Advancement Management ... Comment from the trenches

[John-in-KC 311]

Here's the takeaway for those who don't want to read the story:

Scouting advancement records need to be current. Council will not certify Eagle apps where ScoutNet does not show the young man making Life or lacking Merit Badges.

 

This lesson applies whether your unit uses Boy Scout handbooks, the BSA advancement wall chart, Troopmaster or some other database, or copies of Advancement Reports submitted to Council as source records!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the story:

 

 

It's been a frustrating morning. Four young men are approaching Eagle. A couple of years ago, I gave up being advancement coordinator for our Troop. At the time, the records were in Ordnung.

 

I've also been advancement coordinator in our Crew.

 

With one project finished, one awaiting his lessons learned, and one in progress, it's time to do a records review. I asked Council for a ScoutNet name specific dump. Our DE is a great young man; I got the dump in two business days

 

Oh, XXXX.

 

One Scout is still Star according to ScoutNet. All lack Eagle required MBs which are on their sashes.

 

I neither know nor care where the disconnects happened. Now is the time to get them fixed.

 

Soooooo... to the Committee Chairs, Scoutmasters, Advancement Coordinators, CORs, and UCs who read this: It doesn't matter who or how your advancement information. What matters is that you do the work and follow-up regularly.

 

It's the Scouts who are hurt if you do not!

[jr56 92]

I have known several troops that get a council printout of all their boys advancement records annually at recharter time, and double check it against troop records for accuracy.

[SWScouter 34]

I encourage all units to start using internet advancement. It pretty much solves this problem.

 

SWScouter

[Oak Tree 15]

I don't remember hearing anyone from our district explain internet advancement to us. Maybe we should look into it anyway.

 

John, I'm quite confident that our records are wrong at council, for who-knows-what reason. Could be a former advancement coordinator. Could be the council has lost paperwork that we've submitted. I've contemplated going through to check it all, but then I think - "why bother?" If it ever matters, we can just fix it at the time they end up going for Eagle. Most of the boys won't get that far anyway, so why should I spend a bunch of time reviewing council's records that seem to inevitably get into an incorrect state soon afterwards anyway?

 

Did your boys really get hurt? Or did you just have to fix things?

 

Oak Tree

[John-in-KC 311]

It's simply a friendly reminder

 

I've been down this path before, and suspect I will be there again. There are particulars to my units' case which I won't disclose here at the Forums. I don't need to air the linen, clean or dirty.

 

It's get the job done time; so the young men can advance.

 

YIS John

[CNYScouter 46]

 

I will have to agree with John-in-KC about this one.

 

Our council is notorious for terrible record keeping.

Starting at Tiger and at training, we remind Scouts and adults to keep any advancement or training cards they get as it will be the only way to show they have earned an award or taken training. It is almost impossible to find records through our council.

 

A couple of years ago the Advancement person for the Troop went through and updated the records.

There were over 100 mistakes for just Merit badges and this was for a Troop of about 30 Scouts.

 

Our council has gone to Internet advancement.

 

It did take me a few minutes to get the information in but now I know that the Units records are up to date and correct.

 

It is nice as when you are done entering information it prints a report to turn in to council for their records.

 

 

[John-in-KC 311]

One other comment:

 

KNOW THE YOUNG MANS' ScoutNet NAME!!!!

 

I was the rechartering guy once. At the time his name was Billy Jumpback, and we kept that for year X.

 

As part of this, when I saw his ScoutNet record, his name was now Bob Billy Jumpback.

 

Six merit badges and a rank advancement probably fell through the cracks to this. The "corrected copy" advancement report is ready to go in day after tomorrow, after I recheck all my notes.