Tutorial Guide 08
Scoutbook Plus: Signing In and Reporting
Advancement Reporting
Scoutbook Plus is Scouting America’s advancement-tracking system for units. It is separate from Scout Society Workspace. Scouts can use Scoutbook Plus or the Scouting mobile app to review advancement and mark work as completed for leader review.
Scoutbook Plus uses a my.Scouting.org account. Do not sign in with a parent’s or leader’s account. Every user should have a separate login.
Getting access
A registered Scout already has a Scout profile in Scouting America’s records. To access that profile online, the Scout needs their own my.Scouting.org account linked to the Scout’s membership record.
- A parent or guardian should help establish the Scout’s online access when needed.
- The Scout needs a unique email address and the Scout’s Scouting America Member ID, along with matching identifying information.
- If the Scout already has a my.Scouting.org account, do not create another one. Use account recovery or ask a leader/local council for help if the membership record is not connected correctly.
Sign in to Scoutbook Plus
- Go to advancements.scouting.org.
- Sign in with your my.Scouting.org username and password.
- Open your Scout profile and review the rank, merit badge, award, or activity information you need.
- If you prefer a mobile experience, Scouts and parents can also use the Scouting app with their Scoutbook/my.Scouting credentials.
Understand the advancement statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Started | The item is in progress. |
| Completed / Pending Approval | The Scout believes the requirement or item is complete, but an authorized leader still needs to approve it. |
| Approved | An authorized leader has signed off the advancement. For Scouting America records, this is the earned status. |
| Awarded | The badge or recognition has physically been presented. This is an optional tracking status and is normally handled by unit leaders. |
How a Scout reports completed advancement
- Open your profile and locate the appropriate rank, merit badge, or award.
- First check whether the item is already Approved. If it is, do not create a second entry or change it merely to report it again.
- If your unit asks Scouts to report completed work and the item is not yet approved, open the item and mark the appropriate requirement or item Completed or Pending Approval.
- Use the actual completion date when you know it. For a merit badge, use the date confirmed by the merit badge counselor. Do not invent a date to make the record look complete.
- Add a brief comment only when it helps the leader understand what was completed, then save the change.
- Follow the unit’s normal process for notifying the Scoutmaster, merit badge counselor, or advancement coordinator so the item can be reviewed and approved.
Special notes for ranks and merit badges
- For rank advancement, the board of review date is the effective date of the rank. Scouts should not approve their own rank or guess the final rank date; an authorized leader records the approval after the board.
- A merit badge counselor may already have approved the merit badge directly in Scoutbook Plus. If the badge already shows Approved, no duplicate reporting is needed.
- Some awards or special recognitions may require leader or council action. If an award is missing from your profile or cannot be marked completed, contact the unit advancement coordinator rather than creating a substitute entry.
What happens after approval
Once an authorized unit leader approves routine advancement in Scoutbook Plus, the advancement is recorded in Scouting America’s advancement system. Scoutbook and Scoutbook Plus use the same underlying data, and council personnel can access the official record. There is not a separate “send to National” button that a Scout must press after a normal unit advancement is approved.
Approved is the important status that means the advancement has been earned and signed off. Awarded is an optional unit-tracking status used after the physical badge or recognition is presented.
