USAP

Welcome Letter

Academic Pentathlon will allow you, as a middle school student, a chance to start experiencing the benefits of Academic Decathlon before entering high school.

Academic Pentathlon isn’t about demonstrating how good a student you already are. It’s about daring to push your limits. It’s about the people you’ll meet along the way—the coaches who will mentor you, the competitors who will challenge you, and the teammates who will become your lifelong friends.

As Pentathletes you’ll learn an exciting new theme each year, themes like World War II, India, and New Alternatives in Energy: Ingenuity and Innovation. You’ll then master five subjects connected to that theme. You’ll never do any of this alone, you’ll be working with a team—a team composed of students with a wide range of grades but a single shared goal.

You should join Academic Pentathlon not because that goal will be easy to achieve, but because it will be hard. You and your teammates may study more than you ever have before, not knowing whether you will take home ten medals each—or none at all.

I invite you to become part of a program that you may think is over your head, until you realize you can reach higher as a team. I invite you to struggle and I invite you to learn—not just to read, but to understand; not just to win, but to lead.

Dr. Les Martisko
Administrator

What is the United States Academic Pentathlon?

The United States Academic Pentathlon (USAP) is a dynamic five-event competition designed for middle school students. It mirrors the Academic Decathlon in providing a comprehensive learning experience through five academic events based on a unique theme each year.

2024-25 Theme: Our Changing Climate

• Science: The science topic will be an introduction to environmental science.
• Literature: The literature curriculum will include critical reading, one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The 2024–2025 novel is Melt by Ele Fountain, ISBN-10: 1782692886.
• Fine Arts:The fine arts curriculum is a combination of art and music. The guide will offer an introduction to environmental and environmentalist art and music in the natural world.
• Social Science:The social science topic will be climate change in the past and present.
• Mathematics:The mathematics curriculum will provide an overview of permutations, combinations, algebra and statistics.

Competition Format and Standards: Participants do not master a single subject but several subject areas. Students engage in both individual and team competitions, mastering themes developed according to national content standards. Prior to the regional, state and national competitions, an essay will be written and will become 40% of the student's Literature grade. The Essay will demonstrate not just what you’ve learned but how powerfully you can present an idea. All events follow the same format, whether it is an online competition or an on-site competition.

Testing and Participation: Pentathlon testing is conducted online, allowing students to participate from their respective schools. Notably, the National competition is an exception where tests are conducted in person. USAP provides login information and testing directions a few days before the online assessments, including Scrimmage, Regional, and State competitions. In terms of team composition, Academic Pentathlon teams should ideally consist of a minimum of six and a maximum of nine team members. Team scores are determined by summing the top two student scores in each GPA category, adhering to GPA guidelines. The pinnacle of achievement is a perfect team score of 30,000 points, calculated by considering the scores of six students participating in five events, each with a maximum of 1000 points. Your school can have a team, or students may compete as individuals. (Team Registration and Individual Registration)

Recognition: Following the state meet, trophies will be awarded to the top teams, plus medals to individual event winners. All state competition champions will be invited to the U.S. Academic Pentathlon® National Competition. All test questions will be derived from the USAP curriculum.