(Note: Supplemental Activities are no longer a part of the testing process. This article has only historical value.)
Well this is the final stretch. In part one we talked about Supplemental Activities in general and then last week we discussed how Supplemental Activities are created and assigned. Now it’s time for the candidate to start completing them.
Completing Supplemental Activities
Once a candidate has been assigned Supplemental Activities, they can get to work on completing them. Each activity is designed to take no longer than six months to complete, and most can be completed in a much shorter time.
When a candidate completes (or makes significant progress on) an activity, he or she should contact the supervising judge to let them know that they are submitting the activity for evaluation. In many cases, this will be an actual submission of reviews, an essay, or a seminar for evaluation, but for other activities it may just be a discussion at the end of the event.
The supervising judge is responsible for a full and fair evaluation of the candidate’s submission. Once they have reached their determination, the activity is either marked as complete, or an e-mail (CCing the Supplemental Activities Adviser) detailing the concerns remaining should be sent to the candidate. In many cases, the candidate may be able to simply clean up a few things to address the supervising judge’s concerns and finish the activity, however, in the case where the candidate feels that they have not been fairly evaluated, he or she may request that the activity be reviewed by the Supplemental Activities Committee.
One of the hallmarks of the Level 3 process is that the evaluation of each candidate is collaborative and, at no point does a single person have the ability to prevent an advancement. The option to have the committee review an activity is that failsafe for supplemental activities.
Final Evaluation
So a candidate has finished all of his or her Supplemental Activities, now what? There are two options:
-
A discussion with a Level 4+ judge focused on the Supplemental Activities as well as the deficient qualities identified in the candidate’s initial panel. At the end of this discussion, the Level 4 may promote the candidate, or recommend that a panel is needed to come to a proper decision.
-
A follow up panel focused on the deficient qualities identified in the candidate’s initial panel.
The choice between these two options is made during the development of the Supplemental Activities and included in the review. For candidates with only minor deficiencies, a Level 4+ discussion is preferred, but major deficiencies, or deficiencies in qualities that require more hands on evaluation (Stress & Conflict Management, Investigations) lend themselves to a supplemental panel.
Time Limits and Withdrawing from Supplemental Activities
Supplemental Activities is a continuation of the Level 3 process and, as such, its value degrades as time passes after the panel’s initial evaluation. There are three timeframes that will put Supplemental Activities into review:
-
Three months pass with no significant progress on any activity. (Significant progress is determined by the supervising judge of each activity)
-
Six months pass without the completion of any activity.
-
One year passes without the completion of all Supplemental Activities.
Reasonable extensions may be granted at the candidates request, but the maximum time allowed for Supplemental Activities, including granted extensions, will be eighteen months.
If a candidate’s Supplemental Activities go into review, the Supplemental Activities Adviser will contact the candidate to determine if they wish to continue, request an extension, or withdraw. If the candidate wishes to continue, there must be a plan in place to make progress within one month. If the candidate chooses to withdraw, or if there has not been the planned upon progress after one month, the candidate is considered withdrawn from Supplemental Activities. Candidates who withdraw from Supplemental Activities are welcome to test for Level 3 again, but they will be considered a new candidate and material from their previous Level 3 process (Level 3 Recommendations, GP Team Lead Recommendation, Level 3 Assessment Exam) will not be valid for inclusion in a future application for testing and will have to be completed again.
Conclusion
Well, that took a bit longer than I thought it would. For a fairly straightforward process it looks pretty complex when you break it down. Really, it just breaks down to – “Here’s some ways to work on the areas where we want to see you improve!” The structure is just there to support the candidate and give them a team of judges to work with as they hammer out the last few dents before they are ready to assume the role of a Level 3. It’s always easier with friends and this process is designed to give the candidate people to lean on along the way.
If you have any questions about the process that I did not answer here, I encourage you to contact me at jaredsylva@gmail.com. Also, if you are Level 3 or higher and would like to be involved in the Supplemental Activities process, I’d love to hear from you. There are many opportunities to get involved ranging from supervising an activity to becoming a Supplemental Activities Adviser.