First Class-First Year

[milominderbinder2]

This is the discussion for the First Class-First Year page on meritbadge.org.

This page quotes past and current Boy Scout Handbooks as well as the BSA Advancement Policies #33088 © 1989, 2007 Printing.

Note that while the expected time to earn First Class has increased from 3 to 12 months since the 1960's, the requirements have also been expanded.

Please also note needed corrections here.

- Craig

[FrankJ]

There was a time in rank requirement in the 60s as I recall. You had to be 2nd class for 3 months before you could earn 1st class. I do not know if there was any expectation on how long it would take to earn 1st class from joining. It certainly was not 3 Mo.

[FrankJ]

Or maybe not. I was a scout in the seventies.

The edit button is gone.

[milominderbinder2]

There was a time in rank requirement in the 60s as I recall. You had to be 2nd class for 3 months before you could earn 1st class. I do not know if there was any expectation on how long it would take to earn 1st class from joining. It certainly was not 3 Mo.

First my Edit buttons are only there about half the time on this forum so I have the same problem.

Until 1972 time in rank was:
Tenderfoot - 0 months
Second Class - 1 month
First Class - 2 months
Star - 3 months
Life - 3 months
Eagle - 6 months

So until the 1972 change, the earliest possible moment to make First Class was 3 months.

"That's why you should strive to become a First Class Scout at the earliest possible moment."

Beginning with the 1972 Boy Scout Handbook, the minimum tenure through First Class was extended to 8 months (p.87-89).

Then in 1998, they lengthened the expectation to 12 months with the First Class-First Year program. That is where we are today: "Though you can advance at your own pace, active Scouts will usually earn First Class within a year of joining a troop." (p. 14).

Also note that until 1972, a Scout could theoretically earn Eagle in 13 months. Today it is Tenderfoot 1+ Star 4+ Life 6+ Eagle 6 = 15 months.

The minimum time to Eagle is longer now than prior to 1972. And back then you did not have to deal with a district committee to get your project approved. No Eagle Project masters thesis was requried.

- Craig

[smtroop168]

Craig....I don't have all the BSA Handbooks you have. When did the Eagle Project start requiring District Approval? Thanks. Matt

[milominderbinder2]

Craig....I don't have all the BSA Handbooks you have. When did the Eagle Project start requiring District Approval? Thanks. Matt

Matt,

I am having to do some digging to find all of my books. Too many boxes. So far I have narrowed District Approval down to after 1976 and before 1990.

In 1972 the advancement policy was changed to dictate that the project write-up was to be reviewed at the Eagle Board. That was a big change.

- Craig

[smtroop168]

Craig....No hurry. Just curious. The old-timers (I think I am one!) always will tell you that they didn't have to go to such great lengths for their service project. Some like it and some think it's overkill. There is info on the history of the Eagle required badges but I've never seen the Project History. Matt

[milominderbinder2]

Doing more reading...

Prior to 1972, I cannot find references to an Eagle Project write-up or approval.

The 1972 Advancement Policies states on page 51:

"A written report of the [Eagle Service] project must be approved by the Scoutmaster and the troop committee and attached to the Eagle award application. This is forwarded to the council office for approval. The advancement committee should inform Scoutmasters as to council standards for service projects so that it will not be necessary to turn down an Eagle applicant."

So in 1972 the project had to be approved by the council but AFTER the project was completed. Ouch.

- Craig

[smtroop168]

Check 1973 if there's a reference, since I'm guessing after a few Eagle Scout application rejections by the councils, BSA probably decided to get them approved prior to starting. My guess is that the Council standards were all over the map as well.

[milominderbinder2]

Check 1973 if there's a reference, since I'm guessing after a few Eagle Scout application rejections by the councils, BSA probably decided to get them approved prior to starting. My guess is that the Council standards were all over the map as well.

I don't have a 1973 book...

This did cause a firestorm. I earned my Eagle in 1973 in the midst of it. An Eagle before me ended having to do his project over. So I knew to meet with a person from the District Advancement Committee to get an unofficial prior approval. It was a strange time because for 16 months the old Scouting and the new overlapped.

I do have a Detroit Council book from 1974 that clarifies for their council what they expect.

- Craig

[milominderbinder2]

The Edit button is missing again or I would just edit my last post to add this...

I added references to old and current Advancement policies to the First Class-First year page.

In particular, note that BSA stated through the 1960's that the average age to earn Eagle was 14.

Today the goal for the average Scout works out to age 15. Too often today it actually is at 17 year, 11 months, 29 days...

- Craig

[smtroop168]

Craig...any more luck pinning down the date?

[milominderbinder2]

I finally had time to flesh out the First Class-First Year with a number of added references to previous Scout Handbooks and Boy Scout Requirements books.

One interesting fact is the period of 7 years when Scoutcraft work for Second Class could only be done as a Tenderfoot. During this same period, Scoutcraft work for First Class could only be done as a Second Class Scout.

- Craig[/quote]

[wjturner]

There appears to be an error in when the tenure requirements were removed for the TF, 2C, and 1C ranks. That occurred in 1989 when the 10th ed of the BSHB came out. I remember because we instituted a new first year camper program at our camp in 1990 to follow the national goal of first class in a year, which I always thought was funny because it seemed easier to me to get first class in a year under the previous requirements that included tenure. By 1994 I had graduated from college and was no longer able to spend my summers on staff.

[turkeyhunter_1]

Whatever the requirements, I think that the Scout that make FC in their first year stay in sScouts more than those that do not.

[jordanbrown]

While it may well be that Scouts who earn First Class in their first year are more likely to stay in Scouts, it is important to remember that correlation does not imply causality. This statistic alone does not tell us whether pushing Scouts to achieve FCFY will make them more likely to stay. It could as easily be that those Scouts who are likely to stay in Scouts are more likely to complete FCFY. If they are the sort to be interested and enthusiastic, then they will work hard and complete FCFY *and* they will stay in.