Instructor Progression

 

Once certified as a Course Conductor through attending a Baseball Canada Course Conductor's Caravan, individuals may upgrade their instructor status and advance through the program in the following ways:

 

 

Each province is responsible for establishing a Course Conductor Mentorship Program.

 

A Course Conductor who obtains an Emerging level at their Caravan may only teach Level 1 and 2 clinics. They may supervise or evaluate umpires only Level 1 and 2 umpires.

 

 An Emerging Course Conductor may complete a mentorship program within three years of completing their Caravan.  This program will include:

 

• spending at least one year in the mentorship program

• co-teaching at two or more provincial clinics with two or more different Course Conductors who are at the Effective level or beyond, as assigned by the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires

 

An Emerging Course Conductor must be mentored by a Master or Senior for a minimum of 2 clinics before being recommended to Effective status. The Course Conductor is now eligible Course Conductor Ongoing Development Program as outlined in Section 4.6 below.

 

 

 

The Instructor Development Portfolio Lead will work with Provincial Supervisors of Umpires to ensure that ongoing developmental opportunities are provided for all Course Conductors within each province, with regular opportunities for reassessment of their level of proficiency.

 

If an Emerging Course Conductor does not attain an Effective or higher rating after three clinic seasons from the completion of their Caravan, or chooses to not participate in the Mentorship Program, the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires shall either:

 

• notify the Course Conductor that they will indefinitely retain their emerging status, or 

• notify the Course Conductor that their status shall be revoked to No Status and they will no longer be certified as a Baseball Canada Course Conductor

 

To retain active status, and facilitate continued development of pedagogical skills, all Course Conductors shall meet the requirements of the Course Conductor Ongoing Development Program by:

 

• delivering at least one (1) clinic over a three (3) year period or

• attending a provincial Course Conductor Convention, which may be conducted periodically as determined by the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires in conjunction with the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead or

• receiving periodic successful clinic evaluations on a schedule as determined by the Provincial     Supervisor of Umpires

 

 

If the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires, in consultation with the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead, determines that a Course Conductor has not met the Ongoing Development Program requirements outlined in 4.6 – Course Conductor Ongoing Development Program, such Course Conductor shall be considered inactive.  In exceptional or extenuating circumstances, the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires and the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead may agree to waive any of these requirements. 

 

 

If declared inactive, a Course Conductor may not deliver clinics or supervise and evaluate umpires.  Active status can be reinstated through either:

 

• successful completion of the Ongoing Development Program within one (1) year of becoming inactive.  An inactive Course Conductor may be assigned to deliver a clinic for the purpose of being evaluated in the Ongoing Development Program, or

• successful completion of a subsequent Baseball Canada Caravan.

 

 

 

 

To obtain a Senior Course Conductor (SCC) status, an umpire must:

 

• be a nationally certified Level 4 umpire

• have no disciplinary documentation in his file with Baseball Canada for a period of at least three (3) years prior to obtaining SCC status

• have successfully obtained a minimum Course Conductor rating of Accomplished within the past three (3) years, at either a Baseball Canada Caravan or through evaluation in the Course Conductor Ongoing Development Program as outlined in 4.6 – Course Conductor Ongoing Development Program 

• successfully complete the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program as outlined in 4.8.2 – Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program

 

 

A SCC can deliver all levels of provincial clinics, and can supervise and evaluate any level of umpire provincially.  A SCC is eligible to be selected as a Championship Assistant Supervisor by the Supervision and Evaluation Portfolio Lead.  A SCC may also conduct evaluations to recommend Level 3 umpires to attend the national certification clinic for Level 4 advancement.. 

 

A SCC may also instruct at a Baseball Canada Caravan if they meet the Master Course Conductor eligibility criteria outlined in 4.9– Master Course Conductor.

 

 

The goal of the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program is to develop successful Senior Course Conductors (SCC) with the appropriate skills to instruct at national umpire clinics and to supervise and evaluate umpires both provincially and nationally.

 

The Senior Course Conductor (SCC) Advancement Program consists of a specified number of modules as determined and revised by the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead. The Senior Course Conductor candidate must complete all the modules and receive a minimum of an Effective rating in each module.

 

A Course Conductor who meets the eligibility criteria as outlined in 4.8.1 –Senior Course Conductor Eligibility shall notify the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires of his/her desire to enter the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program.  This candidate is required to successfully complete all of the following within two (2) years of entering the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program in order to obtain SCC status.

 

1. Online Component

 

The candidate must successfully complete an online SCC training course as set by the Instructor Development Portfolio.  This course shall include the following components:

 

• Forms used during a Baseball Canada Championship

• Review of proper pedagogical skills used by a SCC during evaluations and taught during the Baseball Canada Caravan

• Additional modules as defined by the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead, which may include conducting game evaluations, note-taking, leading debriefings, etc.

