Guide for Parent Judges

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS JUDGING FORENSICS

Thank you for agreeing to help the State College Area High School Forensics Team as a judge at a tournament. Many parents are nervous about their first judging experience, but please be assured that hundreds of parents have done what you are about to do, and most enjoy the experience very much. 

What will I judge?

Our forensics tournaments are divided into Debate events, Speech events, and Student Congress. Scroll down for more detailed information on each of these categories.

What are the qualifications to be a judge?

You need not have a particular level of education to be a good judge. Qualifications include a decent hearing ability, a good command of English, and an open mind. Debaters often discuss political topics, and to be fair, a judge must set aside his/her own prejudices in evaluating an argument. If you do not think you meet these qualifications, please let me know in advance, as having you judge would be unfair to the debaters.

What should I bring to a tournament?

Bring a pen, paper, and a digital timepiece. Most cell phones have a stopwatch function. Students are expected to dress up for tournaments, however, parent-judges may dress more comfortably – but not too sloppy, please. You need not bring food for lunch. Most tournaments provide lunch and breakfast to judges.

Will I be busy all day?

The number of rounds that you will judge varies by tournament. It is possible you will have considerable down time. Bring a book or a computer to keep yourself occupied. Also, if you are not scheduled to judge a round, you can use this as an opportunity to watch your own child perform in his/her event. The only restrictions on doing so are that you must make sure that you will not miss a round that you are scheduled to judge and that if you are judging the same event in which your child is competing, you may not sit in on your child’s round if it is possible you will have to judge any of your child’s opponents later in the day. As a courtesy, please ask the judge of your child’s round permission to sit in, and don’t come in in the middle of a round.

What is the tournament structure?

Most tournaments have preliminary rounds in which all students compete. The number of preliminary rounds varies by the tournament. In debate, usually the first two rounds are random, but subsequent preliminary rounds are power-matched, meaning that students are paired with opponents who have similar won-lost records to them. After the preliminary rounds, the students with the best records “break” to playoff rounds. How many playoff rounds there are depends on how many students registered for that particular event. At preliminary speech and debate rounds there will be only one judge per room/debate. In playoff rounds, there are 3 judges per room/debate.

 

JUDGING SPEECH

Here is a list of common speech events and the usual length of a student performance.

Declamation (10) – A published speech (memorized with introduction)

Dramatic Interpretation (10) – A dramatic performance of a portion of a play or piece of literature (memorized with introduction)

Duo Interpretation (10) – A two-person dramatic performance of a portion of a play or piece of literature – partners may not touch each other or look at each other (memorized with introduction)

Extemporaneous (7) – Students are given 30 minutes to research and prepare an analysis on a current events topic

Extemporaneous Commentary (7) – Students are given 30 minutes to research and prepare an opinion on a current events topic

Humorous Interpretation (10) - A humorous dramatic performance of a portion of a play or piece of literature (memorized with introduction)

Impromptu (5) – Students are given a very short time to prepare a speech on a random topic

Informative Speaking (7) – Students write their own speech on a topic designed to educate/inform the audience (memorized)

Oral Interpretation of Literature (10) – In alternate rounds, students read a prose piece or commonly-themed poems (read with memorized introduction)

Original Oratory (10) – Students write a speech on a topic of their own choosing (memorized)

Persuasive Speaking (7) - Students write their own speech on a topic designed to persuade the audience of a position on an issue (memorized)

Poetry (10) – Students read a collection of poems that share a common theme (read with memorized introduction)

Prose (10) – Students give a dramatic reading a piece of prose (read with memorized introduction)

With the exception of extemporaneous and impromptu events, you will sit in a room with between 4 and 7 students. You will announce a student’s name and then the student will go to the front of the room to perform their pieces. You will judge the students based upon their rank compared to their competitors. No ties are allowed. You will have a ballot for each student on which you will write comments and the rank. You will also have a master ballot on which you write each student’s rank. In extemporaneous and impromptu events, students will come into the room one at a time, and leave when they have finished speaking. Note: some students may be entered in more than one event. If so, they may arrive late, or leave early. They should not be penalized for doing so.

You will time the students. Students may ask for hand time signals indicating how much time is left. Give a fist to indicate if the designated time is completed. Students may use a 30-second grace period beyond the designated time without penalty. If a student goes even one second beyond the grace period, the penalty is that the student may not be ranked first in that round (though they may still be ranked second, if you think it is appropriate). If a student finishes substantially under time, there is no specific penalty. However, if you think the shortness of the presentation reflects that the student did less work than his or her opponents, you may choose to give the student a worse rank.

In ranking a student, you should consider all of the factors that go into a good speech – organization, choice of topic or piece, quality of voice, dramatic presentation, memorization (if it’s a memorization event), eye contact, and anything else you think bears on the effectiveness of the speech.

The students will see your ballots after the tournament. Please give students constructive criticism. Praise is good, but it’s also important to help the student improve.  It is important that you return your ballot promptly after the round. Do not discuss your results with the students.

