The idea for a competitive ClassDojo series was born during Mr. Bracken's student-teaching semester. While working with Madame Goeller's French classes, he sought to reinvent the ClassDojo points system as a way to keep students engaged throughout the school year. Madame Goeller had already established a classroom economy in which students earned *billets français* that could be exchanged for prizes or bonus points.

As Mr. Bracken assumed responsibility for daily instruction, he decided to add a competitive element to the existing system. Students would participate in two-week competitions, competing against classmates, against students enrolled in the same level of French, and against all other French students within their school. At the conclusion of each competition, the highest-earning student in each class received two *billets français*. The top student at each French level earned five additional billets, the highest-earning student in each school earned ten, and the overall point leader across both schools received twenty.

Although the system successfully renewed student interest and participation, Mr. Bracken wanted to raise the stakes even further. Inspired in part by the excitement of March Madness and the intensity of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, he created the first-ever ClassDojo Playoffs.

Six classes participated in the inaugural competition. Because Mr. Bracken and Madame Goeller taught at two different schools, the playoff field was divided into two conferences: the middle school conference and the high school conference.