The Summit is one of the greatest learning experiences students may ever have in high school. The Summit is also a game that is tremendously fun to play. There are also versions of the Summit for college students and even middle schools. This set of guidelines applies to the high school version.
Students form teams about 12 weeks before the actual Summit “Game Day”. Each team usually consists of 5 students and each team represents a country of the real world…Germany, Ghana, Russia or any of the 117 countries in the Summit Program database.
The country teams prepare for the final competition in class, after school or as part of a club. The teams practice and are measured on practical skills like planning, problem solving, critical thinking, adapting to change, teamwork, budgeting, investing and negotiating. They learn about economics, finance, technology, business math, marketing, writing, public speaking and video production. Each team has the goal of “raising the standard of living” by scoring points in about 20 objectively measured Summit skill challenges and exams.
At the end of the Summit competition, several categories of winning teams are recognized and receive awards, certificates and sometimes extra high school or college credit.
Link: For Summit Agenda, please go to “Summit Materials” link.
Coming: Training Video 3 — clips of Summit Award Ceremonies
The teacher or advisor registers first on www.econsummit.org. Then the student teams register under that advisor.
The first time an advisor registers to have teams participate in a Summit, he or she CREATES A SUMMIT ACCOUNT with a user name, password and basic contact information. That advisor account will remain active for future Summits as well.
When the advisor logs into the Summit website, it will ask “How many teams do you want to register?” Since each team usually has five students, the advisor can calculate the number of teams to register based on how many students are going to participate. Some advisors register 15-20 teams for a Summit, while others may only register one or two.
The Summit website will then ask the advisor to choose which countries the teams will represent. If the advisor has requested 4 teams, for example, then he or she will choose four countries from the lists presented on the Summit website.
Coming: Diagram—Using the Summit Website PDF
Coming: Summit Training Video 4
How do the advisors or teachers register, choose countries and assign teams?
How do the student register and get onto a country team?
These country classifications are determined by the Summit Program and are adjusted from time to time. The classifications are based roughly on GDP per capita of the actual countries in the real world.
In general GDP per capita
Low Income countries < $10,000
Middle Income countries $10,000—25,000
High Income countries > $25,000
Link: Summit Countries by Income Class January 2016
Coming: Summit Training Video 5
Low, Middle and high Income Countries. Are the countries evenly divided between low, middle and high income at the Summit? And what is the difference between them?
Typically, for every four countries in a Summit competition there will be 1 high income, 1 middle income and 2 low income countries. These proportions vary a little depending on the Summit but generally the ratio of 1/1/2 (high / middle / low income) is required to make the Summit fair and balanced for all teams.
Low Income countries like Nigeria start the Summit with less Summit currency and fewer resources to trade than Middle or High Income countries. Low Income countries use a Summit currency called the “Lesco”. Low Income countries are also eligible to receive Foreign Aid Grants from High Income countries.
Each Summit country starts with a given amount of “cash”. One of the goals of each team is to finish the Summit with more cash “value” than it started with.
Link: Who has the money…Summit Currencies and Value
The maximum number of teams is 100. Although this is stretched to as many as 105 if there is a large enough facility to accommodate well over 500 students. In a large 100 team Summit, there may be 5—20 schools represented. The smallest Summit can actually be conducted by a teacher or advisor in a single classroom of 25 or 30 students. This is called a Mini Summit.
The Summit Institute, which is based at Boise State University, currently manages 25 or more large Summits each school year in California, Idaho, the New England States, Mississippi, Tennessee and even Shanghai China. This is what the Summit set up might look like before the teams arrive. Each team has a table..
Coming: Summit Training Video 7
Roles. How are such large Summit events managed? Who is in charge?
The Summit program was developed and is owned by the Summit program at Boise State University. All Summit events and competitions are coordinated through the Summit program, which provides the materials, curriculum, website and all resources needed for the program.
But the advisors and teachers are critical to the success of the program. They get the students involved, help them register at www.econsummit.org, teach classroom Summit lessons and coach the teams during the 12 weeks preparation time before each Summit.
At the Summit event, which is usually held at a university, up to 50 community volunteers help run the Summit. They are the “Scorekeepers”, “Bankers”, and “Optional Quiz Hosts” of the Summit. Volunteers also play the role of “Team USA and Team China”. These students are working with their Summit Scorekeepers.
Coming: Summit Training Video 8
Here are some of the best practices we have gathered from experienced Summit advisors over 15 years:
Depending on the version of the Summit your state or area is using, there are 6 pre-summit assignments and 1 post-summit assignment plus your country table display and costumes.
Important: The “Pre-summit Assessment” is a green button on the student’s screen once they log in to Econsummit.org. The team would be locked out of the pre-summit assignment if at least one of the team members didn’t complete the” Pre-summit Assessment.”
