I need some clarification..

[SWScouter]

One of the purposes of the BOR is to ensure the scout has completed all of the requirements. If the scout admits in the BOR that he did not complete a requirement, then he should not be signed off on rank. This isn't a retest issue, it is the scout stating he has not met all of the requirements. The procedures outlined in the Advancement Committee Policies & Procedures quoted by Beavah should be followed in this case and the BOR reconvened once the scout has completed the requirement in question.

 

SWScouter

[John-in-KC]

One point to amplify within SWScouter's post:

 

If the BOR finds a systemic advancement issue, the Committee Chairman has the duty to sit down with the Scoutmaster. Together, they should come up with a reasonable solution. Then, it's the SM's job to sit down with the PLC and lead them through the thought process to the same reasonable solution.

 

Having been a COR, I assess implmentation of the Advancement Method of Scouting to be adult in nature, vice youth in nature.

[SWScouter]

I'd like to add a bit to my previous post. If a scout admits that a requirement wasn't completed I hope that the board would commend the scout for this honesty and let him know that the board is looking forward to reconvening when the requirement is met. For goodness sake, I sure hope the board would never chastise the scout for starting the BOR before all requirements were properly completed.

 

SWScouter

[Hunt]

"Tossing a Scout a piece of rope & asking him to tie a required knot for rank can be one way for the BOR to ensure the signed requirement is valid."

 

I could be, if that was what the BOR is supposed to do. But, again, BSA says:

 

"This review is not and should not be an examination or retest of skills learned. Rather, it is an attempt to determine the Scout's attitude and his acceptance of Scouting's ideals, both in the troop and outside of it. The board should get a sense of the importance that the Scout attributes to Scouting in his home life, at school, and in the troop. It also shows how the Scout perceives the troop and its adult leaders."

 

It seems to me that there is a pretty significant divide here on what a BOR is supposed to be like. There are some people who think that a BOR focuses on scout skills, giving the scout the opportunity to "show his stuff" or to prove that he really satisfied the requirements. There are others who think that it is a different kind of conversation, and is primarily designed to look at the broader issues of the scout's participation in scouting and his commitment to its ideals. I suppose it could be both, but I think running the boy through a bunch of scout skills (especially if they are skills that were required for a prior rank) detracts from the atmosphere that is conducive to a more general, friendly conversation.

[Beavah]

It seems to me that there is a pretty significant divide here on what a BOR is supposed to be like. There are some people who think that a BOR focuses on scout skills, giving the scout the opportunity to "show his stuff" or to prove that he really satisfied the requirements. There are others who think that it is a different kind of conversation, and is primarily designed to look at the broader issues of the scout's participation in scouting and his commitment to its ideals. I suppose it could be both...

 

You betcha.

 

How a unit conducts BOR should reflect the unit's goals and philosophy, eh? They're goin' to be different. That's an OK thing.

 

Units use the Uniform Method differently. Units use Adult Association differently. Patrols are organized and used differently. Units are going to implement Advancement differently. Until you see a real problem for a bunch of kids, it's OK to say "Hey, I don't do it that way, but if it works for your kids and families, great. And thanks for being a Scouting Volunteer!"

 

[Twocubdad]

My understanding of the "you can't fail a Board of Review" rule is that rather than failing, the board is simply continued to a later date. It's a subtle difference but keeps things on a positive basis. Our troop will frequently tell Scouts that their board will be finished next week and suggest that the Scout review a certain subject in the mean time.