How Leaderboard Contests Work

Leaderboard contests in Book Taco are a simpler competition style than Goal-Based contests. Instead of chasing a numeric target, students accumulate activity on a single metric — chosen by you — and you manually select the winners. Here's how it works, and why it's always individual.

• Step 1: Understand the leaderboard format
• Step 2: Choose the metric to track
• Step 3: Create your leaderboard contest
• Step 4: Monitor and select winners

Step 1: Understand the leaderboard format

Leaderboard contests rank students by a single activity over the contest period. Unlike Goal-Based contests (which have a numeric target), a Leaderboard has no goal — students simply accumulate activity, and you choose the winners at the end.

Key rules:

• Always individual — students compete on their own, never as a classroom team
• No fixed goal — there is no target number to hit
• One activity type — you pick which metric counts (quizzes, minutes read, pages, etc.)
• You pick winners — the leaderboard shows student totals, and you manually mark who wins
• Tied positions — students with the same total share the same position (e.g., three students tied for 2nd all show "2nd")
• Zeros count — students with zero activity still appear on the leaderboard (usually tied at the bottom)

Leaderboard is a teacher feature. Only teachers can create leaderboard contests. Super Users create Goal-Based only (schoolwide).

Step 2: Choose the metric to track

Pick one activity type for students to compete on. Available options are:

• Quizzes Passed — each quiz passed = 1 point
• Final Review — each book finished = 1 point
• Nonfiction Books — each nonfiction book read = 1 point
• Activity Points — points from vocabulary, writing, graphics = 1 point each
• Minutes Read — reading log entries = 1 point per minute
• Pages Read — total pages across all books = 1 point per page

Step 3: Create your leaderboard contest

When setting up a new contest:

1. Select "Leaderboard" format (not Goal-Based)
2. Choose your metric (the activity type students will compete on)
3. Fill in contest details: name, start and end dates, prize
4. (Optional) Restrict to specific student groups or book lists
5. Save

Note: The format is locked after creation — you cannot switch from Leaderboard to Goal-Based or vice versa once the contest is live.

Step 4: Monitor and select winners

As the contest runs, visit your Monitor page to:

• See all students sorted by their total on the chosen metric (highest to lowest)
• Watch positions shift as students accumulate activity
• Identify top performers and students who need encouragement

When you're ready to finish the contest (before or on the end date), use the monitor to select which students are winners. Mark them with a checkbox, finish the contest, and they'll receive the prize.

Important: A high position on the leaderboard doesn't automatically make a student a winner. You must explicitly select them. You can also finish a leaderboard contest with no winners at all — it's entirely your choice.

How positions work on the leaderboard

• Tied students share a position: If three students have 50 points, they all show as "2nd place," not "2nd, 3rd, 4th."
• Within a tie, alphabetical order: If two students have the same total, they're sorted by first name
• Students with zero show up: Even students who haven't started show on the leaderboard (usually tied for last place with 0 points)