Evaluations

SCSPA facilitates evaluation services for our active members. Experienced scholastic judges evaluate programs and provide valuable feedback to help staffs improve as well as award excellence according to established scholastic journalism standards. Critiqued publications receive ratings based on the judges’ evaluations. Judges can also provide annotations by leaving written feedback on sticky notes attached to physical copies of newsprint, literary arts magazine, and yearbook publications.

Reminders will be sent throughout the school year about deadlines and submission requirements. Please ensure that you have completed your 2025-26 Membership Form to purchase an evaluation.

 

Fees:
$50 Evaluation

$30 Annotations

 

2025-26 Deadlines:

Broadcast – Materials due December 15, 2025

Submission materials: Evaluation entry form, links to two shows (no more than 20 minutes)

Ratings presented at the 2026 Spring Conference

 

Literary Arts Magazine – Materials due June 15, 2026

Submission materials: Evaluation entry form, one physical copy of the magazine

Ratings presented at the 2027 Fall Conference

 

Newsprint – Materials due December 15, 2025

Submission materials: Evaluation entry form, two physical issues

Ratings presented at the 2026 Spring Conference

 

Online – Materials due December 15, 2025

Submission materials: Evaluation entry form, link to website

Ratings presented at the 2026 Spring Conference

 

Yearbook – Materials due June 15, 2026

Submission materials: Evaluation entry form, one physical copy of the magazine

Ratings presented at the 2027 Fall Conference

 

Guide to SCSPA ratings:

All-State

This is SCSPA’s highest evaluation rating. These publications demonstrate excellence in

all areas of scholastic journalism production. These publications effectively integrate

writing, design, photography, and graphics and cover a wide range of content to give

readers an excellent record of the school year.

 

Superior

These publications demonstrate excellence in most areas of scholastic journalism

production. While they consistently integrate writing, design, photography, and

graphics into the publications and cover a variety of content, they lack in at least one

area of overall execution.

 

Honor

These publications demonstrate a basic understanding of general scholastic journalism

standards. These publications consistently integrate writing, design, photography, and

graphics into their publication and cover a variety of content, but they lack in at least

two areas overall execution that makes for a Superior publication.

 

Merit

These publications demonstrate some general journalistic standards.