National On-Water Standards (NOWS)
Instruction for Safer Boating Support Resources
National On-Water Standards - NOWS
Step 2: Assess & Update your Course
Assessing and updating an entry-level course requires looking at both WHAT skills are included and HOW they are instructed.
Actions to take
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Compare WHAT skills are included in your on-water course content against the relevant recreational boating skills standard (EDU-1 Powerboating, EDU-2 Human-propelled craft, or EDU-3 Sailing).
​Determine where the course skills content meets or exceeds the standard, and where it might need to be modified or developed in order to comply with the standard.
Compare your approach to HOW instruction takes place against the recreational boating skills instruction standard (EDU-4 Instruction).
Determine where your instructional approach meets or exceeds the standard, and where it might need to be modified or developed in order to comply with the standard.
Update the course content and instructional approach as needed to ensure it complies with the national standards.
Resources Available
The NOWS Program develops and makes available for purchase resources and tools to support your work in developing entry-level recreational boating skills courses that take place on the water meet American National Standards.
For less than the typical cost of one student attending a course, you can purchase and use these materials to assess and improve existing courses or design courses from scratch. Proceeds from sales go to help offset costs for updating existing and developing new materials to support your on-water skills-bases courses.
These resources help assess and improve entry-level skills course CONTENT
delivered on the water
NOWS Self-assessment Checklists:
Assessing skills course content
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NOWS Self-assessment Checklists provide easy-to-use tools to assess the extent to which
recreational boating skills courses comply with
American National Standards:
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ABYC EDU-1: On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Power
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ABYC EDU-2: On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Human-propelled
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ABYC EDU-3 On-WaterRecreational Boating Skills– Sail
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Each 11-12 page checklist will help you:
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Assess the skills included in an entry-level course compared to the relevant national standard
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Target specific areas for improving the course
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Make changes, if needed, to ensure content complies with the national standard
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Track developments over time to streamline future course improvements
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Produce documentation verifying course compliance with the national standard
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Promote an entry-level course as complying with the national standard
These checklists will also support the pursuit of third-party verification that a course complies with national standards. Third-party verification is currently available through the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Click here for further information.
Technical Support Documents:
How to Guides for
Updating skills course content
These Technical Support Documents (TSDs) serve as How to guides for understanding and guiding application of recreational boating skills American National Standards:
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ABYC EDU-1: On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Power
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ABYC EDU-2: On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Human-propelled
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ABYC EDU-3 On-WaterRecreational Boating Skills– Sail
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They provide the most comprehensive set of information and resources available for developing on-water recreational powerboating, sailing and human-propelled craft entry-level skills course content comply with the national standards. Each 60-74 page TSD:
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Explains why the national standard was developed and why you should ensure your on-water, entry-level skills courses comply with it
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Provides detailed information about each skill in the national standard, along with extensive tips and recommendations for how to design each skill into an entry-level course
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Details three-tiered performance rubrics for each skill that can be used to:
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design specific boat operation behaviors into a course
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assess student performance
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evaluate acquisition of entry-level skills
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Provides links to additional resources to help develop and strengthen a course.
The following resources help assess and improve entry-level skills INSTRUCTION
delivered on the water
NOWS Self-assessment Checklist:
Assessing skills instruction
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This14-page Self-assessment Checklist will help you assess the extent to which an approach to entry-level recreational powerboat, sailing, or human-propelled skills instruction complies with ABYC EDU-4 On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Instruction American National Standard.
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Use this checklist to:
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Assess an instructional approach against national standard ABYC EDU-4: On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Instruction
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Target areas to improve instruction
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Make changes, if needed, to ensure instruction complies with the national standard
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Track developments over time to streamline future course improvements
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Produce written documentation verifying compliance with EDU-4
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Promote your course as complying with the national instruction standard
Technical Support Document:
How to Guide for
Updating skills instruction
This comprehensive 68-page Technical Support Document (TSD) serves as a How to Guide for understanding and guiding application of ABYC EDU-4 On-Water Recreational Boating Skills–Instruction American National Standard. It provides information and resources for ensuring an approach to on-water recreational powerboating, sailing, or human-propelled craft entry-level skills instruction complies with the standard.
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This guide will:
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Explain why the national instruction standard was developed and why you should ensure your approach to on-water, entry-level skills instruction complies with it
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Detail core characteristics of an instruction approach that complies with the national instruction standard​
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Provide links to additional resources to help develop and strengthen your course.
