|
What are the deadlines for submitting the project approval forms?
All projects that will be participating in a Fair need approval by the Statewide SRC before participating in a Regional or State Fair. Submit forms at mahs.zfairs.com once the research plan is complete. Teachers will request approval through the portal when forms are ready.
The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will use this information to review projects to provide feedback, request revisions, and/or approve accordingly.
Projects in restricted areas require PRE-APPROVAL before experimentation. Review the Science Fair Ready Checklist for details.
-
December 18, 2023: The final deadline for pre-approval projects for all regions. However, students should submit forms and plans to SRC as soon as possible so they are approved before experimentation begins, especially if the project requires several months of work.
-
February 5, 2024: The final deadline if projects do NOT require SRC pre-approval for all regions, but submit as soon as completed.
If the research plan is approved, how will I or the students know?
- Once students have filled out and uploaded all their forms, teachers should review in zFairs and click the 'mark ready' box.
- We will review the forms to make sure they are complete and then assign the project to a volunteer reviewer in the appropriate subject area.
- Students should expect a review to take about a week and should keep an eye on their email because sometimes there needs to be back-and-forth for clarification and correction.
- The reviewer will hit the ‘accepted’ button when finished which sends a notice to the teacher and student. A comment will also be added in form 1B. Form 1B will turn green and have a checkmark.
Are there different forms for the regional or state fairs?
All the approval forms and permission forms are the same for students to progress between the regional and state fairs. We also use the same forms as ISEF at the High School level.
Why do students need to fill out forms if they aren't going to proceed to a Regional or State Fair?
The forms are a way to ensure student and community safety, so the reason they exist is good practice regardless of their interest in participating in the Fairs. As one teacher told us "Even if they knew they weren't going to "win", filling out the forms lent a level of authenticity and seriousness to doing our own school fair."
How do teachers decide which students qualify for the regional and/or State fair?
Each school can send approximately 10 projects* to the Regional Fair. Some schools base this on top performing projects and some schools use a showcase model without judging. Students should be chosen based on interest and student performance.
State Fair participation is based on the top student projects at the regional level so distribution is not based on schools. However schools may still send a limited number* of ‘direct entries’ to the State Fair. This could be for students who did not advance at the regional fair or were not able to participate at the regional level due to conflict or illness. Students must still complete the paperwork according to regional deadlines.
*Final numbers are determined by region and state fair once participation numbers are known.
| 
