Moderator Certification

IHSSBCA Moderator Certification recognizes good moderators and encourages moderators to study the rules of different quizbowl formats. There are four levels of certification: Recognized, Recommended, Highly Recommended, and Highly Rated. Badges indicating what levels of recognition each moderator has received are posted next to their name in the certified moderators list.

Links

Certified Moderators List
Moderator Rating Form
Recommendation Form
for tournaments hosts only
Moderator Contact Form for moderators to submit their contact information
Moderator Certification Policies Page

Moderator Certification Levels

Recognized moderators have submitted their names, moderating area, and contact information through this form to make it easier for tournament hosts to get in contact with them.

recommended

Recommended moderators have been recommended by one or more tournament hosts through this form maintained by the IHSSBCA. Recommended moderators have more positive recommendations from tournament hosts than negative reviews.

highly recommended

Highly recommended moderators have been rated exceptional by tournament hosts through this form. Highly recommended moderators have few to no negative reviews from tournament hosts.

highly rated

Highly rated moderators have received positive ratings from community members through this form. A rating form may be submitted after a match in which the reviewer personally watched the moderator read. The form may be used to rate any competition with a toss-up/bonus format. Coaches, players, other moderators, or team representatives may submit moderator rating forms. Each reviewer may submit one rating per match.

In the rating form, the moderator is rated as to their knowledge of rules, pronunciation, speed, and fairness, and is given an overall rating, on a scale of 1 to 3, so the highest possible rating is 15 points.

Once a moderator has at least ten ratings that have 12 or more points (out of 15), that moderator is Highly Rated. To maintain their status, the moderator must have 10 cards submitted within the past two full academic years. Rating status is reassessed on July 1 of every year, when older cards are retired, and the remaining cards are counted. Anonymous feedback from the rating cards will be delivered to the moderators once or twice a year. Hosts for the Novice, Kickoff and Turnabout sites, as well as the NAQT State Championships, are paid $10 per Highly Rated Moderator that they use.

Multiple ratings of a moderator made by affiliates of a given organization/school during a single academic year will be averaged together before the ratings are averaged, so that each organization is weighted equally. Moderators may not evaluate themselves, nor may they be evaluated by anyone affiliated with their current school.

Ratings and comments will be shared anonymously with the moderators they concern.

The IHSSBCA thanks all participants in the moderator certification process, which is designed to help improve the quality of officiating at Illinois events, and to encourage coaches to brush up on the rules.