Trained evaluators use our Global Issues rubric-based assessment to score students on each of the six steps within a submitted booklet. See a sample scoresheet at the bottom of this article. Evaluators provide feedback and scores for each step. The scores from evaluators determine the top teams and individuals in a competition.
Scoring breakdown
Global Issues team competitors present more challenges and solutions than individual writers. This is reflected in the scoresheets and total points for each. Below is a breakdown of how many points are tied to each step. Percentages have been rounded and may not add to 100%.
Teams
| Points | Percentages | ||
| Step 1 | Identifying challenges | 84 | 21% |
| Step 2 | Select an underlying problem | 84 | 21% |
| Step 3 | Produce solution ideas | 84 | 21% |
| Step 4 | Generate and select criteria | 40 | 10% |
| Step 5 | Apply criteria | 20 | 5% |
| Step 6 | Action plan | 95 | 23% |
| Total | 407 | 100% |
Individuals
| Points | Percentages | ||
| Step 1 | Identifying challenges | 52 | 15% |
| Step 2 | Select an underlying problem | 84 | 24% |
| Step 3 | Produce solution ideas | 52 | 15% |
| Step 4 | Generate and select criteria | 40 | 12% |
| Step 5 | Apply criteria | 20 | 6% |
| Step 6 | Action plan | 95 | 28% |
| Total | 343 | 100% |
Rubric evaluation
Certified evaluators analyze the students’ work through our 6-step problem-solving process, from their step one challenges to their step six action plan, providing feedback through authentic assessment.
Our rubric is a scoring guide that indicates the expectations for exemplary writing submissions and is used to evaluate the quality of students’ work. The rubric is presented as tables for each step, with criteria or descriptions of quality. Our scoresheet measures many aspects of each step of the problem-solving process.
Since there is no single “right” answer, our evaluators employ a variety of strategies to review student work. We take extra care to provide specific, detailed feedback in each evaluation so that students and their coaches can use their feedback to develop and improve their skills. Students receive quantitative and qualitative feedback in their scores as well as qualitative feedback in comments from their evaluators.
While authentic assessment of student learning always comes first, we also depend on our uniform evaluation guidelines to provide a fair, consistent, and reliable method for competition scoring. All evaluators must be trained and certified before evaluating student work.
Fundamental concepts
When assessing student submissions, evaluators reward students for showcasing their skills in research, creativity, and futuristic thinking. These fundamental concepts are scored multiple times.
Research applied
Evaluators measure the application of research into student ideas throughout the submission. Evaluators reward students for integrating vocabulary, knowledge of current issues and trends, and major concepts of the topic into their work. A strong submission will integrate ideas and concepts from the topic research in meaningful ways.
Creative strength
Evaluators measure if students have skillfully used productive, creative, and innovative thinking. A strong submission will integrate innovative and insightful ideas that go beyond the ordinary. Evaluators will reward students whose Ideas show that they are thinking outside of the obvious and commonplace.
Futuristic thinking
Evaluators measure the student’s ability to utilize knowledge of future trends, technologies, and predictions in their ideas. Futuristic writing will show that students have thought beyond how we may react to the concerns in the future scene now, and show how the issues may operate differently in the future. A strong submission will include ideas that integrate purposeful, futuristic concepts, showing how ideas might impact the future.
Scoring
In each step scored for fundamental concepts, each concept is worth five points. These points are included in the overall score for each step. This adds up to 45 points over the entire booklet.
- Team: 45 points (11%)
- Individual: 45 points (13%)
Step 1 – Identifying challenges
Evaluators assess each challenge students identify for fluency first. Then evaluators assess each fluent challenge for flexibility, clarity and insight, and originality. Evaluators also consider the entire step for our fundamental concepts related to research, creativity, and futuristic thinking.
Fluency
Evaluators consider whether or not each challenge is relevant to the presented future scene to assess fluency. A relevant challenge is one that has a possibility of existing within the context of the future scene situation.
Flexibility
Evaluators consider each relevant challenge and assign each a category when assessing flexibility in challenges. A highly flexible student submission will contain challenges that address ten or more categories.
Clarity + insight
Evaluators consider the quality of thinking presented in the relevant challenges when assessing clarity and insight. A challenge with clarity will demonstrate effective communication and cause effect reasoning. If a challenge earns a clarity mark, evaluators determine whether students have demonstrated a meaningful, in-depth understanding of potential implications emerging from the future scene.
Originality
Evaluators determine whether a challenge is highly creative, futuristic, or unique, or one that demonstrates a breakthrough in thinking. Only two percent of challenge ideas receive this distinction in most competitions.
Fundamental concepts
Evaluators consider the student work in this step as a whole when assessing three fundamental concepts: research, creativity, and futuristic thinking. These are measured again when students present their solution ideas, and again for the action plan.
Step 2 – Select an underlying problem
The underlying problem is written in a prescribed structure including a condition phrase, a key verb phrase, a purpose, and parameters from the future scene. Evaluators assess the underlying problem statement for structure, significance, scope, and clarity.
Condition phrase
Evaluators determine whether students have provided a rationale for choosing the issue for their underlying problem when assessing the condition phrase. A condition phrase shows the students’ reasoning behind choosing their goal and purpose. An excellent condition phrase will contain accurate information from the future scene and logically establish the underlying problem.
Key verb phrase
Evaluators determine if students have provided a single action verb that identifies the goal of the forthcoming solutions when assessing the key verb phrase. After writing the condition phrase, students use a stem like “how might we” or “in what ways might we” to lead into their chosen action goal. A correctly structured underlying problem will include only one action verb in the key verb phrase.
