Continuing Education

ANNUAL CE REQUIREMENT
Each certified court reporter shall be required to attend a minimum of 10 hours of approved training per calendar year. 

NEWLY CERTIFIED COURT REPORTERS
A newly certified court reporter is not required to acquire credit hours for initial calendar year, but each newly certified court reporter shall be required to take the first Learning Essentials About Professionalism (LEAP) seminar authorized by the Board after their certification.

WHERE TO GET CREDITS
GCCRA provides 10 physical hours each year at the annual convention. For annual convention information, click HERE.

CE VS. CEU
Licensing boards monitor their licensees’ continuing education credits in two different ways: continuing education credits (CE) and continuing education units (CEU).  One CEU (0.1) is equivalent to ten CEs (10). 

ICJE/Georgia: CE
NCRA: CEU
NVRA: CE

CONVERSION TABLE
This CE/CEU conversion table has been created as a tool to assist with calculating continuing education credits.

What is the purpose of the continuing education requirement?

The short answer is:  to promote the highest possible standards in the court reporting field.  The CE requirement was enacted by the Board of Court Reporting of the Judicial Council of Georgia to provide for a diverse selection of continuing education options that will help each member of the Georgia court reporting community keep up-to-date with the tools, technology, knowledge and skills of court reporting.  Additionally, the Georgia CE program strives to encourage each reporter’s growth as a professional, to broaden the perspective and approach toward the responsibilities and functions of the profession, and to promote interaction and exchange of ideas among court reporters in a professional educational setting.

Verification of Attendance:

•  What constitutes adequate verification of attendance?

Verification of educational contact hours must be certified in writing by the CE provider and can take the form of:
-- Certificate of Completion
-- CE transcript (NCRA, NVRA)
-- Letter with original signature from the CE provider
-- Attendance punchcard from a preapproved court reporting seminar
-- Final grade report or transcript from a college or university degree program

•  Is my registration receipt adequate for verification of attendance?

No.  ICJE cannot grant CE credit for training unless you submit verification of actual attendance.  A registration receipt, hotel receipt, entrance ticket or name badge is not considered adequate verification of attendance.

•  I attended a preapproved seminar, but I lost my attendance punchcard. What can I do to obtain credit?

In this instance, you have two options.  Either of the following is acceptable verification for your Georgia CE credit record:
-- You can obtain a signed letter from the CE provider that verifies your hours of attendance at the training sessions; or
-- If you submitted a separate punchcard to one of the national associations (NCRA or NVRA) for the same seminar, you can send ICJE a copy of your national association transcript that shows your CE credit for the seminar.
ICJE cannot grant CE credit for training unless you submit adequate verification of attendance.  A registration receipt, hotel receipt, entrance ticket or name badge is not considered adequate verification of attendance.

•  After I take a class, how do I submit it for CE credit?

Within 30 days after completing a continuing education class (or by 12/31 whichever is earlier), you must submit a Request for Credit to ICJE in order for your hours to be entered into your CE record.  A complete Request for Credit includes the following:
-- CRTC-1 Request for Credit form (available on website)
-- CRTC-2 Course Evaluation form (available on website)
-- Verification of Attendance issued by CE provider
-- Copy of course schedule or agenda (optional if the course was preapproved)
The CE request can be submitted by mail or fax.  The mailing address is:  The Institute of Continuing Judicial Education, Attn:  Court Reporting, 1150 South Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30602-5025.  Fax number is:  775-942-2758. 
Always keep a copy for your own records.

•  How quickly do I need to send my CE request to ICJE?

CE requests must be submitted to ICJE within 30 days of completion of the CE class (or by the 12/31 CE deadline, whichever is earlier).

•  How important is the 30-day class submission deadline?

Very.  The CRTC has asked ICJE to enforce the 30-day submission deadline.  Late submission may result in delay or denial of credit.  Timely submission benefits everyone by providing for better course evaluation feedback, making it easier to keep track of attendance records, and spreading the administrative workload to keep costs down.

•  Why am I required to turn in a course evaluation for every class?

