Number 3-97 -- 10 April 1997
Background
The Skipper's Safe Boating Course (Skipper's Course) is an introductory boating safety course designed for home study. First issued in 1996, this course is now in its second printing. The course, published by and available through Mosby Lifeline ("Mosby"), is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). It is organized into thirteen easy-to-read and relatively short chapters and well illustrated in color. Additional details about the Skipper's Course are provided in Speed-grams (7-96, issued on 23 July 1996 and 10-96, issued on 30 October 1996) and in an article in the winter 1996 issue of The NAVIGATOR.
The Skipper's Course is available from Mosby and is sold commercially and through individual Auxiliary units. Students read the text and prepare for an end-of-course home examination. Previously, the examination was submitted by mail from the student to St. Louis for grading by members of the national staff. Those who successfully completed it were sent a course completion certificate by return mail. Flotillas and other Auxiliary units were free to purchase the Skipper's Course from Mosby at a discount and sell it to prospective students. However, Auxiliary units were not involved in the grading of the final examination nor in the issuance of certificates. Although this procedure has worked well in the past, some Auxiliary units felt that they were excluded from the process and, perhaps most important, lost contact with the student preventing possible attempts at member recruitment.
Recently, the State of Mississippi has enacted a law requiring boating safety education for teenagers from 12-16 years of age. Implementation of this law presents a challenge because of the large number of potential students and sparse distribution of flotillas in the interior of this state. Mississippi recognizes the value of home study education and is prepared to accept such a course in fulfillment of the mandatory education requirements. This presents both an opportunity and a dilemma. The opportunity is obvious. The dilemma is created by logistics difficulties associated with sending examinations to St. Louis for grading perhaps a large number of examinations. These developments and other reasons prompted a change in the policy regarding the Skipper's Course.
New Procedure
The following new procedure is authorized for the Skipper's Course. Auxiliary units may purchase course completion certificates and answer sheets from the Auxiliary Center (stock number 10233). Auxiliary units are authorized to grade completed examinations for this course, issue a course completion certificate, and process other paperwork (e.g., required forms in states accepting the Skipper's Course in fulfillment of mandatory education requirements). Auxiliary units may charge a reasonable fee for such service, not to exceed $5.00. The previous policy also remains in effect as an option. That is, students who wish may continue to send completed examinations to St. Louis for grading and issuance of a course completion certificate without charge. However, national staff will not process paperwork for state certification, nor can they provide remote instruction on state regulations.
For those states, such as Mississippi, which accept a home study course with an unproctored examination in fulfillment of state requirements, the following guidelines apply: