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PROGRAM COMPOSITION In order to graduate, beginning students of the StenoMax Institute are required to complete 156 assignments comprised of:
Based on practice of at least 17 hours per week, this should lead to graduation with an Occupational Associate Degree in Court Reporting within 36 months. Those students who can devote more study time can graduate sooner; there have been some who have graduated in as little as 20-24 months. Phoenix TheoryToday’s court reporting student needs to learn a conflict-free realtime theory in order to capitalize fully on the multiple opportunities in this expanding profession. There are currently (September 2006) eight theories approved by NCRA that meet the increasingly stringent requirements for realtime writing. Of these, most are old theories that have been reworked to meet the current standards and still have significant issues of conflict resolution. A striking exception is Phoenix Theory from Stenograph Corporation, which was developed and released after 1998, the year that NCRA set the initial standards for realtime theories. It is unique in that it was written from scratch specifically for the realtime environment. The main goal was to find a way to make it easier for people to learn to write machine shorthand and attain employable speeds in excess of 225 wpm (words per minute), yet achieve accurate realtime translation of nearly every word in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Phoenix Theory’s realtime translation is supported by 141,000 entries/outlines electronically verified to be conflict-free.) In August 2002, the StenoMax Institute switched from the NCRA-approved Thrya Ellis/Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville Theory to Phoenix Theory. Compared to our previous theory and other theory options, we have found Phoenix Theory to be:
For a more comprehensive description of Phoenix Theory and its comparison to other, older theories (e.g., StenEd, Digitext) please see the material at www.phoenixtheory.com. Comprehensive theory materials, detailed instructions, and other resources are delivered by priority mail to each beginning student. After attaining the required dictation level, the student returns notes/transcripts for each lesson to the StenoMax Institute for evaluation. StenoMax Institute instructors review each lesson thoroughly, both as to stenotype notes and transcripts. Within 24-48 hours, the graded lesson is returned to the student with an appropriate critique, commending the good points, and suggesting solutions for any areas needing improvement. Grading is exacting on all counts so that there is no question of the student advancing within a regular and accurate framework. By the end of Theory, the student is stroking at a rate of 30 wpm. Initial SpeedbuildingFollowing completion of Phoenix Theory, the next phase of the StenoMax Institute’s curriculum is Initial Speedbuilding, beginning at 40 wpm. Dictation includes Phoenix Speed Plus 40-50-60 wpm literary material, as well as supplemental StenoMax jury charge and two-voice material, numbers drills, and additional literary material. Students progress at 10-wpm increments up to 60 wpm. The lesson tapes contain dictation that ranges from easy to difficult material. Intermediate Speedbuilding This phase of the curriculum takes the student from 80 wpm to 140 wpm, again providing materials for literary, jury charge, and two-voice testimony. Similarly, there is a range of vocabulary from very easy to difficult. There are also tapes for numbers drills. Advanced Speedbuilding This segment of the program takes the student from 160 wpm to the graduation speed of 225 wpm, again providing dictation of literary, jury charge, and two-voice testimony. There is also two-voice practice material up to 240 wpm, as well as multi-voice up to 200 wpm. The student continues to expand vocabulary, particularly as it relates to literary material, legal terminology, and medical terminology. Phoenix Theory was developed specifically for realtime reporting, e.g., closed captioning. Once the student has learned the principles of the Theory, he/she is prepared to write essentially all commonly used words and phrases in the English language, even when hearing a word for the first time. Starting with the entries in the Phoenix Reference Dictionary, the student can add whatever desired words to his/her dictionary. Using translation software loaded on a PC or laptop computer, the student is now able to use computer-aided transcription to write in a realtime mode. Simply stated, whatever is stroked on the steno machine is translated back into readable English, with the proper syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. (A sub-set of CAT-mediated realtime is the closed captioning seen on television sets intended for viewers that have hearing difficulties.) There are several CAT software programs available:
The StenoMax Institute can provide a student with the basic dictionary for all of the major CAT software programs. Academic SubjectsThere are four academic subjects required for graduation from the StenoMax Institute:
As with all other phases of the StenoMax curriculum, the academic courses are self-paced. We recommend that the student take the courses sequentially in the order listed above, but delay starting these courses until after completion of the Theory portion of the program. Home study students’ tests are graded on a percentage basis: 100 percent is perfect and a grade of less than 80 percent is failing. A student may receive full credit for any of the academic courses by:
Externship In order to graduate, all home study students must complete an externship, which normally begins after passing the first jury charge test at 200 wpm. Although most students (~80 percent) identify the person or firm with which to extern, the school can and does arrange externships when requested. Since 1967, every home study graduate has completed an externship which, in most cases, has resulted in the student’s initial employment upon graduation. The externship consists of 45 hours of on-site actual writing time and 35 hours of production time. The extern, working with a practicing reporter, may sit in and take any type of court work: deposition, hearing, municipal meeting, or any other proceeding that requires a reporter. The official reporter involved must document these hours. The student is required to have at least 100 pages of transcript from his or her own notes from any combination of these situations. Ninety pages may be transcribed without supervision; any error requires a rewrite. The last 10 pages must be transcribed within 2 hours under test conditions. Transfer StudentsThe StenoMax Institute home study program is ideal for those students who have mastered a realtime theory (e.g., Phoenix, StenEd, Digitext) at another school and are writing at a speed of at least 30 wpm. Based on prior schooling, a transfer student can concentrate on desired speedbuilding levels and complete any of the academic courses required, as described above. There is no entrance exam. The student simply indicates the desired starting speed for literary material, jury charge, and two-voice testimony. The transfer student retains whatever theory learned. StenoMax grades submitted transcripts quantitatively (e.g., 97.5 percent), and notes are graded qualitatively for consistency and obvious errors. (In the case of Phoenix Theory transfer students, both notes and transcripts are graded quantitatively.) StenoMax gives full credit for any academic credits earned at a prior duly licensed court reporting school. Based on college transcripts, credit may be given for English. For a student who thinks that prior study/work experience may be sufficient, he/she can take a challenge exam for any of the required academic subjects; a student will be given full course credit for any challenge exam passed with an 80 percent or higher. At least the final 25 percent of the requirements for graduation from the StenoMax Institute must be completed while enrolled in its home study program. Graduation RequirementsIn order to graduate, a student must pass the following tests:
The Institute’s 97.5 percent accuracy requirement, while higher than the 95 percent required by NCRA, should make it easier to pass the national exam to become an RPR (Registered Professional Reporter). Once these requirements have been met, a graduate receives an Occupational Associate Degree in Court Reporting from the StenoMax Institute.
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