Welcome! This forum has a treasure trove of great info – Scouters helping Scouters! Just a heads up, though - all content, information, and opinions shared on this forum are those of the author, not the BSA.
To clarify: Our Council doesn’t keep – and hasn’t kept – blue cards, either. The process has been as you described above, except that Council used to also input the paper advancement reports generated by the advancement chair, as a courtesy. Now, in lieu of blue cards or advancement reports, we’re all supposed to use Scoutbook to directly enter our own advancements into the BSA database.
Come to think of it: Scoutbook only became free to use on Jan. 1, 2019, and that coincides both with our Council’s rollout of SB and also the date I assumed the advancement chair position. So perhaps the courtesy input was just because Scoutbook was a new tool. I don’t actually know how this was all handled prior to my involvement this year. What I can say is that our troop’s records are full of paper advancement reports from pre-2019 but none since then.
In any case, we were notified that effective July 1, 2019, our Council requires units to process their own advancements. I’m attempting to use Scoutbook to do so, but if we can’t get the tool to work (see original post for error message) then I imagine we’ll just have to keep doing it the way you’ve described above. It has worked for all these years, after all.
@JamesWechsler - I can tell you the process that our troop has run for the past few years. Any merit badges submitted as completed by the scout and MBC are just entered in scoutbook as complete with that final date. That is for summer camp or otherwise. If the scout is working a partial then they can enter that info themself and submit the complete card when final done. The connection of MBC is optional and not required as many MBC are not in scoutbook unless the council uploaded it. I would not get too intense with the small details.
I’m hearing from many that this is how their units are processing merit badges via Scoutbook. I would love to hear from Scoutbook personnel on this topic, too.
@JamesWechsler - personally I would rather work smarter than harder. If the scout wants to track partials… then that is on them. The unit and council would only be concerned with completed items. So, if you were only using Internet Advancement, the final completed dates and items are all that need to be worried about. If you used some other advancement/unit tool the same would apply. Why worry yourself over something like having to connect an MBC.
@Stephen_Hornak, it’s not a question of partials vs. completed badges; it is how does the MBC approve either?
The merit badge procedure is clearly defined in GTA. When it’s done through an entirely analog method, there’s no issue. But if you want to use Scoutbook to do it, there is a breakdown if the MBC can’t connect to the Scouts’ records to approve the work that has been completed.
The simplest answer for the time being is not to use Scoutbook. But BSA probably didn’t buy it and sink all this development money into it so nobody would use it. So I’m just flagging the error I experienced so it can be fixed.
If BSA is OK with leaders approving MB content in Scoutbook, that’s fine, too, but somebody will have to tell the folks who update GTA.
MBCs are not able to approve MBs in Scoutbook. Only unit leaders are able to approve awards in Scoutbook. This is a limitation of the Scoutbook architecture and the fact that the vast majority of MBCs do not use Scoutbook.
Even after an MBC marks an MB complete in Scoutbook, a unit leader must still approve the award. This is equivalent to the Scoutmaster signing the Blue Card after it has been completed.
I think that there are differences among the following scenarios:
Physical blue card is filled out and signed-off by MBC, then provided to unit after completion. Unit adds completed MB to scout’s record by marking as Complete and Leader Approved in Scoutbook/IA2.
Physical blue card is filled out but not signed-off by MBC, then provided to unit. Unit adds completed MB to scout’s record by marking as Complete and Leader Approved in Scoutbook/IA2.
No physical blue card exists. MBC is connected to scout in Scoutbook and marks the MB Counselor Approved by approving requirements or by approving the whole MD at once. Unit adds completed MB to scout’s record by marking as Leader Approved in Scoutbook/IA2.
No physical blue card exists. MBC is not connected to scout in Scoutbook. Unit adds completed MB to scout’s record by marking as Leader Approved in Scoutbook/IA2.
In cases 1 and 3, the G2A requirements are met by having the MBC verify that the requirements for the MB were completed. The Leader Approved step is essentially entering the data into the database as “verified”.
In cases 2 and 4, the G2A does not appear to be complied with, assuming that the leader who marks the MB Leader Approved is not a MBC for that MB, or if the requirements were not verified as having been completed by the scout by a MBC who is also a unit leader.
I’m less fussed about exactly who is entering the data into Scoutbook/IA2 than I am about whether or not the proper review is being executed. For example, I would (personally) consider the process to have been adhered to if:
Scout meets with a MBC who reviews the scout’s work and approves it.
Adult leader in unit verifies with MBC that the scout has completed the MBC, and then logs it as Complete and Leader Approved in Scoutbook/IA2, whether or not a blue card or an electronic record (e.g. marked Counselor Approved in Scoutbook).
To me, the key steps are that the scout does the work, the scout’s work is reviewed and approved by a MBC, and that the MBC verifies that the work is complete for the MBC. The both Scoutbook and the blue card are convenient permanent-ish records, but even if no such physical/electronic record exists, that doesn’t mean the scout failed to complete the work. As a unit leader, I just need to verify with the MBC that the work was reviewed, approved and complete. How exactly it gets into the database is not a key issue, at least to me.
