Instructions to Oral Judges

  1. Above all, keep in mind that these students have put forth considerable effort to prepare for this event and that it is important to them. Please take the time and effort to prepare in advance for your judging assignment so you will be able to give a fair assessment of the student’s presentation.
  2. Please make comments as detailed as feasible about the strengths and weaknesses of presentation and content. Include suggestions for improvement.
  3. Correctness includes: accuracy and completeness. Follow the rubric carefully when one is given.
  4. Presentation includes: organization, clarity, use of visual aids, articulation, correct use of notation and vocabulary, and poise. It does not include dress or appearance. The oral competition is about how well the oralists know and communicate math. Under no circumstances should oralists gain or lose points for their attire.
  5. Please note that students may not use calculators during their presentation. If a student starts to use a calculator, you should interrupt and inform them that they may not use it.
  6. You should receive two oral score report forms for each contestant. It is suggested that one be used to make notes during the presentation and the other be used to write the final report that goes to the student
  7. You should receive a score sheet with all five contestants listed. This sheet should be used to report scores to the grading room immediately following presentations. You can then take more time to carefully complete the report forms.

Thank you for taking the time and putting forth the effort to undertake the important task of judging. Careful, fair judging is an important component in encouraging students to continue their study of mathematics. Your efforts are appreciated.

Additional Notes

If a contestant presents an alternate, valid argument for any part of the problem, full credit should be awarded for that part. Judges may require a careful argument for credit.

Scoring

  1. Each student will receive up to 50 points from each of the two judges. The student’s score will be the average of the two scores, rounded up to the nearest whole number if necessary.
  2. There will be three questions: question #1 is worth 10 points, #2 is worth 12 points and #3 is worth 13 points. The remaining 15 points will be allotted to the quality of presentation.