of women, while the United States is often condemned for its use of the death penalty. Can one nation fight to protect human rights in another nation, and if so, how? What challenges do globalization and the prevention of terrorism present to the preservation of human rights in the future?

Trade Barriers

Historically, states have relied on trade barriers - such as subsidies for domestic producers, import quotas, and tariffs - to protect domestic economic interests. Many economists have long argued, however, that such barriers can limit potential economic growth, may only benefit certain politically powerful groups like labor unions, and have other harmful effects. To combat these concerns, policymakers around the world have created new treaties and institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, on the theory that reducing trade barriers will increase economic prosperity. But others argue that the benefits of tearing down trade barriers means fewer jobs and lower wages for farmers, factory workers, and relatively less-educated employees. Should policymakers strive for Free Trade or Fair Trade in the future - or some balance of the two?

Pharmaceuticals

Many people rely on modern medicines to stay alive and well, but others are not as fortunate. Should countries have to respect intellectual property rights causing citizens to pay for drugs at prices they cannot afford? Are pharmaceutical companies earning too much profit? How do we sustain pharmaceutical research and development without incredibly large prices and profits? Are therapeutic products going too far in developed countries? It is difficult to understand why medicines for diseases that tend to afflict poorer countries - which are often relatively simple and cheap to develop - are neglected while there are drugs readily available for trivial issues such as cosmetics. Are people becoming too dependent on medications? One study in England concluded that over 50% of antibiotic resistant microorganisms are the direct result of the excessive use of antibiotics in intensive animal farming (i.e. battery chickens) and in human medicine as well. We’re now encountering the effects of overuse of antibiotics in diseases with resistance to multiple antibiotics which are limiting the ability of modern medicine to cure disease. What other consequences may result from mankind’s addiction to medicine in the future?



The KAAC website has more information on each topic.
If you miss the pony deadline, you may hand deliver the scored booklets to my office in the VanHoose Annex- 4322 Bishop Lane before 4:00 on the Friday it is due. In order for your team to receive league points, you must return your scored booklets on time. A team’s league participation is mandatory to receive full pay as an FPS coach.

It is important that all new JCPS coaches attend a KAAC certification training session early in the season, so that they know how to score the booklets for league purposes. Check the KAAC website for training dates and times and register to attend. The first KAAC training sessions will be at the KAAC Conference September 23-25. You may begin signing up for their other offered training dates that week at www.kaac.com.

League Competitions

Teams should be at the host school and ready to start by 3:15. A coach should not proctor his/her own team. Coaches are expected to evaluate the booklets of two teams after each competition on its own merits with the utmost integrity. Coaches may not score their own teams. All judges must read and be familiar with the FPS Manual prior to judging team presentations. If you do not have a copy, download and print one from the "Manuals" section of the website.

Each school is responsible for bringing their own preparation materials (e.g. poster board, aluminum foil, colored paper, etc., as listed in the FPS manual.) Teams have 60 minutes to prepare and 4-6 minutes for their presentations. All research on the topic must be done in advance. Teams may NOT bring research material into the preparation rooms with them, nor may they use the computers or books found in that room to find information about the topic.

Hosting responsibilities for FPS league presentations:

  • Be responsible for the competition materials (score sheets, future scenes, blank criteria charts, instructions, etc.) that arrive from the Office of Academic Competition.
  • Arrange for preparation rooms-one for each team.
  • Arrange for a room for the presentations. Students may not use tables, desks or microphones for their presentations. The staging area should be equipped with enough chairs for each student in the presentation. These chairs may be used in the presentations.
  • Explain the proctors' duties to them before the teams begin. Instruction sheets are included in the materials you receive from the Office of Academic Competition.
  • Distribute the materials to the proctors.
  • The coach of the host school acts as the head judge for the presentations. (See the FPS Presentation Manual for the duties of the head judge.) Have calculators available for the judges.
  • Report the scores to the Office of Academic Competition by 10:00 am the next day.

We'll send the packets to the host schools a few days before the competition. Future scenes are kept confidential until they are opened for the first time in the preparation rooms. Those envelopes will be marked accordingly.

To order the Readings, Research, and Resources book from the Future Problem Solvers Program, click on the link below:

http://www.fpsp.org/catalog/Program%20materials.html

This handy reference book includes research and information on all the topics for this year. It's a great time-saving tool for your team.

Date Modified 11/18/11