Subjective Scoring ~ Training

[KScarberry]

There has been a lot of challenges in developing a quality training
for volunteers who judge Subjectives (i.e., Speech, Interview and
Essay Readers). I started a new post so that you can share what you
feel is needed to provide the best training to volunteers preparing to
judge speech, interview or score essays. Please be realistic (yet
creative, too!) in your recommendations.

In my state, volunteers receive a confirmation letter once we receive
their volunteer form. The confirmation packet includes the details
for the day they are volunteering and a link to a website which has
all the training material that will be reviewed the day of competition
(http://www.academicdecathlon.org/forms&info.htm). The site is also
available for others who want to review the guidelines volunteers
receive in preparing them for judging.

Usually, competition allows for 60 - 90 minutes (on average) for
training a volunteer before competition begins. There are also
opportunities to correspond with volunteers who sign up earlier in the
year to volunteer. We also do our utmost to match experience with
novice and callibrate scores; but, I feel that callibration is a very
weak area due to the restricted amount of time we have with them.

I share this not to reveal who I am but to truly seek your advice and
ideas on what you see is important when preparing judges for a
competition that you have worked so hard to prepare for with your
team.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

[mike]

They must be consistant. If you can get that through their heads then
you won the battle. Sample essays to be graded during training are
good. Consistancy is the key. They must use the rubric and not their
own opinion of how speeches/interviews/essays are to be graded. It is
hard to teach teachers anything. Get some judges from outside the
teaching profession. Ex-decathlon players are a great source of
judging talent. They are also some of the biggest "hard asses" when
it comes to rating speech and interview.

Mike