[BillyMac]

Rating, and ranking, system in my local board here in my little corner of Connecticut:

All four officials (two person games) junior varsity, and varsity, at the game site secretly (numeric system through Arbiter) rate each other. Rating is based on appearance (we are allowed to wear black belts) and conditioning, mechanics, team work, judgment, and game management. Varsity officials should arrive at the game site no later than the beginning of the second period of the junior varsity game. Junior varsity officials should stay and observe the varsity game until at least halftime of the varsity game. Many varsity officials try to show up for the beginning of the junior varsity game, and many junior varsity officials will often stay to observe the entire varsity game. Officials working middle school, and freshman, games will usually only rate their partners.

Peer ratings count 80% of your overall rating. The remaining 20% is based on interpretation (new rules), and business, meetings attendance, refresher exam workshop attendance, and assignment commissioner availability, and cooperating with the assignment commissioner.

A three year (most recent) average rating produces a ranking.

The level (varsity, or subvarsity) of regular season games assigned, and number of regular season games assigned, is based on ranking.

Generally, the top eighty officials are considered "full varsity", and will only work varsity games. The next thirty are considered "split" officials, and will work both varsity, and subvarsity games. The rest are considered subvarsity officials, who will only work subvarsity games.

Three subvarsity years (first probationary year doesn't count) are needed to move up to a "split" ranking (both subvarsity and varsity games). Three "split" years are needed to move up to a "full varsity" ranking. Both moves assume that good ratings improve an official's ranking, it may take longer than three years, or it may never happen.

Officials can move up, or they can move down. They aren't Supreme Court justices, nor are any of our officials the pope.

Connecticut state tournament ranking system:

State tournament assignments are only based on voting of all varsity coaches. Coaches can select (vote for) up to about a dozen officials for their state tournament "list", even those coaches who do not qualify the tournament by winning 40% of their regular season games. Generally, the more votes an official receives, the farther he works into the state tournament. Officials from my local board can only work state tournament games in which both teams are from my local board's geographic area, or in which neither team is from my local board geographic area. If a state tournament game involves one team from my local geographic area, and another team from outside my local geographic area, then we won't work that game.