Advancement

“Advancement is one of the eight methods used by Scout leaders to help youth fulfill the aims of the BSA.”

The outcomes of the Scouting experience should be fun and educational, and not just relate to completing rank requirements that might place unrealistic expectations on a member who has a disability.

STEM Nova and Super NOVA Award Updates

  • March 26, 2025

Following Scouting America’s lead all STEM Nova and Super NOVA awards and content will be removed from Scouting.org on June 1, 2025. STEM Nova and Super NOVA awards will not be available in ScoutBook and STEM Nova and Super NOVA counselor positions are no longer registered positions in Scouting America.

The sunsetting of STEM Nova awards was due to low participation nationally, about 1.5% of Scouts earned a STEM Nova award.

Updates to the Guide to Advancement

 

Update of Eagle Extension and Special Needs Forms

  • March 26, 2025

Scouting America has updated the following six forms to align with the new branding and the 2025 Guide to Advancement:

  • 11.2.0.0 Request for Extension of Time (form), No. 512-077
  • 11.2.1.0 Appeal of Extension Request Denial (form), No. 512-077a
  • 11.3.0.0 Belated Rank Application, No. 512-076
  • 11.4.0.0 Registration Beyond the Age of Eligibility, No. 512-935
  • Individual Scout Advancement Plan, No. 512-936
  • Application for Alternative Eagle Scout Rank Merit Badges, No. 512-730

The most significant content update clarifies that only Life Scouts are eligible to apply for an extension of time to earn the Eagle Scout rank.

New forms can be found here: https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/resources/

Guidance for Updating Council Policies on Eagle Scout Letters of Reference

The Scouts BSA Advancement committee has created two documents to assist Councils in updating their policies for Eagle Scout letters of Reference.

Eagle Scout References Pre and Post-January 1, 2025

This chart details the changes in the process of obtaining letters of recommendation for the rank of Eagle Scout, comparing pre and post-January 1, 2025. Download the file here

Considerations for the Life Scout

This document details some of the things Councils may want to share with their Eagle Scout candidates to maximize their chances of successfully obtaining letters of recommendation. Download the file here

The Guide to Advancement has been updated and can be found https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/resources/
The majority of these changes were clarifications to reduce confusion and were based on feedback from the field. Significant changes may be found in Section 1.0.3.0. These changes will become effective on January 1, 2025.

For questions or concerns please email advancement.team@scouting.org

Merit Badge Updates for 2025

Scouts BSA is excited to share the planned updates to Merit Badges that will take effect on January 1, 2025.  These updates will be reflected in Scoutbook and on our online Merit Badge Hub (https://www.scouting.org/skills/merit-badges/) towards the end of December.  These preliminary updates are subject to change before final implementation on January 1, 2025. 

Per the Guide to Advancement (https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/), Section 7.0.4.3, any Scout beginning to work on a merit badge must use the updated online Merit Badge Hub requirements.  Scouts who have already started a Merit Badge may continue using the old requirements until the merit badge is completed or switch to the new requirements.

Download the Merit Badge Requirement Updates file here

Hazardous Weather Training Updates & FAQ

In 2017, Hazardous Weather Training was made mandatory for all Direct Contact Leaders, however completion of this training has not been properly reflected in training reports. Effective the week of December 2, 2024 this training will be reflected in training reports.  Please see the attached file for more information.

Download the Hazardous Weather Training Frequently Asked Questions file here

Cub Scout Program Updates Presentation

03/26/2024

A presentation is now available for those who want to present the Cub Scout program updates to Cub Scout Packs.

The slides are PDF files and you can find the presenter notes by clicking on the comments tab on each page.

Cub Scout Program Updates

Knife Safety Updates:

https://www.scouting.org/program-updates/knife-safety/

Arrow of Light and Webelos Updates:

https://www.scouting.org/program-updates/webelos-and-arrow-of-light-at-a-glance/

Scout and Life Rank Advancement Updates

03/04/2024

Beginning January 1, 2024, minor modifications to the Scouts BSA requirements for the ranks of Scout and Life will take effect. See “Program Updates – Advancement Updates 2024” https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SBSA-Advancement-Updates-2024-v2.pdf for more details. Scouts may continue using the existing requirements for the rank on which they are currently working. Scouts must use the new requirements once they advance to their next rank.

Program Updates:

https://www.scouting.org/program-updates/

Merit Badge Updates:

https://www.scouting.org/skills/merit-badges/all/

Scouts BSA Rank Requirement Updates

03/01/2024

BSA recently updated several rank requirements as well as several merit badge requirements. You can find the updates here: Advancement Updates 2024. Please review these changes as they affect Scout and Star ranks, Eagle Palms and at least 30 merit badges. 

Scouts BSA Rank Requirement Updates

06/24/2022

"In 2021, all outdoor-related rank advancement requirements were reviewed and realigned based on guidance from the National Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Subcommittee. These adjustments will help more effectively build a Scout’s outdoor ethics knowledge and align with the information in the Scouts BSA Handbook and Fieldbook. The requirements now build in a logical way through the ranks, with Leave No Trace (LNT) and the Outdoor Code (OC) used as references throughout.

Beginning August 1, 2022, these minor modifications to the Scouts BSA requirements for the ranks of Scout through Star will take effect. Scouts may continue using the existing requirements for the rank on which they are currently working, or they may choose to use the new requirements. Scouts must use the new requirements once they advance to their next rank. On January 1, 2023, all Scouts must use only the new requirements.

The specific changes are detailed below. 

In addition, beginning July 1, 2022, the Citizenship in Society merit badge becomes required for the rank of Eagle.

Finally, new videos were created to support “Personal Safety Awareness” (chapter 13) of the Scouts BSA Handbook. These can be used as an alternative to earning the Cyber Chip.

The specific changes can be found here."

Advancement Report Processing

Reporting Advancements to the council is required for all units.  Using Scoutbook to record unit advancement and to print an advancement report is highly recommended; but some circumstances may necessitate use of the BSA Advancement form which can be found here.

According to the Guide to Advancement 2021, all rank and merit badges are restricted items and will not be sold without the required advancement report or proof that one has already been submitted prior to their purchase.

Blue Card Records

Even with Scoutbook, blue cards are the Scout's official record for having completed merit badges.  Blue card records can be invaluable to confirm merit badges for Star, Life, and especially for Eagle Boards of Review. 

The Scout office no longer "stamps" the blue cards as they have done in the past.  It is advised that the Scout retain the blue cards for their records if verification of a merit badge needs to be confirmed as completed and signed off by a registered Merit Badge Counselor after turning in their Eagle Scout Project Workbook and Application.