activities · 16
what they do
direct service · 10
- Awarding Scholarships and PrizesAwards cash prizes, post-secondary scholarships, and various recognition awards (medals, trophies, certificates) to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions, including renewable scholarships for top-scoring individuals and teams, and participation scholarships for long-term participants.
- Awarding Scholarships and Prizes to DecathletesAwards cash prizes, renewable scholarships (including tuition scholarships from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University), medals, trophies, and certificates of recognition to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions.
- Competition Registration Membership Dues & Sustaining GiftsRegisters school teams of 6-9 members for an annual fee of $650, with an additional $350 for advancing to the state competition. Individual students can also register for $125 each for the initial rounds of the competition.
- Competition Registration and ScoringRegisters school teams and individual students for academic competitions and posts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access.
- Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions Academic and Extracurricular Competition TeamsOrganizes and hosts annual academic decathlon competitions at local, regional, and state levels for Arizona high school students, culminating in the Arizona State Competition which sends the highest-scoring team to the national competition. These competitions involve ten events across various subjects and engage approximately 60 teams annually from diverse school types.
- Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions Academic and Extracurricular Competition TeamsOrganizes and hosts academic competitions for Arizona high school students at local, regional, and state levels, culminating in the Arizona State Competition which sends the highest-scoring team to the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition. These competitions involve ten subject areas and include both virtual and in-person events, with approximately 60 teams participating annually.
- Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions Academic and Extracurricular Competition TeamsOrganizes and hosts annual academic competitions for Arizona high school students at local, regional, and state levels, culminating in sending the highest-scoring state team to the national competition. These competitions involve ten subject areas and include both virtual and in-person events, engaging approximately 60 teams and over 200 volunteers annually.
- Providing Awards and Scholarships for DecathletesAwards cash prizes, post-secondary scholarships, certificates of recognition, medals, and trophies to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions. This includes renewable scholarships from the organization itself and tuition scholarships from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
- Publishing Competition ResultsPosts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access, including specific results from past regional competitions.
- Publishing Competition ResultsPosts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access, including historical results from previous years.
capacity building · 6
- Coaches' Clinic and Resource Provision Youth Sports Coach Training & DevelopmentHosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September, offering general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques with subject matter experts, and provides a resource section for coaches with information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
- Coaches' Clinic and Resource Provision Youth Sports Coach Training & DevelopmentHosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September, offering general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques with subject matter experts. The organization also provides a resource section for coaches, including information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
- Providing Resources and Support for Coaches Youth Sports Coach Training & DevelopmentHosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September with general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques, and provides a resource section on its website with information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
- Providing Volunteer Training and SupportProvides centralized virtual and in-person training for volunteers, including instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a completion recording system, to support the various roles required for academic competitions such as essay, interview, and speech judging, test proctoring, and event logistics.
- Providing Volunteer Training for CompetitionsProvides structured training for approximately 200 volunteers annually, including essay, interview, and speech judges, test proctors, and runners, through centralized virtual training, instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a training completion recording system.
- Volunteer Recruitment and TrainingRecruits and trains approximately 200 volunteers annually to support the academic decathlon competitions. Training includes instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a completion recording system, with centralized virtual training provided by the State Competition Committee.
strategies · 20
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Academic competition as a development tool academic competitionUses academic competition to foster intellectual competitiveness, broaden academic horizons, and build 21st-century skills such as communication and critical thinking, positioning competition as a vehicle for holistic student growth.
- Building capacity through coach training and collaborative program delivery coach_training_and_networkingThe organization provides annual training for coaches on competition content and pedagogical strategies, fostering peer collaboration, and relies on a collaborative model involving coaches, volunteers, and donors to effectively deliver its academic decathlon program.
- Centralized virtual training centralized_virtual_trainingUses a centralized, virtual model to deliver standardized training to volunteers across all regions, ensuring equitable access and consistency in program implementation.
- Coach training and networking coach_training_and_networkingProvides annual training for coaches on updated competition content and pedagogical strategies while fostering peer collaboration across the state to ensure consistent, high-quality program delivery.
- Coach-centered training and collaborative delivery collaborative_program_deliveryRelies on a network of coaches and volunteers supported by annual, centralized virtual training to ensure consistent program delivery, with an emphasis on pedagogical development and peer collaboration across regions.
- Collaborative program delivery collaborative_program_deliveryRelies on a decentralized network of coaches, volunteers, and donors to implement the academic decathlon program, leveraging community engagement and shared responsibility for student success.
- Developing academic excellence through team and individual competition academic_competitionThe organization structures its academic competition to include both team and individual components, mirroring the decathlon concept, to foster intellectual competitiveness, communication skills, and 21st-century skill sets.
- Fostering broad academic mastery through interdisciplinary competition interdisciplinary_masteryThe organization structures its academic competition to emphasize mastery across a wide range of disciplines, rather than focusing on a single subject, to broaden academic horizons and develop comprehensive intellectual skills.
- Holistic academic development holistic academic developmentEncourages students to excel academically by developing communication skills, fine arts understanding, research abilities, peer tutoring, teamwork, and a competitive spirit, fostering comprehensive personal and intellectual growth.
