Judges should familiarize themselves with the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution text and have an understanding of the unit(s) they will be judging as well as the related hearing questions.
Judges should be aware of the basic structure of the program. The simulated congressional hearing is a culminating activity of the classroom program. Every member of the class will participate in at least one of the six unit groups that will make presentations and answer questions on their unit of the textbook. No student may participate in more than two groups. (See Guidelines & Rules for Competition.)
During Orientation
Judges should help the students to 1) demonstrate what they have learned, 2) take pride in the knowledge and skills they have acquired, 3) deepen their understanding of, and appreciation for, the values and principles inherent in the Constitution, 4) sharpen their insight into the role of the citizen in American constitutional democracy, and 5) foster a determination to participate in the political life of their community and nation.
Judges should be familiar with the time allocations for the hearing, i.e., four minutes for opening statements and six minutes for responses to the judges’ questions. If the students do not use the entire four minutes for their opening statement, the remaining time will be added to the response time for follow-up questions.
Judges should designate one member of their panel as the chair for the proceedings. If hearing more than one class, they may rotate the designation.
Guidelines for Follow-up Questioning
Judges may:
ask questions based on a group’s opening statement,
use the follow-up questions provided by the Center, and/or
develop their own follow-up questions.
Judges may choose to ask each class the same follow-up questions, or they may vary the questions based on each class’s response.
Judges should not ask follow-up questions that include obscure references to case law or historical facts.
The six-minute response time includes the time used by the judges to pose their questions. Judges should decide, in advance of the hearing, the order in which they will ask questions.
Judges should avoid lengthy and multiple-part follow-up questions. If the judges extend the time, they may add time to the six-minute questioning period to compensate.
If a student is in the middle of a sentence or thought when the time is called at the end of the six minutes, the judges should allow the student to finish briefly.
During the Hearing
Judges should speak loudly enough for the entire audience to hear.
The chair should introduce himself/herself, ask the other judges to do the same, and ask the students to introduce themselves.
The panel should attempt to establish a rapport with the students and try to alleviate their anxiety before the hearing begins.
Students may refer to notes during their opening statement and should not be penalized for doing so. Notes must be put away after their opening statement and may not be referred to during the follow-up questioning.
All judges should give the students feedback on their performance.
Feedback may be directed at the entire student panel or to individuals.
Feedback should include positive comments as well as suggestions for improvement.
Judges should congratulate the students and the teacher for their accomplishments and recognize the support of parents and members of the community. Shaking the students’ hands at the end of the hearing is encouraged.
Scoring
Before the beginning of a hearing, the judges should ascertain that they have the appropriate score sheet (correct teacher name, school name, and/or unit number).
Judges will score each group on the basis of six criteria. There criteria are: understanding, constitutional application, reasoning, supporting evidence, responsiveness, and participation. These criteria are more fully explained on the Congressional Hearing Group Score Sheet and the Scoring Guide. Throughout their assessment of student performance, the judges should be careful to base their scores on the six established criteria and not on whether the judges agree with a position the students might take.
Judges should score within a range of 1-10 points. Judges are permitted to change their initial scores; once they have observed the performance of all groups, they may wish to modify their initial scores. However, once the scores have been delivered to the registration table, they may not be changed.
To gain perspective on group performances, the judges should consult with each other on how each group is scored. Judges do not need to agree on scores.
Students should not be penalized for their manner of dress or personal appearance.
Students should not be penalized for asking the judges to repeat, clarify, or re-phrase their follow-up questions.
Judges must fill in the tie-breaker scores and sign their score sheets before giving them to their facilitators. Tie-breaker scores are used if the total unit and/or total class scores are identical.