 

JUDGING DEBATE EVENTS

Cross-Ex (aka Policy) – this is a fast and complex debate event that I will never assign to an inexperienced parent judge, so I am not including its judging parameters here.

Public Forum – This a two against two debate event centered on a current events resolution.

                Sometimes which team takes the pro side (affirming the resolution) and which team goes first is set in advance. Otherwise, the teams will flip a coin to determine side and order. Below is the order of speeches in a round. For purposes of this explanation, assume Side A is adopting the pro position (favoring the resolution) and goes first. The numbers in parentheses are the lengths of the speeches.

A1 (4) – Pro constructive argument (usually read).

B1 (4) – Con constructive argument (usually read).

Crossfire between A1 and B1 (3) – They get to ask questions of each other. A1 will ask first.

A2 (4) – Pro rebuttal argument (usually extemporaneous).

B2 (4) – Con rebuttal argument (usually extemporaneous).

Crossfire between A2 and B2 (3) – They get to ask questions of each other. A2 will ask first.

A1 (2) – Pro summary and rebuttal argument (extemporaneous).

B1 (2) – Con summary and rebuttal argument (extemporaneous).

Grand crossfire (3) – All four speakers get to ask questions of each other. A1 & B1 ask first.

A2 (2) – Pro crystallization and conclusion.

B2 (2) – Con crystallization and conclusion.

 

Timing – You will time the speeches, though debaters may want to time themselves when they are speaking – that‘s okay, but you are the official timer. Give the debaters hand signals every minute indicating how many minutes are left. At 30 seconds left, make a big “C” with your hand. At 0 seconds, raise your fist and say “Time.” Debaters may briefly finish a sentence and perhaps ask for you to vote for their side, but they should never go more than 7 seconds beyond the time limit.

Preparation (Prep) Time – Each team is allowed to take up to a total of two minutes of prep time during a round, in between any of the segments. You will time their use of prep time and call it out in 30 second intervals. For instance is Team A uses 38 seconds of prep time after the first crossfire, you will then let them know that they have a minute and 22 seconds of prep time remaining for the round. When a team has used up all its prep time, call out “Time.” I have never seen debaters keep preparing after time has been called, but you can penalize them in the scoring if they do.

Interference – You do NOT interfere or ask questions during the debate. If a debater is rude to another debater, you may factor that into your score, but do not intervene unless there is a risk of a physical fight (which I have never seen or heard of happening).

Judging Criteria and Scoring – Teams receive scores between 0 and 30 points. However, almost all scores are between 15 and 30, with the vast majority between 20 and 30. An outstanding performance gets between 28 and 30 (30 should be pretty rare). A good performance gets a 26 or 27. An average performance gets a 24 or 25. A mediocre performance receives a 22 or 23. A poor performance earns a 20 or 21. Scores below 20 are reserved for dreadful performances or extremely rude behavior. Base your scores on the elements of effective debating: logic, speaking quality, persuasiveness, evidence, organization, and thoroughness of rebuttal. You may punish debaters if they speak too fast, but recognize that the expected speaking speed in competitive debate is a little faster everyday conversation. During crossfires, you may punish debaters if they don’t give their opponents a fair opportunity to answer a question. You may also punish debaters if they use their answer to a question as an opportunity to filibuster or use up all of the crossfire time, or if they don’t answer a question squarely.

Filling out your ballot – Although you want to take notes on separate paper during the round, you will also want to fill out your ballot during the round. Besides scoring the contestants, you will write constructive criticism for the debaters. They will see the ballots after the tournament. Please don’t be too negative, as we want debaters to continue in forensics. At the same time, don’t lavish praise on a mediocre performance, as doing so will not help the debater improve. You should complete your ballot within a couple minutes of the end of the round, and then return it promptly to the tab room.

Disclosure – Tournaments vary as to whether it is acceptable or appropriate for judges to tell the contestants who won the round and as to whether the judge should give an oral critique. Even if it is appropriate at a tournament (and they will usually let you know at the opening ceremonies), keep your critique short so that you do not hold up the tournament. Don’t engage the debaters in a discussion until you have in your mind made a definite decision as to who won, as the subsequent conversation should have no bearing on the outcome.

 

Lincoln-Douglas (aka LD)

This is a one against one debate named for the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Unlike Public Forum, this is a value-based debate, meaning that while it revolves around a current events resolution, the debaters should attempt to achieve a basic value and should premise their arguments on theoretical underpinnings.

The affirmative side (favoring the resolution) always goes first. Here are the segments of the debate and their times in parentheses:

• Affirmative constructive argument (6)
• Negative cross examination of the Affirmative (3)
• Negative constructive argument and rebuttal (7) – though not required, negative debaters typically allocate about 4 minutes to their constructive argument and 3 to their rebuttal.
• Affirmative cross examination of the Negative (3)
• Affirmative rebuttal of the Negative (4)
• Negative sur-rebuttal, restatement of negative case, and conclusion (7)
• Affirmative summary and conclusion (3)

Timing – You will time the speeches, though debaters may want to time themselves when they are speaking – that‘s okay, but you are the official timer. Give the debaters hand signals every minute from 3 minutes left in their speech, indicating how many minutes are left. At 30 seconds left, make a big “C” with your hand. At 0 seconds, raise your fist and say “Time.” Debaters may briefly finish a sentence and perhaps ask for you to vote for their side, but they should never go more than 7 seconds beyond the time limit.