Your opinions and comments are very important to the CE program in Georgia.  The CRTC reviews your feedback on course evaluations to determine what is going right, what needs change, and what might be added to enhance the course offerings.  Course evaluation feedback definitely contributes to improvements in CE programming for Georgia court reporters.

•  Will my CE provider automatically submit my attendance record to ICJE?

No.  It is the responsibility of each student to submit a CE request to ICJE in order for your class hours to be entered into your CE record.  The only way to ensure that you receive credit toward your Georgia CE requirement is to submit a Request for Credit to ICJE.  This is true of all classes without exception.

•  Where do I send my CE request paperwork?

Mail to:
The Institute of Continuing Judicial Education
Attn: Court Reporting
1150 South Milledge Avenue
Athens GA 30602-5025

Fax:  775-942-2758

•  If I submit my CE request by fax, do I need to mail a copy as well?

Generally, no.  Unless you are submitting close to the December 31 deadline, there is no need to send a back-up copy after a fax.  You will be able to confirm your hours online at our website.   If, however, you submit a fax in December, you may not be able to confirm those hours until mid-January, well after the CE deadline.  In that situation, it is advisable to mail a backup – postmarked by 12/31 – just in case!

Confirmation of CE Records:

•  How do I confirm that ICJE received by CE submission and recorded my training hours?

Your CE hours will appear on the CE Credit Hour Status link at the ICJE Court Reporters website within about 45 days (often much sooner) after your paperwork is submitted to ICJE.  At this link, you can view the hours you earned and your progress toward completing the CE requirements for the previous year, current year and next year.  The CE Credit Hour Status list is updated monthly, at the beginning of each month, and twice in December. 
If you prefer to receive an individual acknowledgment from ICJE, simply include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your CE submission. 
If you suspect that ICJE did not receive your submission, please do not hesitate to contact them directly.  Email is often quicker than telephone voicemail, but either method will work.

•  How often is the CE Credit Hour Status list updated?

The CE Credit Hour Status list is updated at the beginning of each month, so roughly every 30 days.  If your CE submission is received by mid-month, it should appear in the update at the beginning of the next month.  If it arrives late in the month, it may or may not appear with the next update depending on the backlog of data processing. 
In general, you should find your hours updated at the beginning of the first or second month after you send your submission to ICJE. 
In December, prior to the 12/31 CE deadline, the hours are updated a second time mid-month, before the ICJE offices close for the University of Georgia year-end holiday.
In January, the update is usually the second or third week in the month, due to a backlog of holiday mail.  However, all mail postmarked by 12/31 is processed prior to compiling the CE-deadline suspension list.

•  How do I check whether I fulfilled my CE requirement for the year?

You can view your CE Credit Hour Status at the ICJE Court Reporters website.  The CE Credit Hour Status list shows how many hours you earned for last year, this year, and next year.  This list is updated monthly, usually by the first full week in the month.

•  Help! I waited until December to finish my CE training. I do not want to get suspended. How do I find out if ICJE received by last-minute CE submission?

In December, prior to the 12/31 CE deadline, the CE Credit Hour Status list on the website is updated a second time mid-month, before the ICJE offices close for the University of Georgia year-end holiday.  If your CE request comes in by about December 10, it should be covered on this update.  If your submission misses the mid-December update, you must wait until after the holiday mail is processed in January to confirm your hours.  Due to the backlog of holiday mail, the January update is usually posted the second or third week of the month.  However, all submissions postmarked by 12/31 will be processed before the CE Suspension List is compiled.
Last-Minute Recommendations:  1) Take a preapproved class, so you know it will be accredited.  2) Double-check your CE request paperwork to make sure it is complete.  Incomplete paperwork will delay processing and may result in suspension.  3) If you send a fax, follow it with a copy by regular mail postmarked by 12/31 – just in case.

•  How do I contact ICJE (The Institute of Continuing Judicial Education)?

Mail to:
The Institute of Continuing Judicial Education
Attn: Court Reporting
1150 South Milledge Avenue
Athens GA 30602-5025

Fax:  775-942-2758

Current email and telephone numbers are listed on the Court Reporters Info page of the ICJE website:  www.uga.edu/icje (click “Court Reporters”)