IN An ATTEMPT to ANSWER Multiple QUESTIONS & CONCERNS

State Proficiency Award Schedule

• Please CLICK HERE to view the State Proficiency Award Schedule, please note it is NOW complete. 

• When you open the Schedule, the first page lists the Proficiency areas in Column A, the FCAE Program Advisors name in Column B and the Day in Column C. If you look to the bottom of the Excel document, you will see tabs listed along the bottom of the page.  If you then click on the tabs of the Program Advisors name that corresponds with the area your student is competing (or that you are judging), you will see the dates and times of the interviews that start tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22, 2020 through Friday, April 24, 2020.  

• Goal is to have State Winners announced by May 1, 2020. We are still working out the best way to do that to give the winners proper recognition and we will provide more information when that plan is finalized.

• You will also see the FCAE Program Advisor's contact information is located there, as well as the link to join the webinar/interview with their access information and the call in number and access code.  

• The FCAE Program Advisors are open to and offering to set up times for students to practice logging in.  Please simply contact them.  

JUDGES & JUDGING

• Even if you originally signed up for judging on State Awards Day, we needed you to sign up again so we would know you were both available AND had the internet capability to judge remotely due to the State at Home order.  

• For those that missed out on signing up to judge there is NO penalty to your students even if you did not judge.  

• I am sorry that I didn’t make that more clear when I sent my messages about State Awards Day.

• If you DID sign up to judge, you are expected to score the record books AND conduct interviews for those students who qualified for interviews. 

• ON THAT NOTE, per an email that I sent on March 20, 2020: this is how State Proficiency Judging will proceed, please remember I posted this before we knew the dates:  

• All District winners will receive their District bar regardless if they interview or not.  

• All District winners must have their record books uploaded by __________ (blank date) 2020, in order to be judged for State Awards. - Date was set and shared for April 13, 2020.  

• It would be a google form (similar to National Chapter Award) where students upload their book after they have inputted their data into the google form.  

• Those judges would get their scoresheets and books to review on __________ (blank date) 2020, by at a set time. Date was set and shared for March 16, 2020, through March 19, 2020. 

• Participants scores with a unanimous 1st place ranking AND that 1st place participant is 20 points or more ahead of the others, then they are automatically the winner because the interview is worth 20 points.  

• Any students within 20 points of the preliminary first-place participant or has a 1st place ranking from any judge would then be interviewed.  Up to the top three participants' scores will be offered interviews.  

• Interviews will be via conference call and done at another date and time.  Logistics on that are all pending how many need to be interviewed and future updates as to when it is allowed by the Governor's Office and ISBE.  Date was set and shared to be March 22 - 24, 2020.

• Motion - Taber, 2nd McDermott.  Motion passed. 

• To be clear, this year under our current circumstances, every Proficiency area except two are interviewing three students, in those two areas, two students are being interviewed.  

• EVERY Proficiency award area in getting an interview.  

• I apologize if I did not make that clear in reminders that I sent out.  

OTHER GENERAL ITEMS:  

• If your student does not have internet capability or has trouble logging in, they can simply call into the conference call line.  There is NO penalty for not being able to do the webinar.  The webinar is preferred, as we feel it helps both the students and the judges, but it is NOT required.  

• Instructions & Webinar registration information: To join the webinar/interview, click on the meeting link listed in the schedule at the scheduled date and time of the interview, login to the online meeting ID and follow the prompts to join the meeting.  For audio, you can select computer audio and either listen and speak using the computer speaker and mic or you can plug in earbuds/headphones OR you can dial in using your cell phone and use the access code and use audio that way.   When prompted, enter the Access Code followed by the pound key.

• As for judges, please call in 30 minutes prior to the start of the interviews. That will allow for the judges to communicate and get yourselves organized with questions, etc.  

• The FCAE Program Advisor is serving as your room host.  They have all listed their cell phone numbers so if your student is having trouble getting logged in or has issues with the system, FCAE Program Advisors can help guide them.  

• FCAE Program Advisors are also monitoring the "room"/call for you, they will LOCK and UNLOCK the webinar so that when you are interviewing it reduces the risk of getting interrupted.  

• We have allocated twenty minutes per person, but please keep the interview 12 to no more than 15 minutes.  This allows plenty of time to get connected, complete the interview and be off of the webinar/call prior to the next candidate. 

• IF YOUR STUDENT is NOT able to connect or is getting dropped from the call, the meeting room is most likely still LOCKED for an interview in place.  Have them CONNECT with their Program Advisor host and SIMPLY try again.  

• ALL information regarding uploading books, interview schedules, judging, webinar instructions, when we announce winners, etc. has been emailed and posted in listservs to TEACHERS, we have NOT had any direct correspondence with students, unless they reach out to us, so PLEASE share this information with them.

• Call, email or text anytime, we are committed to making this process work and serve our FFA members during this process.  We want to celebrate them for their Proficiency area success and allow them to continue to compete.  

I am free to answer any questions you have at any time, that is why I am not hosting a webinar/call - just text or call my cell phone 217.412.5646. 

As always, have a GRAND day!
Mindy Bunselmeyer