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SOUTH CAROLINA REPORTERS ASSOCIATION
VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Designation of Association Certified Reporter
"ACR"
The South Carolina Court Reporters Association (SCCRA), in its endeavor to encourage reporter certification, has developed a voluntary certification program (hereinafter “Program.”) Upon meeting the requirements set forth in this Program and in the successful completion of a written and skills exam, the reporter will achieve Association Certified Reporter (ACR) designation awarded by and through the SCCRA.
This voluntary certification is being developed and implemented to render the opportunity to reporters in South Carolina to increase their professional status and to emphasize the important role our industry plays within the legal profession and society as a whole.
More than half of the U.S. states, and two Canadian provinces, currently have certification and/or licensing requirements for court reporters, whether it is mandatory or voluntary for officials and/or freelance reporters.
SECTION I
- PURPOSE
The purpose of the Program is to uphold the level of competency, skill, accountability and professionalism associated with court reporters and the court reporting profession in South Carolina. The Program will establish court reporting standards by which reporters and reporting agencies within the State of South Carolina may work by to encourage and promote professional behavior. In SCCRA’s efforts to assure the confidence of the South Carolina legal community and the general public, only court reporters qualifying under the Program and adhering to all aspects of that Program shall be entitled to declare themselves as an ACR.
SECTION II -
DEFINITIONS
The "practice of court reporting" means the making of a verbatim record by means of manual shorthand, machine shorthand, or voice writing system.
"Court reporter" means a person engaged in the practice of court
reporting as a profession.
"SCCRA" as defined herein means the
South Carolina Court Reporters Association.
"Association" as defined herein means the South Carolina Court Reporters Association.
“Member” as defined herein means an individual who has met and
affirmed the requirements for membership of the Association as defined in the
Association’s constitution and bylaws.
"Program" as defined
herein means the Association Voluntary Certification Program.
"ACR"
as defined herein means Association Certified Reporter, which is a
designation attained by meeting the requirements established by the Association
and this Program.
"RPR" as defined means Registered Professional Reporter, which is a designation attained by meeting requirements established by the National Court Reporters Association.
"CVR" as defined means Certified Verbatim Reporter, which is a
designation attained by meeting requirements established by the National
Verbatim Reporters Association.
"Committee" as defined
herein means the Association Committee on Certification.
"Board of Directors" means the officers and directors of the Association.
SECTION III - SCOPE
The Program is available to all persons who are general members in good standing with SCCRA.
SECTION IV - ADMINISTRATION
With Board of Directors approval, and at the direction of the President, the Committee shall implement, oversee, and maintain the Program as defined herein. Enforcement of the purpose, rules, and regulations of the Program is under the auspices of the Committee with all final decision-making for tie-breaking purposes by the President.
Committee members shall be practicing court reporters and/or current agency owners who are or have been practicing reporters with a minimum of five continuous years experience in the State of South Carolina. The Committee should reasonably reflect representation from the geographic areas of the State of South Carolina.
The Committee shall consist of:
1. The Committee Chair, appointed by the President (stenotype reporter, voice writer and/or agency owner);
2. Committee Vice Chairperson, appointed by the Committee Chair and approved by the President (stenotype reporter, voice writer and/or agency owner); and
3. Three Committee Members, appointed by the Committee Chair, (stenotype
reporter, voice writer and/or agency owner.
The chairperson, vice chairperson and members of the Committee shall be members in good standing with the Association as prescribed in SCCRA’s Constitution and Bylaws.
The Committee Chair shall serve at the pleasure of the President. There shall be no set term limits. The vice chairperson and Committee members shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair with no set term limits.
The Committee shall have at least one official meeting annually. It shall keep minutes of meetings and shall record any official actions taken by the Committee. All records shall be maintained by the Committee Chair. Additional meetings may be called as necessary and will be held at the discretion of the Chair.
When the Committee Chair vacancy occurs, a replacement Chair shall be appointed by the President of the Association. All other committee vacancies shall be appointed by the Committee Chair and approved by the President. The Committee shall be a reasonable representation of the reporting methods set forth in Section II herein.
A majority of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
SECTION V - DUTIES, POWER & AUTHORITY OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee Chair & Vice Chairperson shall:
Review all applications for the Program, and upon applicants satisfying all requirements, issue, or authorize to be issued, ACR credentials.
The Committee Members shall:
Share in the administration of the examinations and submit to the Chair & Vice Chairperson.
Report complaints, investigations, discrepancies and/or irregularities in the administration of this Program immediately to the President of the Association.
SECTION VI - GRANDFATHERING & RECIPROCITY
Reporters possessing other forms of certification, national or otherwise, shall not be granted ACR designation in lieu of testing. The Program is designed to be a stand-alone certification and is a representation of a South Carolina court reporter and conforms, in part, to procedures and practices utilized in the State of South Carolina.
SECTION VII - APPLICATION & FEES
A member seeking certification under this Program must meet the following requirements:
a. Must be a General Member in good standing with SCCRA.
b. Must be a notary public of the State of South Carolina or authorized to administer oaths by the laws of the State of South Carolina, or otherwise be permitted to record testimony by means of manual shorthand, steno machine, or voice writing system.
c. Must satisfactorily complete the voluntary certification examination administered by the Association.
d. Must agree to abide by all rules, policies & procedures of this Program and that of SCCRA.
While under voluntary status, Members will not be required to pay a fee to the Association in order to sit for the Exam.
SECTION VIII - VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION BY EXAM
The Program examination (“Exam”) is designed to measure and evaluate the reporter’s court reporting skills and knowledge of practice and procedure in South Carolina. The exam is comprised of the following:
1. Written skills test consisting of:
A. Legal Terminology
B. SC Rules of Civil Procedure (Discovery Rules)
Rules 26-30
C. SC Notary Statutes
D. General grammar principles, including but not limited to spelling, punctuation, and proper word usage
E. Common reporting practices & procedures
2. Record-taking skills tests
A. 5-minute Jury Charge at 160 wpm
B. 5-minute Two Person Q&A at 160 wpm
The Exam shall be offered at least once annually at the Association Annual Meeting. Should there be sufficient interest and registration, additional opportunities for testing will be made available throughout the year at various locations.
SECTION IX - ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATION
Once an applicant has met and satisfied the qualifications as set forth in the Program, the Committee shall issue the applicant a certificate indicating the ACR designation, a certificate number, documentation, and other necessary materials.
The certificate shall remain valid as long as the reporter remains a member in good standing of the Association, pays annual Association dues by April 1st of each year, and abides by all rules, regulations, policies & procedures under the Program and that of SCCRA, and meets the continuing education requirement set forth herein.
Should a Member allow their membership to lapse, the continued use of the ACR designation is prohibited. There will be a 60-day grace period in which the member may be reinstated without having to re-test. After sixty (60) days, the applicant will be required to re-take the examination in its entirety.
SECTION X - CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT
An annual continuing education requirement of 10 hours must be maintained in order to utilize ACR status. The Association will review, and upon approval, allow reciprocity of credits received from other venues. The Association will also make available opportunities to earn continuing education credit by and through events sponsored by the Association. No more than 5 credits can be carried over annually.
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