Rank Advancement Procedures
Advancing in Rank is primarily the responsibility of each individual Scout. There are many things thatthe Scout does in his daily life, Scout meetings, for his community, school and religious organization that can be applied toward Rank Advancement, the key is knowing what the requirements are. The Scoutmaster, Senior Patrol Leader and his Patrol Leader are all available to assist in determining what activities outside of Scouting can be used toward advancement requirements as well as planning activities within Scouting to help a Scout advance. It lies with the Scout to make sure he communicates on a regular basis with the Advancement Chairman what requirements he has completed. He can do this by either emailing a copy of his Advancement Page out of his Scout Handbook to the Advancement Chairman or presenting his Scout Handbook to the Advancement Chairman at the Weekly Troop Meetings. By doing this the Scout helps the Advancement Chairman track of the Scouts progress. The Advancement Chairman records this information in TroopMaster. This information is available for both the Scout and his parents to review on TroopMasterWeb.
The steps taken to advance in rank are three fold.
1. The Scout completes the requirements, as listed in the Scout Handbook, for the Rank he wishes to advance to.
2. Completes a Scoutmaster Conference (SC)
3. Completes a Board of Review (BOR).
The date of his Rank Advancement is the date the he completes his BOR and this is the date used to determine the time requirements (if applicable) for his next Rank.-
To accomplish these three steps involves several people other than the Scout. First, there are those who are qualified to “sign off” on his requirements for the Rank he is working toward. (see Who Can Approve Advancement Requirements below) Second, there is the Advancement Chairman who he needs to report his completed requirements to. Third, the Scoutmaster who the Scout has his conference with. And finally Forth the Members of the Board of Review.
In Troop 285, the procedures to complete this task, once the Scout feels he is ready for advancement are as follows. If it is desired that the Scout be recognized at an upcoming scheduled Court of Honor, this process has to start a minimum of four weeks prior to that Court of Honor.
1. The Scout contacts the Advancement Chairman, either by phone, at a Troop Meeting or email two weeks prior to the date that he would like to have his Scoutmaster Conference.
2. The Advancement Chairman will review the Scouts records to ensure that he has all necessary requirements completed and recorded in TroopMaster.
3. If all requirements are complete, the Advancement Chairman will then have a BOR Report sent to the Scout via email. This report is necessary for completion of the next steps.
4. The Scout will then print out the BOR Report contact the Scoutmaster, either by phone, email or at a Troop Meeting and inform the Scoutmaster that he has a valid BOR Report and that he would like to schedule a SC. (see Scoutmaster Conference for additional information below).
5. The Scout will then meet with the Scoutmaster on the scheduled date. He should be in a Complete Class A uniform and have both his Scout Handbook and BOR Report.
6. Once the Scoutmaster is satisfied that the Scout is ready for his BOR he will sign and date the Scout’s BOR Report and hand it back to the Scout.
7. The Scout will immediately contact the BOR Chairman inform him that he has completed his SC and request a BOR.
8. The BOR Chairman will then arrange for a BOR and inform the Scout the date it will be held.
9. ON the date scheduled the BOR will be convened, the Scout must present himself is a complete Class A uniform and have with him his Scout Handbook and BOR report complete with the Scoutmaster’s Signature.
10. Unless the Scout does not pass his BOR the members of the BOR will sign his BOR report and the BOR Chairman will retain the completed BOR report and submit it to the Advancement Chairman who in turn will submit it to the GNFC.
11. If for some reason the Board does not find the Scout ready for advancement, the Board will adjourn and reschedule a date to finish the board.
Contact Information
Scoutmaster
George Boller
Scoutmaster@Troop285,com
(C) (716) 989-1537
Advancement Chairman
Amy Weimer
weimer6@verizon.net
(H) (716) 667-0879
(C) (716) 868-2969
(C) (716) 868-2969
BOR Chairman
Amy Weimer
weimer6@verizon.net
(C) (716) 868-2969
(H) (716)-667-0879
Who Can Approve Advancement Requirements
Approval of Requirement Completion
To help with understanding who can sign for requirement completion, the following guide is provided. The Scoutmaster (SM) can sign-off any requirement but it is preferred that this guide be used. In the event that there is an urgent need to complete a requirement solely designated to the Scoutmaster and he is unavailable, an Assistant Scoutmaster (ASM) will be designated to assist.
