NCRA’s Board of Directors approved changes to the General Requirements and Minimum Standards (GRMS) required for NCRA-approved court reporting programs as submitted by the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE). The changes took effect Oct.1, 2025.
The General Requirements and Minimum Standards (GRMS) are intended to assist institutions by setting minimum standards for realtime educational programs. These minimum standards act as the industry’s framework defining essential practices and the production of clear, complete, and trustworthy transcripts. By setting a baseline for court reporting programs, the GRMS ensure that graduates are not only proficient in speed and accuracy, but also fully prepared to pursue and achieve National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) certifications.
Because NCRA certifications such as the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) measure competency through skills and knowledge examinations, alignment with GRMS helps program’s structure curricula that build those exact competencies. In this way, GRMS serve as the foundational bridge between educational training and professional credentialing, ensuring that students enter the field ready to meet both industry expectations and NCRA’s high standards for certification.
“Having served on the CASE Committee for the past five years, I’ve observed the evolution and demand of our profession and collaborated with my colleagues to make sure that our schools maintain a high standard all while ensuring we have the graduates to fill the needs of the judicial system,” said 2026 CASE Chair Michelle Roberts, CRI, program director and instructor at Gadsden State Community College in Gadsen, Ala.
These standards must evolve as our professional responsibilities evolve. I am extremely proud of each committee member for the detailed changes made within the GRMS, and we remain dedicated to advancing high-quality education and strengthening the future of court reporting.
CASE Chair Michelle Roberts, CRI
Updates to the new GRMS include the following:
The number of tests to be transcribed is changing from three to two. (See Machine Shorthand for Judicial Reporting pages 19-20.)
- Transcribe a minimum of two (2), (5) five-minute, (2) two-voice testimony tests with a minimum of 95 percent accuracy dictated at a minimum speed of 225 wpm. Each test must be transcribed and submitted within 75 minutes.
- Transcribe a minimum of two (2), (5) five-minute jury charge tests with a minimum of 95 percent accuracy dictated at a minimum of 200 wpm. Each test must be transcribed and submitted within 75 minutes
- Transcribe a minimum of two (2), (5) five-minute literary tests with a minimum of 95 percent accuracy dictated at a minimum of 180 wpm. Each test must be transcribed and submitted within 75 minutes.
Internship (See Internship page 26.)
- Faculty who are also “working reporters” shall not serve as an internship supervisor reporter. Students are further prohibited from interning with any family member serving as the supervising reporter.
- A student interning in a videoconference environment must be onsite with the court reporter on record. In order to gain experience and/or knowledge from the job, the student would need to observe from the court reporter’s setup and preparation.
Roberts said that of all the updates to the GRMS, she is most excited and fully supportive of changing the speed test requirements from passing three tests to passing two tests in each category for graduation.
“Standards are created for competency and shouldn’t create extra hurdles. If a student has proven they can pass a speed test twice, asking for a third pass doesn’t really add value,” said Roberts. “These standards must evolve as our professional responsibilities evolve. I am extremely proud of each committee member for the detailed changes made within the GRMS, and we remain dedicated to advancing high-quality education and strengthening the future of court reporting.”
Geanell C. Adams, FAPR, RMR, CRR, CRC, CRI, an official court reporter and captioner from Terry, Miss., and past chair of CASE, echoed Roberts’ sentiments and noted that with all educational approval processes, it is important to update standards to ensure students receive the training that makes them workforce ready and aligns with industry standards and needs.
“For example, decreasing the number of tests to be passed at a particular speed allows students to move from school to work at a quicker pace. This helps to fill the employment gap and adds to the workforce pool in a way that we will see real gains in our industry,” said Adams.
“The recent update to GRMS requirements reducing the standard from passing three terminal-speed tests in each genre at 95 percent accuracy to two marks a meaningful and forward-thinking improvement,” said Robyn M. Hennigan, RPR, CRI, 2026 CASE member and Senior Technical Instructor/Program Coordinator for judicial court reporting at Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio. She further added that the updates to the testing requirements mark a meaningful and forward thinking improvement.
“This change empowers schools to accelerate student progression while maintaining high performance standards, ultimately helping qualified graduates enter the profession more expeditiously,” said Hennigan.
Changes to the GRMS took effect on Oct. 1, 2025. All new applications for NCRA approval must reflect a program’s compliance with the new GRMS.
If you have any questions, contact Cynthia R. Bruce, M.S. Ed, NCRA Vice President, Education & Certification at cbruce@ncra.org.
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