@JamesWechsler - I do want to get back to your whoops issue as that has somehow ended up on a side rail. I am willing to run a screen share to perhaps see if we can get past that issue. If you are up for it, please email me at sjhjr@comcast.net and we can tale a look.
James when we started the boys 4 years ago found out that our coucil does not require blue cards except for merit badge college and summer camp…now saying that as one of the four leaders for our two troops and doing the advancement for both ( plus scout book) and being the merit badge coucler for both troops. It hasn’t been a problem assignment the badges I council, and signing of the badges by blue cards at camp ( major draw back on blue cards did the camp councilor draw that line or check of that box or not. ) to me having in typed print in scout book far out ways any draw backs. Plus it eliminates mailing or driving to scout shop the advancement forms at least for the merit badges.
We may be on to something here. Charley, if the “Leader Approved” checkbox is intended to equate to the step where the troop SM (or advancement chair, I would guess?) fills in and signs the “Checked and recorded” line on the Application for Merit Badge portion of the blue card, then all of this makes sense – although I would highly recommend relabeling that checkbox in Scoutbook then.
If the “Leader Approved” checkbox is intended to equate to the SM adding his second signature to verify that the MBC has approved the content, this also makes sense (and, again, I’d recommend a clarifying word change on SB). This scenario is closest to what I’m dealing with right now because the MBC did not actually sign the blue card. His name is stamped on with a rubber stamp, and while we would expect that staff keep the stamps under lock and key when not in use and we would expect our Scouts to be trustworthy, it’s still best to “trust but verify” because a stamp is not a signature.
However, if either of these situations is the case, then there is still one dangling thread that doesn’t add up for me. When I added the MBC as a connection to our Scout, I had to set the MBCs permissions, and here’s the screen I see:
What is the function “Approve Merit Badges” under MBC’s connections for, if not to approve content marked as complete by the Scout (or a troop leader)? And, as I have never logged in as an MBC, what would the UI look like to the MBC? I was interpreting this function to mean that the MBC would be able to check the “Leader Approved” checkbox (because non-leaders would not see the checkbox, right?), but maybe there is some other button visible to the MBC?
I acknowledge that because I cannot see the merit badge page (due to the current error), I cannot see whether there is some kind of button or switch for the MBC to use that is distinct from one that a troop leader would use.
Update. @Stephen_Hornak generously offered his services and did a screen share with me, and we not only discovered the solution to the “whoops!” error but also some info that clarifies (at least for me) the approval process via SB.
First: The issues with connecting to our Scout’s MBC is likely that the Counselor’s profile does not specifically have the “Merit Badge Counselor (42)” position under his profile’s “My Positions” page. We were able to verify with Stephen’s information that adding an MBC Connection works fine if the connection has that role, and generates that exact “whoops!” error if it does not.
Second: Stephen is also an MBC, and he kept a second window open, logged in as himself, so that we could see what the invitee would receive and experience when invited to connect to a Scout. Through this method, we saw that the MBC gets a slightly different view of the advancement page. Instead of a “Leader Approved” checkbox, the MBC sees a “Counselor Approved” checkbox, along with the usual place for entering a date.
When the Counselor approves the completion of the requirements (full or partial), the unit’s SB admins can see this:
Note the green check. When the unit admin checks the “Leader Approved” checkbox, you get the blue checkbox.
So, @CharleyHamilton and @edavignon, it looks like your hunch was right and the “Leader Approved” checkbox is equated with the “Checked and Recorded” part of the blue card. It is for reporting, not approving.
Mystery solved. Error solved. Now I just need to connect with the MBC and see if he can add that position to his profile.
Thank you to everyone who helped with this investigation – most especially @Stephen_Hornak – and to all who weighed in with their valuable and helpful insight into the design and use of Scoutbook. I appreciate everyone’s help.
The blue card is the nationally recognized merit badge record. This tool makes the record keeping easier for the Scout, the merit badge counselor, and the unit leader. At summer camp, a Scout may receive partial credit for completion of a merit badge on the blue card, which goes to the Scoutmaster at week’s end. Back home, the Scout would need to contact a merit badge counselor for assistance with completing the rest of the requirements.
Please ensure Merit Badge Counselor’s Youth Protection Training (Y01) is maintained as current, and that the online or offline) basic position-specific training is recorded in the BSA training database. Recording the online completion should be automatic if the MBC MemberID is in the MBC’s my.Scouting tools profile.
BSA has had problems in the with previous offline course completion not being recorded because it was focusing on top-leader training and some folks thought MBCs did not need to have basic training recorded.
Also note that MBCs are suppose to be screened at two levels. The district merit badge counselor coordinator is suppose to verify that the MBC is subject qualified. The council does the background check.
@JamesWechsler, I’m surprised you did not start recording Merit Badges and Rank Advancements in Scoutbook back in January. I have never turned in Merit Badge Applications “Blue Cards” to Council in my Scouting career across multiple Councils, except for Eagle Scout Candidates to support the ESRA. We just turned in the Unit Advancement Report, then Internet Advancement, and now Scoutbook beginning last year when Advancement Sync was turned on in SB.
