The New England School of Court Reporting Curriculum

The New England School of Court Reporting provides a quality academic experience leading to the Certificate of Court Reporting: Legal, Medical, and Conference Reporting and the Certificate of Court Reporting: RealTime Captioning and Reporting. The School welcomes individuals with full-time occupations, people changing careers or reentering the job market, and professionals wishing to maintain competency. The School places a premium on equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to enter the court-reporting community as qualified individuals in the areas of Legal, Medical, Conference and RealTime reporting.

The New England School of Court Reporting is licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Education.

This six-month program runs two nights a week, two days a week, or on Saturdays (a total of 144 hours). The curriculum is designed to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and proficiency to enable them to take advantage of the many varied career opportunities created by Legal, Medical, Conference, and Court Transcription using RealTime technology. Courses include:

CR 100: Court Reporting Hardware and Software
This course provides an overview of the reporting field and focuses on the study of the personal computer and voice recognition software used by Court Reporters. Students learn to operate, manage, and troubleshoot hardware and software. Students also become familiar with systems drive installation and management, memory configurations, peripheral connections, viruses, analysis of problems, and input/output techniques. A major part of the course focuses on skill and accuracy development of RealTime voice recognition stenography software. Classroom activities and drills focus on developing student proficiency and accuracy.

CR 102: Grammar and Terminology for Court Reporters
This course examines English grammar, emphasizes usage, conciseness, clarity, punctuation, and word study. Students develop basic medical and legal vocabulary; they will use and understand medical and legal terms. Students study diagnostic and operative terms as well as abbreviations and symbols used in the medical and legal fields. Classroom activities and drills focus on developing student proficiency and accuracy.

CR 104: Legal, Medical, and Conference Reporting
This course focuses on the use of RealTime technology using live dictation and drills to build accuracy, endurance, and confidence. Daily class drills emphasize transcription development of medical and legal proceedings, administrative hearings, conventions and conferences. Students develop professional transcripts with correct grammar and legal and medical terminology. The course introduces students to the development of materials and documents for multi-voiced environments. Students learn how to listen effectively in order to prepare information obtained from clients. Students are required to demonstrate competency in vocabulary and grammar skills, medical and legal terminology, and proofreading; they learn how to use library resources to produce professional transcripts.

CR 106: Mock Depositions, Hearings, and Meeting Practicums
In this course, students are expected to transcribe professional documents at a high level of proficiency and accuracy. Class drills and multi-voiced simulated work environments, including depositions and court proceedings, help provide students with mastery level in all aspects of court reporting transcription and document development. Competency and knowledge are enhanced as students apply what they have learned in previous courses and discover advanced strategies for capturing proceedings and preparing court documents.

CR 120: Apprenticeship: Legal, Medical and Conference Reporting
Students participate in supervised actual work experiences at two depositions and one court hearing. NESCR faculty and a court reporter provide supervision. Students must achieve all program and course proficiency and accuracy competencies before they are accepted into the Apprenticeship Course.

show

This two-month program runs two-evenings-a-week (a total of 48 hours) for students who have earned the Certificate of Court Reporting: Legal, Medical and Conference Reporting. The Certificate is designed to provide students with the proficiency to enable them to take advantage of the many varied career options created by RealTime applications and Closed Captioning Television.

A three-month program (approximately 65 hours) is available for practicing Court Reporters who wish to train on voice-recognition software for RealTime captioning and reporting. Courses include:

CR 101: RealTime Reporting Hardware and Software
This course provides an overview of the RealTime Captioning and Reporting field and focuses on the study and use of RealTime software used by Court Reporters. Students learn to operate, manage, and troubleshoot hardware and RealTime software. Students also become familiar with RealTime systems installation and management, memory configurations, analysis of problems, and input/output techniques. A major part of the course focuses on skill and accuracy development of the RealTime Reporting software. Classroom activities and drills help develop student proficiency and accuracy.

CR 110: RealTime Captioning
Students will understand RealTime Software for Rapid-Text Entry (RTE) applications. The course expands on the skills and proficiency students gained in the Certificate of Court Reporting: Legal, Medical and Conference Reporting or experience as a Court Reporter and prepares them for careers as RealTime Reporters and Television Closed Captionists. The course focuses on the complex requirements of television Closed Captioning and RealTime services; also on increasing students' transcription proficiency and accuracy--critical components for RealTime captioning.

CR 125: Apprenticeship: RealTime Captioning and Reporting
Students will participate in two supervised RealTime reporting jobs. Supervision will be provided by faculty and a RealTime Court Reporter. Students must achieve all program and course proficiency and accuracy competencies before they are accepted into the Apprenticeship Course.