Scout
All requirements with the exception of the Parent’s Guide and Scoutmaster conference will typically be signed off by the Troop Guide. Instructors and ASMs can sign off any requirements that they witness being completed. A parent needs to initial the Parent’s Guide requirement Scoutmaster conference is completed by the Scoutmaster
Tenderfoot
Requirements 1 through 12 may be signed off by the Troop Guide, Instructor, or ASM to whom the Scout has demonstrated completion of the requirement.
Requirement 5 pre-approval is done by an ASM or SM (Eagle Projects are by nature pre-approved by the SM).
Requirements 1 through 12 must be completed before scheduling a Scoutmaster conference.
Requirements 13 and 14 will be completed during the Scoutmaster conference. Scouts must arrange
completion of Requirement 15 with the BOR Chairman.
Second Class
Requirements 1 through 10 may be signed off by the Troop Guide, Instructor, or ASM to whom the Scout has demonstrated completion of the requirement.
Requirement 5 pre-approval is done by an ASM or SM (Eagle Projects are by nature pre-approved by the SM).
Requirements 1 through 12 must be completed before scheduling a Scoutmaster conference.
Requirements 11 and 12 will be completed during the Scoutmaster conference.
Scouts must arrange completion of Requirement 13 with the BOR Chairman.
First Class
Requirements 1 through 11 may be signed off by the Troop Guide, Instructor, or ASM to whom the Scout has demonstrated completion of the requirement.
Requirement 5 pre-approval is done by an ASM or SM.
Requirements 1 through 11 must be completed before scheduling a Scoutmaster conference.
Requirements 12 and 13 will be completed during the Scoutmaster conference.
Scouts must arrange completion of Requirement 14 with the BOR Chairman.
Star
1. Active in Troop – ASM, SM
2. Scout Spirit – SM
3. Merit Badges – Advancement Chairman, ASM, or SM
4. Service Project – Approved by ASM or SM and signed off by either
5. Position of Responsibility – SM
6. Scoutmaster Conference – SM
7. Board of Review – BOR Chairman
Life
1. Active in Troop – ASM, SM
2. Scout Spirit – SM
3. Merit Badges – Advancement Chairman, ASM, or SM
4. Service Project – Approved by ASM or SM and signed off by either
5. Position of Responsibility – SM
6. Teach a younger Scout – ASM, SM
7. Scoutmaster Conference – SM
8. Board of Review – BOR Chairman
Eagle
1. Active in Troop – ASM, SM
2. Scout Spirit – SM
3. Merit Badges – Advancement Chairman, ASM, or SM
4. Position of Responsibility – SM
5. Service Project – SM
6. Scoutmaster Conference – SM
7. Board of Review – Advancement Chairman
Eagle Palm
All requirements with the exception of the Board of Review will be signed off by the SM
Scoutmaster Conferences
The Scoutmaster conference is a visit between the Scoutmaster and a Scout that is held after the requirements for a rank have been completed. It is an opportunity for the Scoutmaster to discuss with each Scout his activity in the troop and his understanding and practice of the ideals of Scouting.
Scoutmaster conferences are used by the Scoutmaster to identify areas for improvement for the troop and should be used by the Scout to identify any areas where he has concerns. It is not a retest of the requirements however knowledge of requirements is expected. Scoutmaster conferences are requested by the Scout to the Scoutmaster and arranged via email or in person. Requests via email should include the Scouts name, confirmation that the Scout has his BOR Report, a proposed date and the rank the conference is for. The Scoutmaster will confirm the requested date or propose another date. The Scout will respond with a confirmation of the
Scoutmaster’s proposal.
At the Scoutmaster conference, be prepared to discuss:
• Activities you have participated in since your last rank advancement.
• How your patrol is working.
• How you believe the troop is working.
• Things you believe could be improved.
• At least 4 examples of how you have lived the Scout Oath and Law in your everyday life. For any rank above Scout, we will reschedule your conference if I get a blank stare when I ask you this question. (It’s happened)
• Where you’re at in progress toward your next rank.
• Your plan for completion of your next rank.
• Anything else you want to discuss. You have the Scoutmaster’s devoted attention.