Moral dilemma: What would you do?

[axelwylie]

A skating coach at my rink recently took a Masters certification exam last fall. The panel did not pass the coach by a small margin (this was the coach's 2nd attempt at the exam). However, the coach received a congratulatory email, their Masters certificate, a mention in the PSA magazine and the Masters designation on the PSA website.

What would you do if you were this coach? Do you tell the PSA about the error?

[Clarice]

If I am the coach, I immediately call PSA and sort out the situation.  It is not ethical to advertise a rating that you have not really earned.  An error has been made somewhere, but it remains to be seen exactly where the error took place.  It may be that it occurred in the scoring and the coach really did pass the exam.  I would call, ask questions, and let PSA help me figure it out.

[Isk8NYC]

Yes, it's possible the coach challenged the results and passed or there was an error.  It's also possible that s/he took the exam again and passed.  There are several ratings exams at different events throughout the year.

[sarahspins]

It's also possible that she was told she didn't pass when maybe she actually did - if the scores weren't calculated correctly at the time of the test (mistakes happen) but then the error corrected later when the firms were processed, that might make sense.

No matter what happened, I'd say she still needs to contact PSA to figure out what happened 

[sampaguita]

Definitely clear it up with the PSA. It's better not to have the certificate than to always be bothered his/her entire life that she's a fake. Hopefully she really did pass the test, and that it was just a miscalculation of some sort.

[Clarice]

Okay, we're all saying the same thing as far as what the coach should do.  But what if you're not the coach?  Is it up to somebody else to call the PSA and blow the whistle, as it were?  I say if you're not the coach, you don't necessarily have the whole story and if the situation bothers you, your first step should be to talk to the coach in person.

[AgnesNitt]

The OP questions was "If you were the coach would you check with the PSA."
Answer: Yes

Other wise I'd just skate away from the issue, unless I was the skating director or a student of the coach. And I'd only be interested if I was a competitive skater that's a student of the coach.

Okay, we're all saying the same thing as far as what the coach should do.  But what if you're not the coach?  Is it up to somebody else to call the PSA and blow the whistle, as it were?  I say if you're not the coach, you don't necessarily have the whole story and if the situation bothers you, your first step should be to talk to the coach in person.

I'd say just walk away unless you are the skating director or a student of the coach.  MYOB.

[icedancer]

I would walk away also. This will take care of itself one way or another.

[Clarice]

Yeah, I wanted to hear others of you say it, too.  Skating directors could contact PSA, but others should just steer clear.

[FigureSpins]

ITA - myob if you're not personally involved. 

As for promotion, the coach is a rated coach, regardless of this one exam's status.  (They had to have passed the lower-level exams to be eligible to take the Masters exam.) 

If they have a Masters rating in another discipline (say, Group Instruction,) they would be justified in using the title "Master Rated Coach."

The coach can't claim to be masters-rated in this particular discipline until this mixup is sorted out.