Who is eligible to spell in our bee?

Our homeschool bee, which has run annually since 1994-1995, has always followed a policy of being open to all homeschool students eligible to participate in the Times Union bee.    The Times Union rules state that students in fourth through eighth grades from the twelve counties listed at the end of this post are eligible.  Students from Augustine Academy are also eligible to spell in our bee.

Our homeschool bee takes pride in providing a very friendly and welcoming environment where homeschoolers from a wide variety of counties, backgrounds, and worldviews come together once a year to celebrate the rich heritage of the English language.    

Students must also meet the national eligibility rules established by the Scripps National Spelling Bee.   Complete details of the national eligibility rules are here.

Sometimes homeschooling parents have questions as to their child's official grade for spelling bee eligibility purposes. For most students, the official grade is the grade listed on the Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) filed with the school district.

Parents of students who have been grade accelerated or subject-accelerated in multiple subjects and/or repeated a grade or who have any questions about their child's grade eligibility should read the national rules carefully and contact the bee organizer at mathcircle@yahoo.com with any questions BEFORE the homeschool bee to avoid disappointment later.

Times Union eligible county list
(updated April 2012):

Albany County  

Columbia County* 

Dutchess County 

Greene County 

Montgomery County  

Rensselaer County  

Saratoga County 

Schenectady County

Schoharie County 

Ulster County 

Warren County 

Washington County

*The Times Union bee includes all of Columbia County, except Germantown.

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