2011 Rank Requirements Changes

[smtroop168]

RANK CHANGES ALBEIT MINOR FOR 2011. Any great organization constantly tweaks and adapts its requirements to better reach its members, and the Boy Scouts of America is no exception.

To that end, the BSA announced this week which requirements will change in 2011.

One big item is actually more of a clarification than a complete change. It affects the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank. Here's what it says:

"The 2009 printing of the Boy Scout Handbook inadvertently included bugler as a position of responsibility under Eagle Scout requirement 4; it is not. ... The corrected Eagle Scout requirement 4 will appear in the next printing of the Boy Scout Handbook."

That paragraph is consistent with an Ask the Expert question we fielded back in March of 2010. As we told you then, Bugler is not an official position of responsibility.

Another change affects requirement 6 of the Life rank. Add subpoint G as a seventh option for Scouts teaching the EDGE method to another Scout. The new option reads: "Three requirements from one of the Eagle-required merit badges, as approved by your unit leader."

The other 2011 requirement changes affect merit badges:

Requirements for Astronomy, Horsemanship, and Nuclear Science merit badges have been revised. (Click each link for the new requirements)
Minor updates will be made to the requirements for Archery and Sports merit badges. (Click each link to see the revisions)
Three new merit badges that were added in 2010 will be added to the 2011 Boy Scout Requirements Book: Geocaching, Inventing, and Scouting Heritage.
Keep in mind, though, that a Scout who has started working on a merit badge when a new pamphlet or requirements come out may continue working from the original requirements. He need not start the merit badge over.

We'll give you the specific requirement changes for those merit badges as soon as we have them, so stay tuned.

[smtroop168]

Paul Wolf is all over this already

[PaulSWolf]

BSA made it EASY for me his year. Posted the info on line, and there weren't very many changes.

Everything is posted to the USSSP site already.

[Guerillero]

maybe Astronomy will be easier to teach now

[AquilaNegra2]

maybe Astronomy will be easier to teach now

Is that what we want, though? It looks to me as if it's been revised to be camp-friendly.

[Guerillero]

Is that what we want, though? It looks to me as if it's been revised to be camp-friendly.

It is the hardest badge at camp. Over the past two years of teaching it, i have seen 4 scouts earn it. People just don't do prereqs any more. It either
A) needs to be able to be earned at camp with 2 intelligent prereqs
B) needs a new home.




as for the changes:

I like the new versions of 5 and 7 better. I am very sad that they removed old requirement 6. We had a scout drag it out for 3 months last year and you could see how the planets move through the night sky. I am also sad that they made new 6b easier. You don't see much change in the moon over only four days.



If it was up to me requirements 1a and 1c would be removed. Every badge doesn't need its own health and safety requirements.

[smtroop168]

Here are some other interesting tidbits from the book:

The section on the Active Definition, Time Extensions and 12 Steps to Eagle have been removed from the book. They are still in the ACPP.

Service Projects: p.20 EPs...added after returning unused fund to the donors "If this is not practical, the funds must be given to the project beneficiary"

pg 21. added: "NOTE: Modifications need not necessarily void the project"


Merit Badges:

p23: changed wording from "expected to do exactly" to "must do exactly" when meeting the requirements.

AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE: p.22

"Get a signed Application for Merit Badge, No.34124 from your unit leader." For those unfamilar with the 34124....IT'S A BLUE CARD!!!

[Fred Johnson]

"Get a signed Application for Merit Badge, No.34124 from your unit leader." For those unfamilar with the 34124....IT'S A BLUE CARD!!![/b][/size]

Is that saying now that the Blue Card is a required part of the process where before it wasn't?

[smtroop168]

"Get a signed Application for Merit Badge, No.34124 from your unit leader." For those unfamilar with the 34124....IT'S A BLUE CARD!!![/b][/size]

Is that saying now that the Blue Card is a required part of the process where before it wasn't?

That's the way I read it. Some councils have/had adopted their own MB applications.

[ThunderingWind]

Ok so we have language now stataing "must do exactly" the requirements for the Merit Badge.

This creates two items:
1) All MBC across Scoutdom will now be teaching the same thing (or they are violating the new rules)
2) Gives no wiggle room for Scouts with challenges. National should have extended the sentence with something like "except those Scouts with Challenges already on record with the BSA."

Then with the "Blue Cards".....

YEAH!!!!!!!! I will still accept those Council/District forms or whatever record keeping they want to use for
summer camp and Merit Badge Days. But YEAH for the individual Merit Badge that a boy is going to take.

[smtroop168]

Ok so we have language now stataing "must do exactly" the requirements for the Merit Badge.

This creates two items:
1) All MBC across Scoutdom will now be teaching the same thing (or they are violating the new rules)
2) Give no wiggle room for Scouts with challenges. National should have extended the sentence with something like "except those Scouts with Challenges already on record with the BSA."

Then with the "Blue Cards".....

YEAH!!!!!!!! I will still accept those Council/District forms or whatever record keeping they want to use for
summer camp and Merit Badge Days. But YEAH for the individual Merit Badge that a boy is going to take.

On your #2...Scouts with Challenges still had to meet all the requirements of Ranks and MBs. Pg 40 of the ACPP under Scouts with Disabilities:

All current requirements for an advancement award (ranks, merit badges, or Eagle Palms) must
actually be met by the candidate.

If a scout cannot do all the requirements under the particular badge, they apply for alternative badges Pg 43: (and also p18 of the 2011 book)

The Eagle Scout rank may be achieved by a Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or qualified Venturer
who has a physical or mental disability by qualifying for alternate merit badges. This does
not apply to individual requirements for merit badges. Merit badges are awarded only when
all requirements are met as stated.

Our camp and MB colleges require Blue Cards. The MBCs might use a spreadsheet to keep track of the scout's progress but at the end of the day, the scout gets a blue card back.

[Quailman]

I agree. Scouts who cannot accomplish all of the requirements for a merit badge for whatever reason cannot earn the badge. That has always been the case.

For ER MBs, a scout with a disability that makes it impossible to earn one may apply for an alternate badge.