Advancement Review
Not just a “check in the box”
Aside from the events and activities conducted throughout the year, the Scouts also spend a lot of time working on rank advancements. As discussed on the rank advancements page, each Scout works through the individual ranks at his own pace.
As part of the Patrol Method (youth-led) approach, the adult leaders are not always the primary teacher. The Scouts are the ones leading and providing direction to other Scouts. The older, more experienced Scouts are typically the ones teaching the younger Scouts. Sometimes it’s not even decided by age. Each Scout has different skills and knowledge. It’s not uncommon for younger Scouts to help teach something new to the older Scouts.
Regardless of who does the teaching or how a subject is taught, the primary goal is for the Scouts to learn and remember something new. That way, the Scouts can use the information they’ve learned later in life.
There are a number of reasons for the advancement review…
- Since the adult leaders are often not part of the teaching process, the review process allows them to ensure that the important aspects of each requirement were taught to the Scouts.
- The process provides an opportunity for adult leaders to reiterate key aspects of some of the requirements. As with anyone, when the Scouts hear things more than once, they’re more likely to remember them later on.
- It gives the adult leaders (especially the Scoutmaster) and opportunity to chat one-on-one with the Scouts to learn more about their feelings regarding the troop and how it is functioning. Many Scouts will be more willing to provide feedback in a one-on-one discussion rather than in front of the group, and this feedback is critical to the success of the troop.
The final requirements for most of the ranks is for the Scout to participate in a Scoutmaster Conference and a Board Of Review.
Scoutmaster Conference
In most situations, the Scoutmaster does not work directly with the Scouts. The Scoutmaster is there to help the elected Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). That youth leader is in turn responsible for working with the Scouts. This is all part of the Patrol Method.
Despite this, it is important for the Scoutmaster to know how the Scouts are doing in the troop and understand what they want to get out of their Scouting experiences. That’s where the Scoutmaster Review comes in.
During this part of the review, the Scoutmaster and the Scout discuss the Scout’s progress and their long-term desires. It gives the Scoutmaster an opportunity to learn more about some of the things the Scout would like to do in the future. It’s also an opportunity for the Scoutmaster to encourage the Scout to continue their rank advancement progress.
Board of Review
The second part of the review has more of a focus on the actual rank requirements. It gives the adult leaders a chance to ensure that the youth actually completed their requirements and learned something in the process.
The Board Of Review is conducted by 3 adult leaders. These leaders exclude the Scoutmaster. The group of leaders also cannot include the Scout’s parents/guardians.
It’s important to clarify that this is not necessarily a quiz for the Scout. While the adult leaders are there to confirm that the Scouts learned something, they are also there to help, and if necessary, teach. The Scout will not get a pass for simply going through the motions, but the adult leaders are there to help the Scout as needed to help them succeed.
Two-Deep Leadership Is Never Optional
As with any troop activity, following the guidelines of the Youth Protection Training is always required. This includes the requirement for two-deep leadership. Simply put, this means that an adult leader never conducts any activity with a Scout on his/her own. There is always at least one other adult leader present.
Since the Board Of Review always includes 3 adult leaders, the two-deep leadership requirement is automatically met. The Scoutmaster Conference is a different story. By definition, it is a conference with just the Scoutmaster and the Scout. That said, even though the conversation only includes two people, other adult leaders are always nearby and in the room.