In the spirit of keeping it simple, the new NJFL point menu is the same as non-main NFL events at the high school level. A student competing at a tournament receives points for every round of competition according to the following scale (and coaches do not need to calculate the points themselves; the points database does so, automatically):

While competition rounds earn students more points, NJFL also stays true to its roots, encouraging involvement beyond interscholastic participation. Here is the scale for such speaking engagements, recorded in the “Service” area.

The NJFL points system differs from the high school system in that as soon as a student is entered in the online points database, s/he is considered a “member,” which will assess the school a $5 fee, and provide the student with a membership card, certificate, and subsequent mailing of degree seals.

We also have adjusted the degree scale, to account for the change in the point structure. This includes the addition of two new degrees, at the highest levels.

How Students are Enrolled

1. The NJFL will email an invoice to the chapter advisor.
2. On the school profile page of the database, the advisor may click the red stop sign with the exclamation point (next to the school name) to match students' merit (enrollment) date with the invoice date, to know which students gained membership for a particular invoice. On that same screen, the advisor may pay fees with a credit card.
3. Approximately a week later, the NJFL will mail membership cards, certificates, and any seals for advanced degrees earned. In the envelope, please read the reverse side of the mailed invoice for important details.
4. The advisor may not add points until the NJFL receives all fees due.
5. After 60 days, unpaid invoices are assessed a $60 late fee.

Online Point Recording Guide (282.18 kB)       |       Video Tutorial (based on the high school site, but for same features)

Conversion to High School Points

When a student completes the eighth grade, s/he can transfer one-tenth of their NJFL points to NFL high school points, up to 150 NJFL points or 15 NFL points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I correct mistakes in point recording?

A: Corrections for the current school year may be made directly in the system by the NJFL Advisor. You are able to correct dates, ranks, wins, & losses, and the event name for the CURRENT school year. Here is what you do:

1. Click on “BY STUDENT POINT SHEET”
2. Click on student’s name
3. Click correct category (speech, debate, congress, service)
4. Click the pencil icon in front of the event that needs to be edited.
5. Make changes.
6. Click the diskette icon after changes have been made.
7. Do this for each student that needs editing.
8. Points for a prior school year need to be corrected by the NJFL office.

You also may email point corrections.

Q: How do I enter points when no ranks are awarded (non-competitive contests/festivals)?

A: Various forensic organizations hold interscholastic "festivals"/contests, where students are rated with points, rather than ranked. These are still recorded under the “Speech” (not Service) area.

Q: How do I record points for Congress when there are multiple judges/scorers?

A: Each time a student speaks the judge awards the student between 1 and 6 points (the higher the better). So if a student speaks four times in one day with the following scores: 6, 4, 5, 5 (in this example there is only one judge), those four are added (20 in this example) and that is the point total reported for the student (up to five speeches and 24 points per day). Make sure to check the box “Official Scorer”.

When there is more than one judge/scorer, the points for each speech are averaged (and rounded to the nearest whole number). Here's an example:

Q: How do I convert Congress point values when an invitational/local tournament does not use a 5-point scale?

Use the table below to determine which point value to record per speech or per complete hour of presiding. Remember that if a panel is used, an average value of the panel should still result in no more than 5 points per speech or per complete hour presided, with a maximum of 20 points per day.

Q: How do I convert Congress point values when a tournament uses ranking instead of rating/points?

A: ONLY if individual speech/presiding points are unavailable, use the following conversions, per day ranked by judges:

Remember, only 20 NJFL points per day may be awarded for Congress. ° If a panel of scorers, use the overall placement in a continuous session, or average ranks of the whole day to figure the conversion.