Thank you for your interest in volunteering to evaluate applications for the U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Spark Program.
Finalists for CLS Spark will be selected in one round of selection taking place in two stages.
Stage One:
Approximately 25 applications will be assigned to each selected evaluator within the first week of June 2022. Each evaluator will have approximately two weeks to rate each application in their set against a detailed selection rubric. Evaluators will be required to read and score the full set of applications assigned to them no later than an assigned deadline in mid June such that they are prepared to discuss each application with another evaluator in stage two.
Stage Two:
Evaluators will meet in pairs to discuss the top 10 to 20 applications from their shared set on an assigned date between June 21 and 30. Through this discussion they will identify approximately 5 applications to recommend for final selection.
In order to ensure a diversity of experience in the evaluation process, the CLS Program makes an effort to include both new evaluators and those with experience evaluating for CLS in the past to fill a limited number of spaces. It is therefore may not be possible to accommodate everyone with interest.
The CLS Program seeks evaluators/panelists with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, in order to build a diverse pool of evaluators/panelists. Language speaking proficiency or teaching experience are not required.