If the Merit Badge Counselor has already Approved the Merit Badge via either a “Blue Card” or signed report from Summer Camp, then I do not see a need to ask them to approve the MB a 2nd time. You just need to click “Approved” when you see the Approval the MBC has already provided. This also works for the MBCs that are not on Scoutbook.
Not all MBC are going to use Scoutbook, there is no requirement that they do. Plus some who are in SB may limit who may search for them, even though they might serve at a MB event, and you won’t be able to connect them to your Scout. SB is only an option, plus there are a number of units that do not use Scoutbook.
The answer to your larger question is No, or not in the near future. Many BSA summer camps are now using 3rd party class scheduling systems, i.e. BlackPug, Tentaroo, etc. These do not interface with Scoutbook, however a volunteer added the ability to import BlackPug extract via the SB Features Extension. If those 3rd party vendors created IA2 files, similar to what Troopmaster has done, that would be very nice, but I don’t see BSA getting involved beyond that at this time.
I appreciate you not wanting to take any inappropriate shortcuts. In this case, I think you have the documentation you need to approve the MBs yourself.
Thanks for responding. In an earlier reply to @edavignon, I clarified that our Council has not been accepting blue cards; they have accepted the paper advancement reports and entered them as a courtesy to the units. (I was conflating blue cards with advancement reports, but that’s my bad and caused confusion here. Sorry.) Council is not doing this any longer; we are now responsible for inputting our own advancements directly (via Scoutbook). I suppose IA would still be accepted for as long as it’s available, but our Council did a big push at Roundtable to get units to adopt Scoutbook and has a goal of 100% adoption. It has been stated in the Scoutbook forums that IA will be discontinued after Scoutbook Lite is ready for primetime, so it appears that the push for SB is coming from the top down.
In any case, I have been using Scoutbook to record advancements since I took over as advancement chair in Jan. 2019. We had a few Scouts move up a rank, but summer camp was the first opportunity to input new merit badge advancements.
I understand that Scoutbook is still only an option; my concern has been that this option did not seem to adhere to GTA. I want to use Scoutbook for our troop, but only if it follows and supports BSA policies.
Thanks to @Stephen_Hornak, who did a troubleshooting session with me via screen share (documented above), I have now seen Scoutbook’s entire process for merit badge advancement and I am now satisfied that the platform is following GTA. I think that the “Leader Approved” button should be re-labeled “Leader Verified” or something because the function it is performing is the same as the “checked and recorded” line on the blue card. In SB, it’s possible to verify an MB advancement with or without the MBC’s approval. I assume that’s done because, as you noted, some MBCs are not using Scoutbook. I hope that changes eventually, but at least we have a way to move forward with awarding our advancements and recognizing the Scouts until that happens.
Anyway, you’re right. I have my answer and can move forward.
Thank you, and everyone here who responded, who helped clarify the SB process for me, and especially thanks to @Stephen_Hornak for also helping me solve the original error.
@JamesWechsler, Internet Advancement 2.0 is the current name for what was originally termed Scoutbook Lite. Both application now use the same database, which is now the advancement database of record for the BSA. For units using 3rd party unit management software, or those who only record completed ranks & MBs, and not partials, it is a big improvement to me over IA1. But if you don’t use another product and do plan to use SB to its fullest, then SB is a good tool for Scotus and families to record what they have completed and view their progress along the Scouting Trail.
The whole point of Scoutbook was to eliminate Blue Cards all together. Units with MBC’s could have their Advancement Chairs Enter their own Scouts right in, Camps with doubleknot simply email the printouts to the scoutmaster to hand over to the Advancement chair to enter, Scouts now can connect to scoutbook themselves to search for MBC’s in their area for their desired MB in the search engine and it will connect them right there, After SM approval to start the MB the Scout can then arrange to earn this MB and the MBC can then add the partials bit by bit to Scoutbook as they go until complete. Some MBC do not use blue cards they simply email the units advancement chair and assure their scouts have completed the work to earn the MB. Merit Badge University is the same way. The MBC all have to enter all their complete and partials into doubleknot and we retrieve them only to enter them ourselves and approve them as well. With Scoutbook now and all the trainings it is eliminating the hassle for adults to log the paper trails and assist on the man hours in this manner. It also makes the records more quickly assessable to the scouts. The signature is now a box for the MBC to check when it’s all done. Seeing All MBC need to be registered in BSA now for their MB’s and have YPT, CORI and all scouts are honest there should be no problems here. We work together to make sure everyone is doing the right thing. I have 60 scouts MB’s to enter from our Troop at camp and 15 more from other troops that is going to be a blessing to invite their Scout and SM/Advancement chair to connect with us to do it all online with us Also for those who don’t know, You also can print electronic blue cards after you enter the completes and/or partials online to Scoutbook for those who may want/need them for their records. I hope everyone sees that Scoutbook is really the best tool if you just take the time to play with it and learn to use it right.
Also for those who don’t know, You also can print electronic blue cards after you enter the completes and/or partials online to Scoutbook for those who may want/need them for their records. I hope everyone sees that Scoutbook is really the best tool if you just take the time to play with it and learn to use it right. 
