1. law, govt and politics
2. government
3. parliament

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FGCCFL Student Congress Manual
10 September 2014
VI. Information for Student Congress Scorers
Adapted from the NCFL Student Congress Manual
and the Florida Speech & Debate Uniform Manual for Judges
A. Overview
Contestants in FGCCFL Student Congress become legislators who must fulfill the duties of
Representatives or Senators. Before the tournament, schools submit legislation (bills, which
are proposed laws, and resolutions, which express the opinion of the Congress) for debate.
The League posts the legislation a week in advance so that students can research those areas.
The Congress Coordinator divides the students into houses (about 20 students per house) and
assigns judges to score speeches and make sure things run smoothly. From there, the event is
almost totally student-run! Students elect their leaders, decide the order of speakers, and even
vote to pick the winners!
Time for debate is divided into sessions of about 2½ hours each (plus a mid-session recess).
Each session has a new set of Scorers (judges). The session is run by a student Presiding Officer (PO for short), who has been elected by her peers to lead his house. She selects speakers,
conducts all votes, and keeps the house in order. The house uses a modified version of Robert’s
Rules of Order to conduct business and facilitate debate.
Student Congress is run by the Congress Coordinator, a member of the tab staff who can answer your questions and give you more specific instructions. If a question or problem arises
that neither the judges nor the PO can resolve, send a student to the Tab Room. If the use of
procedure obstructs debate or appears abusive, please contact the Tab Room immediately.
B. Your Role as a Scorer
Serving as a Scorer is not a difficult task if you follow the procedures and guidelines stated below. Always remember that if you are not certain about your responsibilities, you should ask a
tournament official.
If you are called to serve as a Scorer, please make sure that you find out what room the chamber is in and at what time the session is going to begin (this should be printed on your folder
or envelope). Try to arrive a few minutes early to familiarize yourself with the room. You
should sit facing the area that speakers will be using to present their arguments.
C. Evaluating Speakers
You will be given copies of a speaker evaluation form (speaker ballot). You will use these ballots to evaluate every speech given in the chamber (do not write ballots for questions or
motions). At FGCCFL tournaments, the ballots are set up by student, with spaces to critique
and score three speeches. If a student speaks more than three times, fill out a second ballot.
Please do not pre-fill or pre-sign the ballots as you may not need to use them all.
The first speech on a bill or resolution, called the authorship speech, is followed by a 2 minute questioning period. The PO recognizes legislators to ask questions of the speaker.
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FGCCFL Student Congress Manual
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After the authorship speech for each item of legislation, alternating negative and affirmative
speeches are given. Each of these speeches allows a maximum of 3 minutes; whatever time is
left over after the speaker concludes the speech is used for questioning by fellow legislators.
The PO recognizes legislators to ask questions of the speaker.
All speeches are a maximum of 3 minutes in length. However, since the purpose of Student
Congress is to reach consensus, and (to that end) advance debate, clarify issues, and work towards compromise solutions, it is not necessary for a speaker to use all his available time. In
some instances, a 1 minute speech may well be more appropriate than a 3 minute speech.
Each time a student is recognized for the purpose of making a 3 minute speech on an item of
legislation, complete a space on his ballot. Make sure that you do not confer with any other
judge about the quality of any speech or legislator before, during, or after the session.
Write comments on the ballot while the student is speaking. Indicate what you thought of
his delivery and the content of the speech. You should provide a balance of both positive and
constructive feedback.
At the end of the speech, circle a score on the ballot and copy that score onto the Master Ballot in your Scorer’s envelope. The scale for speeches ranges from 1 (poor) to 6 (outstanding).
Unlike other events, you will give the same score to several different speakers. It is always a
good idea to save the score of 6 for truly outstanding speeches. Likewise, scores of 1 or 2 should
be reserved for speeches that are offensive or extremely poor and must be supported by your
comments.
You should use the following criteria when evaluating speeches:
•
Delivery – Is the speaker clear and coherent? Do his speaking style and presentation
help or hinder his ability to communicate? Does the speaker maintain the proper decorum and seriousness of purpose for a legislative body?
•
Originality of thought – Does the speaker contribute new ideas to the debate? Does
he respond to arguments raised by the other side? Or does he merely rehash old
points?
•
Organization and unity – Does the speech have a clear structure? Does the speaker
develop his ideas, or does he ramble?
•
Knowledge and understanding of the topic – Does the speaker use evidence and logic
to support his arguments? Are sources clearly identified in the speech? Can the speaker explain the significance of the evidence he uses?
Do not penalize a speaker for raising controversial issues or making arguments you believe to
be false. The speaker is entitled to his position and should be judged on how well he develops
and supports it.
Although it should not affect your scoring, you should also note how well each legislator performs with respect questioning, involvement in parliamentary matters, interaction with other
legislators, decorum, behavior, and attendance. There is space at the bottom of the ballot to
provide general comments.
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FGCCFL Student Congress Manual
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D. Evaluating the Presiding Officer
You will also be given a Presiding Officer evaluation form. When scoring the PO, ask yourself these questions:
•
Do the PO’s delivery and communication skills help her to lead the chamber and to
maintain decorum and dignity?
•
Has the PO called on speakers in a fair and consistent manner? This is crucial because
every legislator should have the opportunity to be heard. Systematic errors or bias in
recognition, if brought to the PO’s attention and not corrected, should be severely penalized.
•
Did the PO use procedure correctly and efficiently? The PO should be familiar with
the rules for common motions and should act quickly and precisely.
•
Did the PO keep control of the chamber without becoming autocratic?
The PO is scored on a scale from 4 (poor) to 12 (outstanding). Scores of 4-6 should be reserved
for extreme cases (such as a chaotic chamber or heavily biased recognition) and must be justified with comments on the ballot.
E. Handling Matters of Parliamentary Procedure
The FGCCFL Student Congress Manual contains the rules of parliamentary procedure to be followed at FGCCFL tournaments, and you may refer to it if the PO has a question. If you are
uncomfortable handling these questions, send a student to the Tab Room for assistance.
As long as things run smoothly, you should stay in the background. Even on minor errors, you
should sit back and let the chamber have an opportunity to recognize the error and resolve it
themselves. Only if a major problem arises should you step in and correct matters. The philosophy ought to be to let the chamber solve its own difficulties.
F. At the End of the Session
You will be given a selection form to select and rank eight students as the Outstanding Legislators in the session. When making your decision, you should look for students who were both
excellent speakers (as defined by the scores you have given) and excellent legislators (as defined by your assessment of each legislator’s involvement and conduct). Please do not confer
or collaborate with anyone else when making your selections. You may not list a student
from your school as your first choice, but you may list that student in any other position.
The PO is eligible for nomination as one of your Outstanding Legislators. You are not required to nominate her, but you must consider her for nomination. Remember that the PO
gave up the opportunity to speak and is entitled to due credit for her efforts. You might ask
yourself the following question: “Did the work done by the PO benefit the chamber at least as much
as the contributions of the eighth best speaker?” If the answer is yes, you should nominate the PO.
Please return your complete Scorer’s envelope to the Check-In Desk within 10 minutes after
the end of the session. Thank you for judging! We hope you enjoy the session.
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FGCCFL Student Congress Manual
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Scoring Rubric for Speeches
1*
2*
3
4
5
6
Delivery
Originality
of Thought
Organization
and Unity
Knowledge and
Understanding
Award a score of 6 if the speech satisfies the criteria for a 5
and makes a significant impact or impression.
The speaker is poised,
The speaker contribThe speech has a clear The speaker underdeliberate, confident,
utes new arguments to and logical structure
stands the topic and
and serious. S/he
the debate and clashes and is easy to follow.
supports his/her argumaintains consistent
with opposing arguThe speaker fully dements with compelling
eye contact and uses
ments. The arguments velops his/her ideas.
evidence and reasonvocal control, gestures, chosen are compelling The introduction, tran- ing, citing sources
and movement effecreasons to support the
sitions, and conclusion where appropriate.
tively. Language is
speaker’s position.
support the purpose of The speaker explains
appropriate for legislathe speech.
what the evidence
tive debate.
means and why it supports his/her claims.
Despite some flaws,
The speaker contribThe speech has a logiThe speaker has a
the speaker maintains
utes new information
cal but loose structure
grasp of the topic.
a strong presence,
to the debate and exand is somewhat diffiSupport is adequate
good fluency and
tends arguments but
cult to follow. The
but not compelling.
proper decorum. The
does not clash, or
speech has some deThe speaker does not
speech may be partial- clashes without convelopment. The
identify his/her
ly read, but the speaker tributing new
introduction, transisources. The analysis
maintains a balance of arguments.
tions, or conclusion
provided does not
eye contact.
may be ineffective or
clearly relate the evimissing.
dence to the speaker’s
argument.
