Check out a spotlight on judging this week, Coach!
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As we delve deeper into the competitive season, the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) recognizes the importance of equipping judges with comprehensive tools and resources to enhance fairness and educational value in competitions. Judges are not only arbiters of speech and debate; they are facilitators of a vital educational process, guiding our young participants through the exploration of ideas and the art of persuasion. To support this mission, we offer a suite of resources designed to refine judging acumen and address inherent biases. Thank you for sharing these resources with your judges to empower them with the expertise they need to serve our student participants!
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Our paradigm guide serves as a foundational tool for judges to communicate their backgrounds and preferences. Recognizing that no judge can be entirely impartial, these paradigms offer transparency and allow debaters to tailor their arguments effectively. Because an essential element of persuasion lies in the ability to adjust communication to resonate with the intended audience, a paradigm is meant to offer competitors insight into a judge’s background and level of experience—it is not a space where judges ought to outline opinions or positions that hinder students from reasonably arguing either side of a resolution.
At the beginning of the year, we asked all judges with a Tabroom.com paradigm to review their paradigm to ensure it meets the expectations and standards outlined in our Judge Paradigm Guide and NSDA Code of Honor. Over 13,000 paradigms have been reviewed since January 1! Please remind your judges that paradigms that have not been reviewed by February 15 will be removed from Tabroom.com until review has occurred.
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NSDA Judge Paradigm Questionnaire Templates
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| To streamline the onboarding of new judges and ensure clarity in judging expectations, we recommend the use of our pre-designed Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Paradigm Questionnaires. These pre-created questionnaires are structured to ensure all of your judges, new and experienced, are sharing complete information to help students prepare.
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COMING SOON: NSDA Judge Accreditation
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In mid-March, we are thrilled to launch the NSDA Judge Accreditation system, offering free, interactive learning modules tailored to various speech and debate events. This initiative aims to bolster judges' confidence and proficiency by providing personalized training paths. All judges, regardless of their membership status, will be able to complete a series of free, interactive learning modules to learn the ins and outs of judging each event. Judges will be able to personalize their learning paths to build confidence and expertise at their own pace. Judges at NSDA-run events will be required to take the judge training courses, and a new feature in Tabroom.com is being created to make it easy for any tournaments to require that judges at their events have completed the training as well.
More information will be coming soon, but you can check out the first course, Intro to Judging Debate, now! Additional judge training materials are available at www.speechanddebate.org/judge-training.
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| To address the challenge of implicit bias and unconscious bias, we offer a specialized NFHS/NSDA course focused on ensuring that judges can provide equitable feedback and decisions. Over 7,000 judges have taken the free NFHS/NSDA course designed to help judges ensure they are providing performance feedback and decisions that meet students where they are. Encourage your judges to refresh their knowledge by taking the course and reviewing the accompanying handout!
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All judges are reminded of this training on the top of every ballot with this language: We are all influenced by implicit bias or stereotypes that, when unchecked, influence our judging in ways that may negatively impact the students we are called to judge impartially. Before writing comments or making a decision, please take a moment to reflect on any preconceived notions you may hold that may impact your decision-making process and/or jeopardize the student experience.
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Belonging and Inclusion Station
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Acknowledging that challenges and feelings of exclusion can arise, the NSDA has developed the Belonging and Inclusion Station (BIS) as a resource for tournaments. The Belonging and Inclusion Station (BIS) is a tournament resource designed to provide interpersonal support to participants who feel excluded from an aspect of the tournament for any reason. Consider encouraging local tournament directors in your area to use our resources to offer a BIS at their events!
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By embracing these resources and acknowledging the complex role of biases in judgment, we strengthen our collective effort to provide a fair, educational, and inclusive experience for all competitors. We appreciate your dedication to sharing these tools with your judges and fostering an environment where young students can thrive.
For further details and to access these resources, please visit www.speechanddebate.org.
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