Frequently Asked Questions
- Which conference/district is my A+ school in?
- A+ districts are created locally. The UIL state office does not organize A+ schools into districts. Some A+ schools elect to follow their spring meet district alignment, and other schools elect to form their own UIL A+ district for reasons usually involving travel distance, scheduling, or number of schools participating.
- There is no A+ program at my student's school. How may he/she participate?
- A+ programs are started locally either by joining an existing A+ program in your area or by creating your own A+ district (requires three interested schools). Please see the UIL A+ district meet calendar to see who is already participating in your area.
- How many students may compete in an event?
- For all contests except for Art and Music Memory, each participant school may enter as many as three contestants in the district meet for each division. For Art and Music Memory, each participant school may enter as many as five.
- May a student compete up in grade level?
- Competing up a grade level is year-by-year and contest-by-contest (with one exception as noted below). At this year's meet, a 6th grader could compete in the 7th grade division of one contest and in the 6th grade division of another. That same student could also compete in the 7th grade division of that contest next year.
The only exception to this is the Science and II contests, where students are limited to one year of competition in each. A 6th grader who competes up into Science I this year woud have to compete in Science II next year.
Also, it's important to note that a student who "competes up" must continue to represent the campus he or she actually attends. For example, if 6th grade is on an elementary campus and 7th and 8th graders are on a junior high campus, a 6th grader could not compete up and represent the junior high.
- How many alternates can be named in one event from one school?
- There is no specific number designated in the contest rules. For most contests, one alternate is generally sufficient, though sometimes Art and Music Memory may designate two since those contests allow up to five entries per division.
- If our school joins UIL's A+ program, how many events do we have to offer?
- There is no required number of events you have to offer. Choose the events that best fit your needs, talents, and interests!
- Is there a limitation to the number of events a student may enter at an A+ district meet?
- The only limitation is for speaking events. A student may enter a maximum of two speaking events at a district meet. Districts may decide locally to set additional limits, and there will be some limitations inherent in the meet schedule.