Teams can score up to 25 points prior to the actual Summit day competition, plus 20 additional points that will be awarded for their costumes and tables at the Summit. Out of approximately 170 total Summit points, 45 are for your Pre Summit work. However, during the weeks before the actual Summit, advisors and student teams should also practice the 13 (plus) activities that happen on Summit day. Bottom line, scoring high points at the Summit depend on the Pre Summit assignments and classroom practice. Each Pre Summit assignment is explained below.
The National Council on Economic Education in New York funded a $30,000 study to determine how the Summit benefits students academically. The study required each student to take an exam before the Summit and then to repeat it after the Summit. Although the study was completed, some states and areas still elect to have students take the pre and post tests. No preparation or study is required. If you are required to take this exam, your advisor will let you know.
What did the “Summit Study” reveal about what students learn by going through the program?
The Summit provides huge set of benefits to students. Not only do they score higher on exams like this one but they also gain hands-on practice and experience as they APPLY their knowledge, skills and individual talents in the Summit “game”. For example, students gain knowledge and skills in …..
The Summit is a project that combines academic learning with creativity, problem solving, teamwork, fun and practical experience.
This is your first assignment as a country team. You can earn a fast 5 points as you get familiar with your country. Remember, your job as a team is to be global advisors and experts to your country and to help “raise the standard of living”. To do this, you must first learn all you can about your “customer”, the country.
The very last activity of the Summit day is a Debate between the finalist teams regarding their Summit Proposals. In the end, the scorekeepers, bankers, Summit staff, and the VIP/Guests will vote to choose the winning proposal. The process starts with this assignment. Each team writes and submits on econsummit.org a 180 word proposal to help solve a major, multi-country problem regarding the environment, education, health, government, infrastructure, war, resources etc.
Professors, graduate students and the Summit Institute staff read and grade all the proposals. To earn 5 points your team must meet the five requirements listed on the assignment page.
Each Summit team has the opportunity to create a 60 second video to promote and illustrate their Global Solution Proposal. This assignment is worth 5 points …. And remember, all assignments must be submitted by their due dates to get reviewed.
There are hundreds of student team video examples on the EconSummit YouTube channel.
Attached the new Global Solution Proposal-Video requirements screenshot.
The Strategic Plan assignment is one of the most important of the Summit program. It has three parts:
The next FAQ sections explain how to complete each part of this assignment.
How to Set Import Goals.
There are 13 categories of products and services that the Summit program includes. On Summit day these are represented by Export / Import Coupons like these:
Each country team is PRE-ASSIGNED a number and mix of these coupons that they may sell or trade to other countries on Summit day. For example, Angola will be given the following coupons to start with:
Total Coupons for trade: 16
These coupons are FOR SALE/TRADE by Angola. Angola will not be able to use these coupons to meet their own country’s import goals.
No country has everything it needs so Angola must set import goals for 16 coupons it needs to acquire / purchase from other countries on Summit day.
How to choose Long Term Investment projects.
Each country is allowed to invest in (purchase from the Summit Bank) up to 4 Long-Term Development projects (LTD) that will help the country increase its standard of living. Only the LTD cards selected in this assignment will be counted toward the points. The LTD cards are limited in each Banker station; therefore, the teams may purchase more than what they need for resell value strategy.
Alliance Partners and the Country Resource Matrix
The final part of the Strategic Plan assignment asks you to identify countries that would make the best trading and alliance partners for you. Your choices do not affect your 5 point score for this assignment. You should consider which countries have products for sale that your team plans to import / purchase.
The Country Resource Matrix is a compilation of all countries’ exports, imports, starting cash and Foreign Aid Grants. Your team should study and understand how to use the matrix on Summit day. However, the first time you will see the matrix for your Summit will be the morning of Summit day.
This Quiz is important and for your team’s benefit. Each member must take this quiz and pass it. Its purpose is to review the Summit rules and make sure your team members are ready to compete. Your team will score 5 points when each team member passes the Quiz with a score of 80% or more. You can take it multiple times as long as everyone has passed it by the due date.
The questions for this quiz come from the instructions you are now reading. The quiz includes questions about the following examples:
The team leader communicates with that team’s “Scorekeeper” throughout the Summit day. The team treasurer communicates with that team’s “Banker” during the day. The scorekeepers correct exams, give points for certain activities and answer questions for the students. The Summit Bankers disburse Summit currencies to the teams, make loans, collect import tariffs and sell Long-Term Development Project Coupons.
Coming: Summit Training Video 9
Teams prepare table displays prior to Summit day. Their purpose is to promote your country, make it easily identifiable and to exercise your creativity. The link to the Table Judging Form is below. You can score up to 10 points but the requirements are strict and specific. Below is a summary. See PDF for exact requirements.
To receive any points, a table must contain all of the following three items:
2. School name
3. Country name
Score up to 7 additional points by including 7 or more of the following. See PDF for exact requirements.
4. Artifacts etc.
5. Famous landmarks
6. Important people
7. Map or flag
8. Important invention
9. Finance Facts
10. Typical food
11. Summit Logo
12. BSU Logo
13. Sponsor Logo
14. Export Import List
PDF: For the Table Display Judging list, please check the”Summit Materials” link.