The presentation is
The speaker contribThe speech’s structure The speaker has minoften flawed. The
utes some new
is little more than a
imal understanding of
speaker lacks poise and information but also
“laundry list” of arguthe topic. Claims are
fluency or mostly reads rehashes points that
ments or is very
mostly generalizations.
the speech with minihave already been
difficult to follow.
There is no evidence
mal eye contact. The
made. Original clash is Points are not develand inadequate reaspeech may be delivnot present.
oped. Introduction,
soning. If there is any
ered in a monotone;
transitions, and conanalysis, the speaker is
gestures and moveclusions are not
not compelling.
ment may be awkward.
present.
The speaker has essen- The arguments in the
The speech has no orThe speaker does not
tially no presence or
speech are rehashed
ganization. Points are
understand the topic.
does not maintain seri- points with no new
not developed.
The speech consists of
ousness of purpose.
information. The
assertions without any
There is minimal or no speaker does not clash
support or analysis.
eye contact or inarticu- with previous speakers.
late presentation.
Award a score of 1 only if the speech is offensive or totally devoid of content.
* If you award a score of 1-2, you must state specific reasons for the score on the ballot.
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Revision H
FGCCFL Student Congress Manual
10 September 2014
Scoring Rubric for Presiding Officers
4*
5-6*
7-8
9-10
11
12
Delivery and
Communication
Skills
Fairness in
Recognizing
Speakers
Knowledge of
Parliamentary
Procedure
Control of
the Chamber
Award a PO score of 12 if the Presiding Officer’s handling of the session was flawless
or if the PO made very few mistakes and the session was especially productive.
The PO is poised, deliberate, confident, and
serious. S/he stands
when speaking, maintains consistent eye
contact, and uses vocal
control effectively. The
PO’s choice of language is precise and
appropriate for legislative debate without
being stilted.
Despite some flaws,
the PO maintains a
strong presence, good
fluency, and proper
decorum. The PO’s
choice of language may
be imprecise or informal at times but does
not impede communication.
The PO does not maintain a strong presence
or has problems speaking with consistent
fluency or decorum.
Word choice is imprecise or informal and
sometimes impedes
effective communication.
The PO’s delivery and
choice of language severely impede
communication with
the chamber OR the
PO fails to maintain
his/her own decorum.
Speakers are recognized in accordance
with the rules, with no
errors in selection. The
PO recognizes speakers quickly and
efficiently. If challenged, the PO can
explain her/his rulings.
The PO handles procedure efficiently and
correctly, using proper
vocabulary. When
handling routine matters, the PO does not
need to consult the
manual. If challenged,
the PO can explain rulings.
The PO is respectful
while maintaining an
atmosphere of decorum. S/he rules
frivolous motions and
improper questions
out of order without
hesitation.
Speakers are generally
recognized in accordance with the rules,
though the PO may
make one or two errors. The PO may
sometimes be slow in
choosing speakers or
struggles to explain
selections.
Speakers are not consistently selected in
accordance with the
rules OR the PO is slow
to recognize speakers,
measurably cutting
into available debate
time. The PO cannot
explain her/his recognition rulings.
Speakers are not recognized in accordance
with the rules, and the
PO demonstrates bias
toward particular
speakers or groups.
The PO usually handles procedure
correctly but sometimes is inefficient or
inarticulate in doing
so. The PO sometimes
consults the manual on
routine matters. The
PO has some difficulty
explaining rulings.
The PO makes mistakes in handling
procedural matters or
is highly inefficient or
inarticulate, requiring
judge intervention.
The PO is entirely dependent on the manual
and is unable to explain her/his rulings.
The PO’s inefficiency
or inability in matters
of procedure hampers
the chamber’s ability
to do business without
repeated intervention
by the judges.
The PO runs a chamber with at most minor
breaches of decorum
while remaining polite.
S/he usually rules frivolous and improper
tactics out of order.
The PO tolerates
breaches of decorum
OR is impolite or tyrannical while
handling decorum issues. S/he often allows
frivolous motions or
improper questions.
The PO does not have
control of the chamber
OR can only control
the chamber through
aggression.
Award a score of 4 only if the PO is totally ineffective or grossly unfair.
* If you award a score of 4-6, you must state specific reasons for the score on the ballot.
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