Going for your next rank? Excellent! Rank advancement is at the heart of the Boy Scout program, and we've put together this document to guide you through the process. There's a lot more information available in the Scout Handbook and on various websites - so this is more of an overview of how it works in practice.

Ranks covered:  Scout, Tenderfoot, 2^nd Class, 1^st Class, Star, Life, and Eagle (the Eagle rank has separate, additional requirements and will not be addressed here).

What are the Ranks?

The Scout Rank is the first rank new Troop members may earn.  The Scout Rank does not require a Board of Review, but you must have the scoutmaster sign and date your book when your scoutmaster conference is completed.  The next step is to notify the advancement chair that you completed your scoutmaster conference.

The next three ranks after Scout are Tenderfoot, 2^nd Class and 1^st Class.  You may work on the requirements for these ranks in any order (that is to say you can work on 1^st and 2^nd Class requirements at the same time as Tenderfoot requirements), but you must complete a Board of Review for Tenderfoot before you can earn the rank of 2^nd Class.  A Board of Review for 2^nd Class must be earned prior to completing a Board of Review for 1^st Class.

Once you have earned your 1^st Class rank, then you will begin working on Star.
After earning Star, then you can start working on Life.
And after earning the Life rank, you can work on your EAGLE!!

There are three steps you need to complete to earn your next rank:

1.   Satisfy all requirements for the rank listed in the Scout Handbook (and have them signed off)
2.   Successfully complete a scoutmaster conference
3.   Successfully complete a Board of Review (except for the rank of Scout)

Once you have completed these three steps, you've earned the rank effective on the date of your Board of Review. You will receive the patch, pin and rank advancement card for that rank and be formally recognized at the troop's next Court of Honor ceremony (held every 3 months).  You can start/continue working on your next rank as soon as you complete the Board of Review. So, here's how each of these three steps plays out:

1. Completing the requirements for the rank

Each rank has its own set of requirements. You can find the complete list of requirements in your scout handbook. Your handbook also explains most of the skills you need to learn in order to complete these requirements, and finally, it has checklists (in the back of the handbook) that your scoutmaster or assistant scoutmasters will use to sign off that you have completed the requirement and/or mastered the skill.

Here is the list of who can sign off these requirements:

	Mr. Doby	Scoutmaster		Mr. Mazuk	Assistant Scoutmaster
	Mr. Basany	Committee Chair		Mr. Espinosa	Assistant Scoutmaster
	Mr. Rausch	Assistant Scoutmaster		Mr. deVera	Assistant Scoutmaster
	Mr. Shank	Unit Commissioner		Mr. Torrey	Chaplain
	Mr. Wetmore	Assistant Scoutmaster		Mr. Woolson	Assistant Scoutmaster

Sometimes, you will work on these requirements on your own. At other times, you will be able to complete a particular requirement as part of a troop activity. Every time you have completed a requirement, you can ask your scoutmaster or assistant scoutmaster to sign it off.  Once you have completed all requirements for your next rank, you're ready for Step 2, your scoutmaster conference.

2. Scoutmaster Conference

Once you have completed all of the rank requirements, ask your scoutmaster, Mr. Carl Doby, to schedule you for a Scoutmaster (SM) Conference. The scoutmaster conference will typically take 10-20 minutes, and you need to have your scout handbook with you. You must dress in your Field uniform (Class A) for this conference.  The conference is a chance for the scoutmaster to congratulate you on all you have achieved so far and also he may make suggestions on what opportunities lay ahead for you.  It also gives you and the scoutmaster an opportunity to talk about your experience in the troop.

Once you have completed your Scoutmaster conference, he will sign the corresponding page in your handbook - you are now ready to schedule Step 3, your Board of Review (BOR) (except for the Scout Rank there is no BOR -- once the SM conference is complete, let your advancement chair know and it’s on to Tenderfoot!). If he finds that something is still missing, he will explain to you exactly what you need to do in order to complete the requirements. As soon as you have completed the missing requirements, you can come back for another conference.

3. Board of Review (BOR)

The Board of Review is the last step before you formally earn your new rank.  Board of Reviews will be regularly scheduled on the 2^nd  of each month at 18:00, 18:20 and 18:40 p.m.  There will be openings for six BOR’s each month (more will be added if the need arises).  When you have the scoutmaster conference requirement signed off, contact Mrs. deVera, advancement co-chair to schedule a time for the next Board of Review date.  The cut-off for signing up for a BOR will be the 1^st Monday of each month.  The BOR will consist of one advancement chair and a minimum of 2 parent committee members.  The scout is responsible for contacting 2 parents (not his own) by phone  to attend the Board of Review.  When he has commitments from those parents, he is to notify Mrs. deVera who these parents will be at least 1 week prior to the Board of Review.  The scout must also call the parents and the advancement chair, 2 to 3 days prior to the BOR, to confirm that they are coming and will attend the BOR.   The parent will also want to know what rank you are completing.  You may only be scheduled for one rank per Board of Review.  You may sign up for multiple BORs per night if needed.   You must wear your Field uniform and sash for the BOR.  If you are not in full uniform, your BOR will be rescheduled for the next month.  Also, remember to bring your Scout Handbook!

What is a Board of Review?

“The troop committee conducts a board of review to periodically review each Scout's progress, from Tenderfoot through Life ranks, to encourage him, to learn whether he is enjoying his Scouting experience, and to evaluate the unit's effectiveness in conducting the Scouting program to benefit him. The review presents a good opportunity to monitor the Scout's advancement and keep him on track. It also gives unit leaders a chance to measure the effectiveness of their leadership. The troop committee appoints three to six individuals to conduct the board of review.”  (BSA Website)

A typical Board of Review takes 15-20 minutes. Committee members will want to hear about what you learned in the process of fulfilling the rank requirements. They may ask about your experience in the troop, and what you think the troop can do better. They may also want to know how you apply the principles of scouting in your everyday life.

At the end of your discussion, you will be asked to give the Board a few minutes to talk without you in the room.  When you come back in, they will tell you whether you've passed. If you have, congratulations! You have earned the new rank as of this day, even if the formal Court of Honor ceremony may be some weeks later. If the Board of Review does not pass you, they will explain exactly what was missing, what you need to do in order to get passed, and when you may come back for another try.


Good Luck!


After the Court of Honor, please make sure you keep all the rank advancement cards, completed merit badge blue cards (applicant’s record) and the white/green merit badge cards that you receive at the Court of Honor in a safe place.  We recommend starting a notebook or file with plastic sleeves for storing the above cards (like the kind used for baseball cards).  You will need these for documentation of the work you have achieved and will be part of your Eagle Book in the future!

What is a Field Uniform?

The Field Uniform is required for the Scoutmaster Conference, Board of Review and the Court of Honor.

A Field Uniform consists of the following items:

	Field (khaki) Shirt (long or short sleeve) with appropriate insignia attached --troop numerals, council patch, current rank, U.S flag, world scout crest emblem, troop position patch (if applicable) and shoulder loops.  Shirt must be tucked in.
	Boy Scout Uniform Pants or Shorts -- Pants must have Boy Scout belt (unless self-belting kind) and Shorts must be worn with Boy Scout uniform socks and Boy Scout belt.
	Troop Neckerchief with slide
	Merit Badge Sash with badges attached (not needed if you have not earned any badges yet; if you have, the advancement chair will expect to see a sash with attached badges)
	Closed Toe Shoes
	Boy Scout hat is not required.

Mrs. Kerstin deVera (310) 702-4717 (cell)

Mrs. Sharon Campbell (310) 322-6441 (home) (310) 499-6706 (cell)