• Final assessment

 

2. Practicum Component 

 

The candidate must co-supervise two (2) provincial tournaments with an active Master Course Conductor (MCC) mentor or SCC mentor with Championship Supervisor experience. The following criteria shall be in place for the practicum component:

 

• The mentor must be a different person at each of the two (2) tournaments.  In exceptional or extenuating circumstances, the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead may waive this requirement at the request of the candidate or the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires.

• The mentor must be an active CC as well as having been a Supervisor or Lead Supervisor at a Baseball Canada Championship and in good standing with the Supervisor and Evaluation Portfolio

• The umpiring during the tournament can be in either the two or three umpire system

• Each tournament must consist of at least two (2) calendar days (can be split over multiple weekends or non-consecutive days)

• The candidate must be exposed to, and complete, game evaluations and debriefings under the mentor’s guidance and supervision

• The mentor must complete an evaluation form provided by the Instructor Development Portfolio indicating the candidate was successful in this component

• No tournament supervised by a CC prior to becoming eligible to enter this program will count towards completion of this component

 

3. Leadership Component

 

The candidate must successfully complete leadership experience within his province in consultation with the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires.  Examples could include:

 

• Teaching at a Level 4 clinic (if eligible)

• Development or contributions towards a provincial grassroots program

• Mentorship of umpires within the province

• Creation and/or maintenance of curriculum within the province

• Creation and/or maintenance of provincial websites or social media

• Creation and/or maintenance of provincial newsletters for umpires

• Significant involvement in Level 3 clinics within the province

 

The candidate must complete a Leadership Experience form, documenting the experience.  The Provincial Supervisor of Umpires shall indicate whether the CC was successful or unsuccessful in this component.

 

Notes:

 

• Being an active umpire or instructing clinics within the province does not satisfy this component

• Should the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires indicate that the candidate was unsuccessful in the Leadership Component, the candidate can appeal to the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead. The Instructor Development Portfolio Lead, in consultation with the portfolio sub-committee, will make a final decision as to whether this component has been met.

 

 

A Senior Course Conductor, who has not been a Supervisor or Assistant Supervisor at a Baseball Canada Championship for a period of five (5) years, shall be considered inactive nationally.  Such inactive SCC may not be assigned as a Supervisor or Assistant Supervisor at a Baseball Canada Championship, and may not recommend Level 3 umpires to the national program.  

 

However, such inactive SCC shall retain active status provincially and may continue to lead clinics and evaluate umpires provincially.   National active status can be reinstated through successful completion of the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program, or through special exemption granted jointly by the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead and the Supervision and Evaluation Portfolio Lead.

 

 

To obtain Master Course Conductor (MCC) status, a Senior Course Conductor (SCC) must:

 

• Have attained a minimum Level 5 classification

• Have attained a SCC status for a minimum of one (1) year

• Be in good standing with Baseball Canada

• Have been an Assistant Supervisor or Supervisor at a Baseball Canada Championship and have received a positive recommendation to supervise from the Lead Supervisor

• Have had no disciplinary documentation within their Baseball Canada file in the last five (5) years

• Have been recommended by a Lead Master Course Conductor, and approved by the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead, to instruct at a Baseball Canada Caravan 

• Instruct at a Baseball Canada Caravan and obtain a minimum rating of Accomplished through evaluation by the Lead Master Course Conductor

 

The number of Senior Course Conductors attending any Caravan as MCC candidates is not to exceed the number of qualified Master Course Conductors instructing at that Caravan.

 

 

A MCC is eligible to instruct all levels of provincial clinics and is eligible to supervise and evaluate any level of umpire both provincially and nationally. A MCC can instruct at a Baseball Canada Caravan. 

 

 

A MCC who has not instructed at a Caravan for seven (7) years, or who does not receive a positive recommendation from the Lead MCC to instruct at future Caravans, shall be considered inactive.

 

An inactive MCC shall retain their status as an active SCC, unless also falling within the guidelines of 4.11 – Inactive Senior Course Conductor Status, in which case they shall also be inactive as an SCC.  

 

To have active status reinstated, the inactive MCC would be required to complete the elements of the Senior Course Conductor Advancement Program.

 

 

For each Caravan, the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead, in consultation with the Provincial Supervisor of Umpires, shall appoint a Lead Caravan Instructor from amongst the Master Course Conductors assigned to that Caravan.  This person will be the liaison between the Caravan instructional team and the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead.  They will consult on curriculum delivery and assessment, and the Lead Instructor will be responsible to submit all final assessments to the Instructor Development Portfolio Lead within one (1) month from the completion of the Caravan.