Judging Rubric: Community Leaders in Action

1. Alignment with Guiding Principles

How well the actions embody the District 135 mission, vision, and core values.

• 5 (Outstanding): The nominee's actions are a direct, powerful, and sustained reflection of multiple core values and clearly advance the district’s mission/vision.
• 3 (Acceptable): The actions are positive and generally supportive of the district’s principles, but the connection may be indirect or less comprehensive.
• 1 (Needs Improvement): The connection between the actions and the district’s mission/values is weak, unclear, or not explicitly stated in the nomination.

5 

2. Impact and Scope

The depth, breadth, and significance of the nominee's actions on the community.

• 5 (Outstanding): The actions resulted in a significant, demonstrable, and positive impact on a large number of people (students, staff, community) or created a lasting change. The impact is well-documented.
• 3 (Acceptable): The actions had a noticeable, positive impact on a small group or in a specific area, but the long-term significance is moderate.
• 1 (Needs Improvement): The impact of the action is minimal, difficult to verify, or limited to a single instance with no lasting effect.

5 

3. Specificity and Evidence

The clarity of the examples and the strength of the supporting documentation/testimony.

• 5 (Outstanding): The nomination provides highly specific, concrete examples of the actions, and the details are powerfully reinforced by compelling supporting documentation (e.g., strong letters of support, photographic evidence).
• 3 (Acceptable): The nomination provides clear examples, but they lack significant detail or the supporting evidence is general or moderate in strength.
• 1 (Needs Improvement): The description of the actions is vague, relies on general statements, or there is no substantial evidence to back up the claims.

5 

4. Exemplary Nature (Above and Beyond)

The extent to which the actions exceed typical expectations of their role or affiliation.

• 5 (Outstanding): The nominee's efforts represent an extraordinary level of commitment, dedication, or innovation that far exceeds what is expected of an individual in their position/role.
• 3 (Acceptable): The nominee's efforts are commendable and exceed basic expectations, but are similar to other strong contributions witnessed in the district.
• 1 (Needs Improvement): The actions are positive but could be considered a routine part of the nominee's expected role, job, or civic duty.

5 

5. Category Fit

How strongly the actions align with the specific category (e.g., Volunteer Service, Resilience, Kindness) selected.

• 5 (Outstanding): The actions described are a perfect and powerful fit for the specific award category selected (e.g., A submission for the Resilience Award clearly articulates an inspiring story of overcoming adversity).
• 3 (Acceptable): The actions fit the category well, but they could arguably be nominated under a different category with equal validity.
• 1 (Needs Improvement): The actions described in the application seem poorly aligned with the selected category, suggesting the wrong category was chosen.

5 

TOTAL SCORE

25 Points