Judging Notes

Judging Note

We are all influenced by implicit bias, or the stereotypes that unconsciously affect our decisions. When judging, our implicit biases negatively impact traditionally marginalized and disenfranchised students. Before writing comments or making a decision, please take a moment to reflect on any biases that may impact your decision making.

If needing to be online, please remember that the video quality of a student’s performance or speech may be impacted by lighting, internet, access to equipment, and other family members’ presence in the home. To ensure a more equitable experience for our participants, please be sure your decision-making process and comments are related only to the content and quality of the presentation or speech itself.

Judge Training

As this tournament is intended to be an educational and learning opportunity for our newest debaters, each division of debate will have a judge training taking place DURING ROUND 1. As debate is constantly changing, It is expected that coaches make an effort to have all their present judges attend the appropriate judge training, regardless of debate experience. Locations for Judge Training will be provided at Registration. 

CX Debate Specific Notes

In an effort to have a more universal understanding about what to expect for our novices and novice judges at the MDTA Jamboree, we are asking that Head Coaches bring as many of your judges as possible to the Judge Training which will take place during the Round 1 time slot. Obviously, some folks will be judging in the JV/V divisions (or Open division, depending on how many teams register for the Jamboree), but we are asking that everyone else, regardless of experience, join the judge training this year. The goal of this training is to help create a more unified understanding of the role of the judge in Novice and for that person to see their role as more teacher and less critic. It is NOT intended to be a “how to judge” session. Our goal is to shift some of the conversation and develop a different lens that folks look through when considering what the educational goals are of Novice. 

 ***A change is that this year after the demo round the students will be released to eat lunch ONLY after a coach representative from their school indicate in writing if the students will be debating 1 or 2 rounds. What this means is that a coaching representative needs to go to the room where the novices are at the end of the demo round (around 10:30 AM) and fill out the form so the novices can go eat. 

 If you have teams who are intending to debate two rounds, they will be put into the schedule and debate at the 11:00 am time slot (Round 2) AND at the 1:30 pm time slot (Round 3).

 If you have teams who are intending to debate one round, they will be expected to go to the WORKSHOPS offered at 11:00 am, and then DEBATE at the 1:30 pm time slot. 

 This change is being made to facilitate a more educational focus for debaters who need the extra time to have their questions answered and to allow a competition experience for those students who feel ready for the competition. Additionally, it is intended to make tabbing the tournament more efficient for the novice division.