Purpose
Evaluators determine if students have provided a reason why pursuing their stated action goal is important when assessing the purpose structure. Students often will start their purpose statement with the words “so that” or “in order to”. A well structured underlying problem will include a purpose that is present, singular, and logically related to the action goal in the key verb phrase.
Future scene parameters
Evaluators check that students have integrated the parameters of the future scene into their selected underlying problem. The parameters are time, topic, and place.
Significance
Evaluators measure the importance of the issue as it relates to the future scene and topic when assessing significance. An underlying problem with high significance will identify an important issue that is meaningfully connected to the topic and related to the charge of the future scene.
Scope
Evaluators measure the manageability and focus of the underlying problem when assessing scope. A strong underlying problem will identify an aspect of the future scene to address that is both small enough to be manageable and sizable enough to be impactful.
Clarity
Evaluators measure the ability of the students to effectively communicate the intent of the underlying problem when assessing clarity. A strong underlying problem will clearly define the action and communicate its importance effectively and logically.
Step 3 – Produce solution ideas
Evaluators assess each solution for fluency. Then evaluators assess each fluent solution idea for flexibility, elaboration and clarity, and originality. Evaluators also consider the entire step for our fundamental concepts related to research, creativity, and futuristic thinking.
Fluency
Evaluators consider whether or not each solution is relevant to the chosen underlying problem to assess fluency. A relevant solution is one that addresses the key verb phrase and clearly supports the purpose of the underlying problem, implicitly or explicitly.
Flexibility
Evaluators consider each relevant solution idea and assign each a category when assessing flexibility. A highly flexible student submission will contain solutions that incorporate ten or more categories.
Elaboration + clarity
Evaluators consider the development of the idea presented in the relevant solutions when assessing elaboration and clarity. An elaborated solution will include the elements of who, how, and why in the action idea. If a solution earns an elaboration mark, evaluators determine whether students have effectively communicated the solution idea when assessing clarity. A well-written solution idea will present the action idea and the elaborated details in concise, clear, and easy to understand writing.
Originality
Evaluators determine whether a solution is highly creative, futuristic, or unique, or one that demonstrates a breakthrough in thinking. Only 2 percent of solution ideas receive this distinction in most competitions.
Fundamental concepts
Evaluators consider the student work in this step as a whole when assessing three fundamental concepts: research, creativity, and futuristic thinking. These are measured again when students present their action plan.
Step 4 – Generate and select criteria
Evaluators determine if criteria are correctly written and the degree to which the criteria are applicable to the students’ underlying problem. Excellent criteria will address aspects of the solution ideas that will be very important in determining which one will best accomplish the goals of the underlying problem.
Correctly written
Evaluators determine if students have written criteria in the correct structure. Each criterion must be recognizable as a question, indicate a desired outcome, demonstrate a measure of degree using a superlative, and focus on a single standard.
Applicability
Evaluators then measure the usefulness of a criterion as it applies to the chosen underlying problem. A targeted criterion will be specific to the underlying problem and helpful in determining the best solution to develop into an action plan.
Step 5 – Apply criteria
Evaluators determine if students have applied their criteria correctly to their chosen solutions in an evaluation matrix.
Determination of best solution
Evaluators determine if students have completed the evaluation matrix accurately when assessing this step. Students who score top points in this step accurately record numerical rankings, total their scores correctly, and use their top ranked solution to create their action plan in the next step.
Step 6 – Develop an Action Plan
Evaluators consider seven criteria when assessing the action plan: discussion of criteria, completeness, clarity, relationship to the underlying problem, impact on the future scene, humaneness, and holistically for fundamental concepts.
Discussion of criteria
Evaluators measure the degree to which the criteria chosen in step four have been addressed in the action plan. An excellent action plan will address criteria in a convincing manner in the plan details.
Completeness
Evaluators consider how students have elaborated their initial solution into a developed action plan when assessing completeness. A strong action plan will present an organized, comprehensive explanation of the process needed to implement the action plan.
Clarity
Evaluators determine whether students clearly and concisely communicate their ideas in the action plan. A well-written action plan avoids unnecessary wordiness, and details the action plan clearly.
Relationship to underlying problem
Evaluators assess the extent to which the action plan solves the underlying problem. A strong action plan will effectively respond to the key verb phrase and purpose that students chose in step two.
Impact on future scene
Evaluators measure the positive impact of the action plan on the future scene situation. An excellent action plan will clearly demonstrate a strong, positive impact on the issues presented in the future scene.
Humaneness
Evaluators consider the productive and positive potential of the action plan when assessing humaneness. A strong action plan will be both positive and constructive.
Fundamental concepts
Evaluators consider the student work in this step as a whole when assessing three fundamental concepts: research, creativity, and futuristic thinking.
View 2024 champions’ booklets with their evaluations
Become an Evaluator
We welcome anyone in our global community to participate in our Global Issues evaluator certification process. Many alumni choose to stay connected and give back to the program as evaluators. It’s common for experienced coaches and senior division students to evaluate as well. All evaluators must complete training and certify in each program option they wish to evaluate. Contact your local affiliate for more information on becoming an evaluator. All those not connected to a local affiliate may work with our Open affiliate and/or be added to our pool of evaluators available to support needs across our global network. After successfully evaluating at the affiliate level, you may be nominated to certify as an international evaluator with an opportunity to evaluate our annual world finals competition held at our International Conference.