- Holistic development via academic competition holistic_academic_developmentUses academic competition as a mechanism to develop 21st-century skills, including communication, research, teamwork, peer tutoring, and a sustained enthusiasm for learning.
- Inclusive academic engagement inclusive academic engagementProvides incentives for both average and highly academically achieving students to engage in intellectual activities, ensuring that academic competition is accessible and motivating for students at all performance levels.
- Inclusive engagement across academic levels inclusive_academic_engagementThe program intentionally engages students across the academic spectrum by providing incentives for both high-achieving and average-performing students, fostering a culture of broad academic participation and achievement.
- Interdisciplinary academic mastery through decathlon model interdisciplinary_masteryThe organization structures competition across ten disciplines to promote broad academic mastery rather than single-subject excellence, using a decathlon framework that values diverse intellectual strengths.
- Interdisciplinary mastery interdisciplinary_masteryEmphasizes broad academic mastery across ten disciplines rather than excellence in a single subject, cultivating well-rounded intellectual development and knowledge integration.
- Merit-based advancement merit-based advancementSelects teams for national competition based on top performance at the state-level event, ensuring that advancement is determined by demonstrated academic excellence.
- Merit-based advancement through tiered competition merit-based_advancementStudents and teams advance based on performance, with state-level results determining qualification for national competition, reinforcing academic excellence as the primary criterion for progression.
- Promoting inclusive academic engagement through tiered competition inclusive_academic_engagementThe organization designs its competition structure to include students of varying academic achievement levels (Honor, Scholastic, Varsity), providing incentives and opportunities for all students to engage in intellectual activities and achieve academic excellence.
- Team and individual competition team_and_individual_competitionStructures academic competition as both a team and individual endeavor, modeled on the concept of a decathlon, to promote collaboration and personal accountability.
- Team and individual competition with tiered equity team_and_individual_competitionCompetition is structured to reward both team collaboration and individual performance, with a tiered system requiring teams to include students from Honor, Scholastic, and Varsity academic levels, ensuring equitable participation and recognition across achievement levels.
- Tiered competition structure tiered competition structureStructures teams with three students each from Honor, Scholastic, and Varsity academic levels, ensuring fair competition within performance-based categories and promoting inclusivity across achievement levels.
named programs · 5
what they call their work
Coaches' Clinic
Annual training event for coaches to prepare for the academic decathlon season, held at Glendale Community College.
National Competition Participation
Supports Arizona's top-scoring team to attend the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition, typically held in late April, including coordination for in-person and online events.
Regional Competitions
Four regional academic decathlon events held across Arizona in late January or early February, where teams compete to advance to the state level.
Scrimmages
Local invitational practice competitions held across Arizona from October to December, allowing teams to prepare within the official USAD testing window.
State Competition
The annual Arizona Academic Decathlon State Competition held in March, where 30–40 qualifying teams from regional events compete for top honors and advancement to nationals.
relationships · 35
who they work with
- AcaDec Scores and Information Center Partner — Platform where Arizona state competition results are posted.
- Altera Partner — An Altera representative serves on the board of directors.
- Arizona State University Partner — An Arizona State University representative serves on the board of directors.
- Arizona State University Partner — Offers scholarships to top-scoring decathletes and members of winning teams.
- Committee for Children Partner — A Committee for Children representative serves on the board of directors.
- Desert View High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region III competitions.
- Dobson High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region IV competitions.
- Educational Services, Inc. Partner — An Educational Services, Inc. representative serves on the board of directors.
- Glendale Community College Partner — Host site for the 2026 Coaches' Clinic.
- Glendale Community College Partner — Hosts the Coaches' Clinic.
- Helios Education Foundation Partner — A Helios Education Foundation representative serves on the board of directors.
- IO.INC Partner — An IO.INC representative serves on the board of directors.
- Intel Corporation Partner — An Intel Corporation representative serves on the board of directors.
- Mansperger Patterson & McMullin Partner — A Mansperger Patterson & McMullin representative serves on the board of directors.
- Mountain View (Mesa) High School Partner — Hosts the Arizona Academic Decathlon State Competition.
- Northern Arizona University Partner — Offers scholarships to top-scoring decathletes and members of winning teams.
- Orange County Academic Decathlon Association Partner — Academic Decathlon program was started by this organization in California in 1968.
- Orange County Superintendent of School’s office Partner — Academic Decathlon program was started in cooperation with this office.
- Pima County Academic Decathlon Association Partner — The Arizona Academic Decathlon Association was formed from this organization.
- Pima County School Superintendent Partner — The Pima County Academic Decathlon Association was started by this individual.
- Shamrock Foods Partner — A Shamrock Foods representative serves on the board of directors.
- St. Johns High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region I competitions.
- State Competition Committee Partner — Central partner in administering volunteer training for Arizona Academic Decathlon.
- Thunderbird High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region II competitions.
- USAD Partner — Participates in the USAD National Competition and follows its test window for scrimmages.
- United States Academic Decathlon Network — Participates in the national competition organized by the United States Academic Decathlon.
- United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Arizona State Champion team competes in the national competition.
- United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Partners with USAD to send top-performing teams to the national competition.
- United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Sends its winning Arizona team to compete in the national competition.
- United States Academic Decathlon Partner — State champions advance to the National Finals of this organization.
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