External Credits

 External Credits

External Sports Credit

Softball BC and the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development are pleased to offer the following External Credentials for High Performance Athletes, Officials (Umpires) and Coaches. These “External Course Credits” are applicable to graduation requirements in the Province of British Columbia and will allow athletes, umpires, and coaches to earn graduation credits away from the traditional classroom setting.

External Sport Courses Information

Students can obtain External Course credit for Sports in the following categories:

1. Athlete 10
2. Athlete 11
3. Athlete 12
4. Official 10
5. Official 11
6. Official 12
7. Coach 11
8. Coach 12

To receive an External Credits Letter from Softball BC, applicants must complete a request form. CLICK HERE for the External Credits Request Form. Letters will only be emailed to the recipient. Please ensure name, sport program and category.

Once a student has received credit for Athlete 10, 11, 12, Official 10, 11, 12 or Coach 11 or 12 they cannot receive additional credits for duplicate participation. For example, an athlete who has earned credits for Athlete 12 by being selected and competing on a provincial team cannot receive another 4 credits for Athlete 12 if they have progressed and been selected and competed on a national team. A student can only receive credit for Athlete 12 once.

Team BC athletes who competed at the North American Indigenous Games or Canada Games are to be sent a verification letter by the Sport Branch of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development shortly after the completion of the games.

Athletes receiving Sport Canada Athlete Assistance need to contact their National Sport Organization to request a verification letter.

Provincial sport organizations are responsible for issuing all other verification letters as identified below to student athletes who have met the requirements of listed approved athlete programs.

Student Responsibility

• Student athletes are required to confirm involvement in an approved athlete program (see list of approved athlete programs) and request a verification letter be sent to them. level of credit and a current e-mail address is provided on the request form.
• Students are responsible for submitting the letter of verification of participation for External Sport Credentials to their high school counselor
• Students who earn External Sport Credentials prior to entering grade 10 need to file this documentation and present it once they have entered Grade 10 and are earning graduation credits.

External Athlete Course Information

Athlete - Course Code: UXSA 10 or UXSA 11 or UXSA 12.

Program eligibility is based on meeting specific criteria and standards:

• Program/Team requirements
• Competition levels
• Minimum Training Hours
• Supporting documentation - training diary, yearly/seasonal training plan

Athletes must have participated and placed in the top 2 in an organized regional or provincial selection process and be selected as an individual or team member to represent a region/zone or provincial team that will compete at a provincial, inter provincial, national or international level competition or be a recipient of the BC or Sport Canada Athlete Assistance Program.

Summary of Eligibility Standards and Program/Category Definitions

Athlete Level 1 UXSA 10 (4 credits)

·       Attended the U15A Provincial Championship and placed Gold or Silver OR

·       Regional/Zone Select Team for BC Summer Games

Athlete Level 2 UXSA 11 (4 credits)

·       Attended the U17A Provincial Championship and placed Gold or Silver OR

·       Team BC North American Indigenous Games Team

Athlete Level 3 UXSA 12 (4 credits)

• Attended the U19A Provincial Championship and placed Gold or Silver OR
• Team BC Canada Games Team OR
• Junior National Team OR
• Senior National Team

Pre-Approved Programs

The following are recognized pre-approved athlete programs:

External Official Course Information

Official - Course Code - UXSO 10 or UXSO 11 or UXSO 12. The Sport Secretariat has evaluated each provincial sport organization’s officials’ program submissions for inclusion as a Ministry-approved “External Credentials - Sport” credit.

Official’s programs are monitored on an annual basis.

To qualify, a student must have completed a theory component, passed required exams and completed practical experiences with an evaluation signed by a provincial sport organization’s designated official’s educator or evaluator.

 Summary of Eligibility Standards and Program/Category Definitions

Official 10 - 2 credits 
A student official must complete a theory course, examination, evaluation, and 25 hours of practical officiating.

Official 11- 4 credits
A student official must complete a theory course, examination, evaluation, and 75 hours of practical officiating.

Official 12 - 4 credits
A student official must complete a theory course, examination, evaluation, and 125 hours of practical officiating.

For the practical officiating experience, a student official must complete the minimum number of officiating hours as indicated. Officiating hours between each level (Official, 10, 11 and 12) are cumulative and can be acquired in more than one sport. For students who accumulate officiating hours in more than one sport, it is mandatory they complete the theory, examination and evaluation/assessment component independently for each sport if they wish to earn credit for the particular sport officials program. The student official must have a record (booklet, passport, etc.) that is signed by a provincial sport organization official to confirm the completion of the components and indicating the number of hours spent on the practical component.

The following programs have been pre-approved for credit in the sport of Softball:

Official 10

• Level One Certification
• 25 hours practical experience

Official 11

• Level Two Certification
• 50 hours practical experience

Official 12

• Level Three Certification
• 50 hours practical experience

Once program criteria are met, students may submit certification documents and letter supporting practical experience completed and signed by “PSO Official”.

External Coach Course Information (currently Softball is only eligible for Coach 11 (2 credits))

Coach - Course Code UXSC 11. The Sport Secretariat, in partnership with the Coaches Association of BC (CABC) and provincial sport organizations, offers the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) on a province-wide basis. This is a national program for coach education. Certificates indicating “trained” or “certified” status are provided upon successful completion of multi-sport generic or sport specific modules, or when requirements of “certification” have been met.

The following program has been pre-approved for credit in the sport of Softball:

 Coach 11

• NCCP Community Sport Initiation or NCCP introduction to Competition “trained” or NCCP Run Jump Throw
• NCCP Making Ethical Decisions “evaluated”
• 30 hours practical experience, reviewed and evaluated by “Introduction to Competition Certified Coach” or “NCCP Level 2 Certified Coach”.

Once program criteria are met, students may submit certification documents and letter supporting practical experience completed and signed by “Introduction to Competition Certified Coach” or “NCCP Level 2 Certified Coach”.

Please e-mail documentation to: Milena.gaiga@gov.bc.ca.

For further information on the External Sports Credential Program please contact: