PROGRAM TO RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE IN LITERARY MAGAZINES

NATIONAL JUDGING INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATION GUIDE

The National Council of Teachers of English would like to thank you for the time you are devoting to this program. Your dedication gives these students, teachers, and schools the opportunity to share their work and be recognized.

Please read the following procedures and instructions before evaluating any magazines.

This student literary magazine program is open to all senior high, junior high, and middle schools throughout the United States, Canada, and American schools abroad. Schools may only submit one entry. Magazines may include faculty writing and illustrations, but the primary content of the magazine should contain student writing and illustrations. Two or more schools may not join to submit one entry. District wide magazines produced by student staff are eligible if such magazines are in a district that does not have individual school literary magazines.

The following types of magazines are not eligible: K-elementary level magazines, publications, newspapers, and yearbooks.

Evidence of plagiarism will disqualify a magazine. Promptly notify Lu Ann McNabb at [email protected] if you suspect plagiarism.

In the mail you will receive magazines and their entry forms for judging. It’s possible one of your magazines will be in an electronic form in which case you’ll receive it by email. You’ll record all scores via this link to National 2017 PRESLM Judges Scoring Sheet

Two judges, working independently, will review and score each entry. NCTE staff will average the two scores to determine the magazine’s rank.

NOTE: Schools do not receive critiques of the magazine or scoring results. Please do not share magazine evaluations. Please keep all scoring sheets confidential.

Please address any queries you may have to [email protected].

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JUDGING A MAGAZINE

Please consider any additional information provided on the entry form along with the magazine as a basis for awarding points. Please use the Evaluation Guide at the bottom of this document as the basis for your scoring.

Read and examine the magazines to determine the number of awarded points in each category. Please judge all magazines by the same criteria (refer to the Evaluation Guide) within the context of the appropriate entry level, i.e., middle school, junior or senior high.

Magazines with a total score of 94-100 will automatically be considered for Highest Award. If the total score for a magazine is 91-93, decide whether the magazine should be recommended for Highest Award and check the appropriate box.

Please complete your reviews by October 3. NCTE has retained a copy of all magazines, so please keep the magazines you have judged. MAGAZINE EVALUATION AWARDS SUMMARY

Judging is based on a point system. Total points awarded to the individual entries will determine each entry's placement in one of the categories explained below. See the Evaluation Guide below for details.

Recommended for Highest Award (94-100 points) Magazines with a total score of 94-100 are automatically considered for Highest Award.

Superior (91-93 points) May be recommended for Highest Award Outstanding writing; wide variety of genres (at least 5) represented; meticulous editing; unifying design; high-quality graphics; coherence of theme and design; clear evidence of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary involvement with writings from other subject areas; students dominate editorial, production, and business aspects. Decide whether the magazine should be recommended for Highest Award and check the appropriate box.

HIGHEST AWARD This special award recognizes magazines that fulfill extraordinary standards of excellence. In such magazines, students handle virtually all aspects of writing, production, and business with exceptional skill. The magazine is characterized by a variety of genres including print and multi-media presentations; highly original and technically outstanding writing; high quality design with fonts and graphics that complement the theme and tone; inclusion of high-quality writings from various disciplines; and other evidence that school wide participation has gone into the development of the magazine. The PRESLM advisory committee selects this award at the NCTE Annual Convention. The Highest Award may be given to several magazines in a particular year, or it may be given to none.

Excellent (81-90 points) High quality of writing; variety of genres (at least 4) represented; strong editing; some writings from other subject areas; design and graphics attractive, pertinent to writings; students have strong roles in editorial, production, and business aspects.

Above Average (71-80 points) Sound writing; includes at least 3 genres, and one or two pieces from other subject areas; good editing, but noticeable errors; design and layout adequate but inconsistent; students’ participation in editorial, production, and business aspects weak.

Average (70 or less) Lack of sufficient quality in areas noted above and on the scoring sheet to warrant inclusion in the program in a given year. EVALUATION GUIDE FOR JUDGES

CRITERIA *Superior (91-93) Excellent Above Average Average Recommended for (81-90) (71-80) (70 or lower) Highest Award (94-100) I. LITERARY

A. Content/Quality Originality, variety, strength of ideas and themes. Outstanding writing. Writing High-quality wiring. Sound writing. Some good writing, Effective language, clarity, precision, by students dominates. Writing by students Writing by students but quality inconsistent. expressiveness, sophistication, rhythm, musicality. (50-45 points) dominates. dominates. (35-0 points) Masterful use of literary devices (i.e., metaphor, (44-41 points) (40-35 points) image, symbol). Exploration of genres (drama, wit, fantasy, thought) and literary forms (varieties of verse, prose narrative, dialogue, essay) to express themes. B. Rhetorical Variety Poetry; narrative fiction; dramatic Many genres (at least 5) Variety of genres (at least At least 3 genres. One or Predominance of 1 or 2 dialogue; personal essay; non-fiction writing-from- represented. Writing from 4) represented. Some two pieces from other genres. Nothing beyond across-the-curriculum; translations; multi-media many subject areas. Writing writing from other subject subject areas. Student poetry and short stories. presentations (e.g., music and film). by students dominates. areas. Writing by students participation weak. Other subject areas not (15-14 points) dominates. (11 points) represented. Student (13-12 points) participation weak. (10-0 points)

C. Editing, Proofreading Strong editing. Good editing, but Frequent errors distract Meticulous editing. Minimal errors. Students noticeable errors. Student from writing. No evidence Error-free. Students dominate have strong role in these participation weak. of student participation. these processes. processes. (11 points) (10-0 points) (15-14 points) (13-12 points)

CRITERIA *Superior (91-93) Excellent Above Average Average Recommended for Highest (81-90) (71-80) (70 or lower) Award (94-100)

II. DESIGN AND GRAPHICS A. Artistic Quality Overall artistic quality. Attractive design and Layout adequate, but design Simplistic or haphazard Unifying design, high- Effective use of art and design graphics. Art and design elements and graphics of layout. No attempt to connect quality graphics, coherence to complement writing. connect to writing. Students inconsistent quality with little writing to graphics. No of theme and design. Effective layout and have a strong role. or no connection to writing. evidence of student Students dominate. typography. (13-12 points) Student participation weak. participation. (15-14 points) (10-0 points) (11 points)

B. Front Matter and Pagination Legible and informative Complete, accurate, and Complete, accurate, clear. Complete, but design is Incomplete. No evidence of front matter (i.e.., Table of well-designed. Students Students have a strong role. cluttered or confusing. student participation. Contents). dominate all aspects. (4 points) Student participation weak. (2-0 points) Title page (title, school, city, (5 points) (3 points) district, state, date). Staff credits; contact information.

*Note: This special award recognizes magazines that fulfill extraordinary standards of excellence. In such magazines, students handle virtually all aspects of writing, production, and business with exceptional skill. The magazine is characterized by a variety of genres including print and multi-media presentations; highly original and technically outstanding writing; high quality design with fonts and graphics that complement the theme and tone; inclusion of high-quality writings from various disciplines; and other evidence that school wide participation has gone into the development of the magazine. The PRESLM advisory committee selects this award at the NCTE Annual Convention. The Highest Award may be given to several magazines in a particular year, or it may be given to none.