LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS
Title:

Change in Determining Final Rounds at Districts and State

Author:A. J. Johnson and the Nebraska Speech Communication and Theatre Association
School:Hartington-Newcastle
NSAA District:3
 
Proposal for:Activities Manual
 
Classes Affected:All
Activities Affected:Speech
This proposal:WILL NOT increase costs to the school
WILL NOT increase costs to the NSAA
WILL NOT increase travel for participating schools
WILL NOT decrease a student's or coach's instruction time
Implementation date:2023-09-27
Sections affected in Activities Manual:Page
12
Article
Determining Final Rounds
Section
1
Summary:This proposal would change the nature and order of tiebreaks for final rounds at districts and state speech to add in Opponent's Strength of Schedule and lessen the impact of rating points.

Determining Final Rounds:

The final round shall consist of six (6) contestants. The following procedures will be used to determine which students advance out of the preliminary rounds:

1. Lowest Cumulative Speaker Rank If ties in cumulative scores bring the number to more than (6), the following priority system shall be used to break ties:

2. Opponent's Average Rank (Strength of Schedule)- comparison of which students had more competitive rounds, based on the opponent's average rank.

3. Head-to-Head Competition: A - If the tied speakers met in only one preliminary round, the speaker that ranked higher in that round advances. B - If the speakers met in both preliminary rounds, and the same speaker ranked higher in both rounds, that speaker advances.

4. Reciprocals: Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reciprocal 1 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/6 1/7 As a Decimal 1 .5 .33 .25 .2 .17 .14 Then add these numbers and the contestant with the highest score is the best of the three, and the next highest score receives the next rank, etc.

5. Highest Cumulative Speaker Points
Rationale:The addition of Opponent's Average Rank creates a more objective tie-breaker, advancing the strongest competitors to the final round.
Pros:Opponent's Average Rank creates more objective final-round decisions at tournaments.
Cons:N/A.