Preparation (Prep) Time – Each student may take up to a total four minutes of prep time during a round, in between any of the segments. You will time their use of prep time and call it out in 30 second intervals. For instance if the Affirmative uses one minute and 38 seconds of prep time after the second cross examination, you will then let them know that they have two minutes minute and 22 seconds of prep time remaining for the round. When a debater has used up all his or her prep time, call out “Time.” I have never seen a debater keep going after time has been called, but you can penalize him or her in the scoring if he or she does.

Interference – You do NOT interfere or ask questions during the debate. If a debater is rude to another debater, you may factor that into your score, but do not intervene unless there is a risk of a physical fight (which I have never seen or heard of happening).

Distinctions from Public Forum – As was mentioned before, Lincoln Douglas debating incorporates underlying value premises (commonly just called “values”) that the debaters are trying to achieve. These can be broad principles such as Justice, Equality, Responsibility, Democracy, Libertarianism, etc. The debaters will also likely select value criteria – these are yardsticks to determine if the debater is achieving the selected value premise. So, for example, if the value premise were democracy, an appropriate value criterion might be the percentage of people who vote. The value premise and criterion will usually be announced near the start of the debater’s first speech. Another difference from Public Forum debating is that during cross examination the questions only go in one direction. So, in the first cross examination, the Affirmative debater may not ask questions of the Negative.

Judging Criteria and Scoring – Debaters receive scores between 0 and 30 points. However, almost all scores are between 15 and 30, with the vast majority between 20 and 30. An outstanding performance gets between 28 and 30 (30 should be pretty rare). A good performance gets a 26 or 27. An average performance gets a 24 or 25. A mediocre performance receives a 22 or 23. A poor performance earns a 20 or 21. Scores below 20 are reserved for dreadful performances or extremely rude behavior. Base your scores on the elements of effective debating: logic, speaking quality, eye contact, persuasiveness, evidence, organization, and thoroughness of rebuttal. You may punish debaters if they speak too fast, but recognize that the expected speaking speed in competitive debate is a little faster than in everyday conversation. During cross examinations, you may punish debaters if they don’t give their opponents a fair opportunity to answer a question. You may also punish debaters if they use their answer to a question as an opportunity to filibuster or use up all of the cross examination time, or if they don’t answer a question squarely.

Filling out your ballot – Although you want to take notes on separate paper during the round, you will also want to fill out your ballot during the round. Besides scoring the contestants, you will write constructive criticism for them. They will see the ballots after the tournament. Please don’t be too negative, as we want debaters to continue in forensics. At the same time, don’t lavish praise on a mediocre performance, as doing so will not help the debater improve. You should complete your ballot within a couple minutes of the end of the round, and then return it promptly to the tab room.

Disclosure – Tournaments vary as to whether it is acceptable or appropriate for judges to tell the contestants who won the round and as to whether the judge should give an oral critique. Even if it is appropriate at a tournament (and they will usually let you know at the opening ceremonies), keep your critique short so that you do not hold up the tournament. Don’t engage the debaters in a discussion until you have in your mind made a definite decision as to who won, as the subsequent conversation should have no bearing on the outcome.

JUDGING STUDENT CONGRESS

In Student Congress, a group of between 12 and 30 students gather to propose and debate legislative bills and resolutions. There will be a parliamentarian – an adult – who helps maintain order in the legislative house, you as judge (though there may be multiple judges), and a student presiding officer who keeps the business of the house running. Prior to the tournament, schools will have submitted bills or resolutions, and at the beginning of the session, the students vote on which bills to discuss during that particular session.

A student will sponsor a bill – which will mean reading it and speaking for up to 3 minutes in support of the bill. After that, students on the floor of the house will ask the speaker questions about the bill. Then students will alternate giving speeches in support or opposing the bill until the house is ready to vote on the bill. At the presiding officer’s discretion, he or she may allow questioning from the floor of the various speakers. You do not saying anything during the round apart from letting speakers know when you are ready to hear their speeches.

You will score students only on their speeches, not on their questions or on administrative matters Whether a bill passes or fails is irrelevant. You will have a ballot that breaks the speeches into different scoring criteria and has some room for comments, though you probably will not have time for extensive comments. Scores are on a scale of 1 to 6. At the end of a session – which lasts from between 2 to 2 and ½ hours, you may also be asked to rank the top speakers and evaluate the presiding officer. You will identify speakers by a seating chart, which you will receive at the beginning of the session. 

In scoring speakers, look for the usual elements of a good speech – good organization, persuasive tone, good extemporaneous presentation, good substance, supporting evidence, logic, quality of voice, etc. Since there will be multiple speeches on the same bill, you should pay attention to whether the speaker had something new to add to the discussion or whether he or she was just rehashing what previous speakers said.