| POLICY 302—FOCUS OF ASSESSMENTS | |
| Taken from the POLICY MANUAL OF THE STATE REFEREE PROGRAM OF METROPOLITAN DC–VIRGINIA SOCCER ASSOCIATION, INC. AND VIRGINIA YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION, INC. REVISED May 7, 2002 | |
| 1. | Assessors perform assessments within the State Referee Program (SRP) to assist referees at all levels of the game to improve and sharpen their officiating skills. The assessment program is one of several elements of the SRP to help improve the quality of support it is able to provide to our customers, the youth and amateur soccer programs in the state. |
| 2. | Assessors should approach each match as an objective observer of the officiating team’s performance in executing their duties and responsibilities. An assessor translates his or her observations into constructive feedback to reinforce areas of high proficiency and to identify areas of weakness with suggested changes that will help the officials improve and sharpen their officiating skills. |
| 3. | At the same time, the assessor is serving the SRP by providing feedback on the referee’s ability to effectively officiate at the level of competition consistent with his referee grade (or requested upgrade). Objective, honest observation of the official’s performance will allow the assessor to meet both feedback requirements. |
| 4. | An assessor approaches each assessment with these priorities in mind: Reinforce good practices, identify potential problem areas and recommend solutions, and make a factual report of the official’s abilities to the SRP. The guiding principle for all assessments in the state should be the same: Help the official become a better referee. |