INSTRUCTIONS FOR CERTIFICATION ADVANCEMENT

Candidates for any of these certifications must also fulfill NERVA “in good standing” requirements for membership registration, clinic attendance, rules exams and regional officiating activities, and any other designated requirements.

The NERVA Training and Evaluation Team consists of “Official Coaches” who are USA Junior National and National officials. Some have served with the cadre of USAV Official Coaches in the National Training/Mentoring/Evaluation Program, and whose experience and knowledge will prove invaluable to officials throughout NERVA.

NOTE: During an evaluation session for upgrading a certification, officials are not paid for the matches on which they are evaluated. They will be paid the established rate for any other matches.

Provisional to Regional 

A Provisional official may request to upgrade to a Provisional certification by declaring his/her intention to the regional Officials’ Chair. An email can be sent to officials@nevolleyball.org. An official may apply for this certification in the first year after receiving the Provisional certification with the approval of the regional Officials’ Chair. The USAV evaluation form or a designated NERVA evaluation form may be used for this process. 

For you to advance to a Regional official certification, you must show a sustained quality and commitment to officiating.  The evaluations will not occur at a single event but occur over the span of two to three events during the year you are evaluated.  By taking this approach, we hope to make it more flexible for you, with less financial impact on your wallet.

Steps to Take to Achieve Upgrade include:

  • Express interest! Send an email to officials@nevolleyball.org expressing your interest.
  • Work with mentors and experienced officials to prepare. As noted above for maintaining observations, you can ask to be observed to assist you in preparing for an upgrade in certification
  • Get an endorsement from a NERVA National or Junior National official
  • Pass 3 separate evaluations, as both a first and second official, within a maximum of 5 tries in a year

Process for Evaluation includes:

  • Must be in proper uniform
  • Evaluated as R1 and R2
    • In the three passing evaluations as R1, one of them must be with a certified partner and one must be with a junior partner
    • Minimum playing level for evaluation
      • Boys or Girls 18s, 17s or 16s
      • Adult Men’s C+, Women’s B- or higher
    • Must meet minimum requirements for Regional to pass evaluation
    • Full debrief with evaluator after each rating

Regional to Junior National Candidate

A Regional official may request to become a candidate for Junior National official by declaring his/her intention to the regional Officials’ Chair at officials@nevolleyvall.org. An official may apply for this certification in the first year after receiving a Regional official certification. Factors used to determine viable NERVA Junior National official candidates include but are not limited to professionalism, NERVA “in good standing”, exam results, and participation in NERVA-sponsored events.

NERVA offers an Official Advancement Program (RAP) for Regional officials desiring to become USAV Junior Nationals and is designed to prepare NERVA officials thoroughly and clearly for the USAV Junior National Official candidate program.

Participation in the Official Advancement Program does not guarantee an official will be sent on as a Junior National candidate and not participating in the program does not eliminate an official from consideration for Junior National candidacy. However, not participating is not advised as it is more difficult for the region to accurately assess the official’s level of preparedness outside of the program. 

Areas of emphasis for Jr. National candidates:

FIRST OFFICIAL

  •  Professionalism
  • Mechanics and protocols
  • Dealing with coaches/players
  • Ball handling
  • Back row issues
  • Rules knowledge
  • Unusual circumstances
  • Presence/Demeanor/Professionalism

SECOND OFFICIAL

  • Dealing with coaches/players
  • Alignments
  • Transition
  • Court/bench awareness
  • Mechanics and rules knowledge
  • Knowledge of scoring procedures
  • Assistance to first official
  • Presence/Demeanor/Professionalism

After prospective Junior National candidates have received training and feedback they will be formally evaluated to determine their competency and potential for success as a Junior National official candidate. After review of all prospective candidates, the NERVA Officials’ Chair will determine which prospective candidate(s) will be submitted to USA Volleyball as Junior National official candidates representing NERVA. These candidates must be ranked (1, 2, 3, etc.) with the strongest candidate ranked “1” in case all NERVA candidates are not accepted due to limited openings at the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships.

The USA Volleyball evaluation forms will be utilized during this process. 

The NERVA Junior National official candidate(s) must receive signed approval from the regional Officials’ Chair and Regional Commissioner. The application, signature page, and application fee must be submitted by the candidate to the USA Volleyball Director of Officiating by April 1 each season.

Please refer to section 10 for more information on RAP.

Junior National to National Candidate

A Junior National official, with at least two years of experience with that certification, may request to become a candidate for National official by applying to the USAV Director of Officiating, or her/his designee. In addition to the application, three Recommendation Forms must be submitted to apply for candidacy. The NERVA Officials’ Chair can also provide additional information to prospective National official candidates. The National official candidate’s application must be signed by the NERVA Officials’ Chair and NERVA Commissioner to confirm the candidate’s good standing within NERVA.

The following procedure will be used to prepare and evaluate prospective NERVA National official candidate(s):

  • OPTIONAL: attendance at a designated NERVA Training Tournament or other suitable event as determined by the NERVA Officials’ Chair provided such an event is available. A training tournament includes training and feedback to prepare the official for an upcoming formal evaluation.
  • OPTIONAL: attendance at the NERVA Boys’ Regional Championship or other designated event as determined by the NERVA Officials’ Chair, which will include at least one formal evaluation as first and second officials, as well as a scoring review match.

Areas of increased emphasis for National candidates:

FIRST OFFICIAL

  • Professionalism
  • Dealing with coaches/players
  • Ball handling
  • Rules knowledge/Common Sense
  • Unusual circumstances
  • Presence

SECOND OFFICIAL

  • Professionalism
  • Dealing with coaches/players
  • Transition
  • Alignments and player positioning
  • Mechanics/rules knowledge/common sense
  • Proficient scoring knowledge

After any prospective National candidates have received training and feedback at a training tournament, they will be offered a formal evaluation at a NERVA Boys’ or Girls’ Championship or other designated event to offer additional feedback and critique using the USAV evaluation forms.

The signed application page with three Recommendation Forms and the application fee must be submitted by the candidate to USA Volleyball Director of Officiating by February 15 each season.