Critique Primer

• Please read carefully the material written by the adviser and students that you can find on this website. This will help you understand the school’s individual situation.
• Please write plenty of comments on the evaluation form letting students know what they have done well and what needs improvement. Please write the constructive comments as though you and your students were going to be the recipients of them! Please be gentle, thoughtful and helpful. We suggest you find at least 1-3 positive things and at least 1-3 recommendations for each area of the critique.
• We hope the scorebook helps to make your work easier; however, we do not want it to prevent schools from trying new ideas that may not conform to the categories we have established. Please review the entry materials, and if the material is covered, wherever/however it is included, give the students credit. We want to allow for non-traditional treatments and growth, but we also want to ensure the basics are covered and journalistic standards are maintained.
• Please note the use of words such as “avoids,” “if used” and “may.” They do not mean that the item must occur.
• We trust your judgment. We would appreciate suggestions or concerns you have as you work through the evaluation booklet.
• Also, please don’t allow a school’s score to be too close (within 8 to 10 points) to the next higher award level. This causes great angst for advisers and students alike!
• Please check over your comments and scores carefully before you consider the evaluation finished. It’s easy to miss something.