- National Court Reporters Association
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The National Court Reporters Association, or NCRA, is an organization committed to advancing the profession of the court reporter, closed captioner, and real-time writer. The association holds annual conventions, seminars and forums, speed and real-time contests, and teachers' workshops every year to assist court reporters.
Reporters can join the NCRA for a fee that varies depending on whether you are a student, teacher, or reporter. Membership allows a reporter to take the certifications, get discounts on conventions, attend conferences, and have access to a vast network of other professionals in the field.
Contents
History
The NCRA was originally established in 1899 in Chicago, Illinois, as the National Shorthand Reporters Association (NSRA). They looked to form a system of standardization of ethical codes, transcript rates, and information for all shorthand reporters. They published "The Shorthand Writer" and started the National Speed Contest, which is still held today.[1]
The NCRA also developed the first standardized test for court reporters to gauge their proficiency. Originally called the Certificate of Proficiency, CR, it was replaced by the RPR, or Registered Professional Reporter.Standardized Tests
The NCRA offers three main certifications:
- RPR, Registered Professional Reporter
- RMR, Registered Merit Reporter
- RDR, Registered Diplomate Reporter
They have also established seven other certification programs:
- CRR, Certified Realtime Reporter
- CBC, Certified Broadcast Captioner
- CCP, Certified CART Provider
- CLVS, Certified Legal Video Specialist
- CRI, Certified Reporting Instructor
- MCRI, Master Certified Reporting Instructor
- CMRS, Certified Manager of Reporting Services
- CPE, Certified Program Evaluator
The written knowledge portion of the exams are offered four times a year at Pearson VUE Professional Centers, and the skills portion of the exams are offered twice a year at NCRA-sponsored testing sites.
Steno Contests
Steno contests are held annually at the NCRA Annual Convention and Exhibition in two different categories: Speed and Realtime. Each category has its own standards of proficiency. Most recently, Mark Tod Kislingbury of Houston, Texas, won the 2010 speed contest with an accuracy of 99.228% topping a field of 36 competitors. Deanna Boenau of Sarasota, Florida, won the 2010 realtime contest with an accuracy of 98.667% topping a field of 40 competitors.[1]
Certified Schools
Although the NCRA is not an accrediting agency, they have established general requirements and minimum standards expected of a court reporting school. The following schools have met those requirements as of 2010:[2]
- Gadsden State Community College
- Prince Institute of Professional Studies
- Bryan College of Court Reporting
- Sage College
- South Coast College
- Tri-Community Adult Education
- West Valley College
- Denver Academy of Court Reporting
- Atlantic Technical Center
- Erwin Technical Center
- Key College
- Sheridan Technical Center
- Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville
- Winter Park Tech
- Brown College of Court Reporting
- MacCormac College
- Midstate College
- South Suburban College
- Sparks College
- College of Court Reporting Inc.
- Academy of Court Reporting
- Macomb Community College Center for Cont. Edu
- Anoka Technical College
- Alfred State College
- Business Informatics Center
- Long Island Business Institute
- New York Career Institute
- Academy of Court Reporting, Akron
- Academy of Court Reporting, Cleveland
- Clark State Community College
- Cuyahoga Community College
- Miami-Jacobs Career College, Cincinnati
- Miami-Jacobs Career College, Columbus
- Stark State College of Technology
- Stautzenberger College, Brecksville
- Stautzenberger College, Maumee
- Sumner College
- Academy of Court Reporting & Technology, Pittsburgh
- Community College of Allegheny County
- Orleans Technical Institute
- Midlands Technical College
- Alvin Community College
- Arlington Career Institute
- Court Reporting Institute of Dallas
- Court Reporting Institute of Houston
- Kilgore College, Longview
- Kussad Institute of Court Reporting
- Fortis College
Washington
- Huntington Junior College
- Canadian Centre for Verbatim Studies
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
There are currently no certified schools in Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, or Wyoming.
References
- ^ a b 2010 Steno Contest Winners, National Court Reporters Association.
- ^ NCRA Certified Schools, National Court Reporters Association.
Categories:- Professional associations based in the United States
- Court reporting
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