USBLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition:
"Employment of court reporters is projected to grow 18 percent, faster than the average for all occupations between 2008 and 2018. Demand for court reporter services will be spurred by the continuing need for accurate transcription of proceedings in courts and in pretrial depositions, by the growing need to create captions for live television, and by the need to provide other real-time broadcast captioning and translating services for the deaf and the hard of hearing."
US News and World Report, Dec. 2009:
"As one of the 50 Best Careers of 2010, this (Court Reporting) should have strong growth over the next decade."
"The outlook: Excellent. Bolstering demand is the growing need for live television captioning and translating services for the hearing impaired."
Yahoo! Education:
"About two-thirds of court reporters are freelancers and can accept work assignments when it's convenient for them. Some work can be completed at home, so the exact hours and dress code are up to you."
The West Valley College Court Reporting and Captioning Department has been offering quality career training programs for over 40 years and is recognized by the Court Reporters Board of California. These careers are more relevant than ever. Trained court reporters and captioners are in high demand to meet the increased need for litigation, captioning services, text-video synchronization, webcasting, transcription, scoping, and proofreading.
All students in the program are trained with innovative techniques to help them meet the requirements for state and national certification. In the Bay Area, starting salaries in the field range from $75,000 to over $100,000. A wave of retirements by active court reporters, coupled with increased demand for captioners, is expected to create thousands of job openings around the country including over 2,000 in California. Choose Court Reporting or Captioning and you can begin these rewarding and respected careers.
We serve students throughout California. Our face-to-face classes are offered synchronously to students on campus and also off campus using high-quality video conferencing.
Recipient of U.S. Department of Education Grant P116K100012, "Training for Real Time Writers" 2011鈥2015
- Select Term
- Subject: Noncredit Court Reporting
Court Reporting students apply through CCCApply.
Court Reporting Faculty
Kristin Acredolo
Continuing Education
Court Reporting Instructor
[email protected]
Sarah Chun
Continuing Education
Court Reporting Instructor
[email protected]
Ana Fatima Costa
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
[email protected]
Linda Hagen
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
[email protected]
Linda Lawson
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
(408) 741-2439
[email protected]
Christine Leung
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
[email protected]
Vykki Morgan
Continuing Education
Court Reporting Instructor
[email protected]
Margaret Ortiz
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
(408) 741-2559
[email protected]
Robin Riviello
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
[email protected]
Terry Star
Continuing Education
Court Reporting, Captioning and Related Technologies Instructor
[email protected]
Eric Van Dorn
Continuing Education
Court Reporting and Captioning Instructor
[email protected]
Court Reporting Employment Outlook
Frequently Asked Questions
Our program is open to all California students and there are no registration fees! NOTE: You must live in California to take noncredit courses from the college, including our courses.
Thank you for your interest in our program! The West Valley College (看片视频) Court Reporting program, recognized as a qualifying program by the Court Reporters Board of California, currently has students enrolled from all over the state. We hope that we will be able to help you begin and/or continue and complete your court reporting education and California Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) licensing exam preparation. Our program is free to students (no registration or campus fees), and we can serve students from anywhere in California as well as California residents who may be currently living out of state. Students may qualify for licensing using either stenographic machine writing or voice writing. Please see the online 看片视频 schedule for class information.
All our classes are offered live via Zoom video conferencing. Some courses may be offered both on campus and via Zoom at the same time. You need to have a computer, laptop, pad, or phone with Windows, a good internet connection, microphone, and camera (already built into most devices) to attend off campus.
The class schedule is available on the West Valley College website in both online and PDF forms. Please use the since there have been recent changes to the schedule. Type in or scroll down to 鈥淣oncredit Court Reporting鈥 to get to our course offerings.
Steno machine students must have their own electronic stenographic machine writers (steno machines), PC laptop computers or Macs with PC capability -- desktops are okay if you are logging on from home -- and must purchase student access to Total Eclipse, from Advantage Software, a one-time $100 fee while you are enrolled in the program. Please see the acceptable steno machine recommendations at the end of the FAQs.
It is suggested that voice writing students have at 16 gigabytes of RAM on their laptops (32 GB is preferable), EclipseVox student software, Dragon Professional Individual speech recognition software, and a voice silencer (mask) and/or a separate microphone or headset.
Do not purchase student software access from Advantage Software, the makers of Eclipse software, until you are registered for class and can use the West Valley College discount ($100 cost for our students versus over $300 for non-West Valley College students).
Stenographic machine theory students need to purchase StenEd Realtime Theory Pack #2, ISBN 9780938643159. We recommend you order it directly from . Click on 鈥淧ackages鈥 in the blue header and it鈥檚 the first item on the page.
Approximately one month before the start of the NCCC 005 Voice Writing Theory course, registered students will be informed of a Zoom meeting to discuss materials needed for the course.
Textbooks for other courses can also be found in the Online Searchable Class Schedule under Noncredit Court Reporting once the schedule is published or from your instructors once you鈥檙e registered for class if the instructor can get a better price and access from the publisher.
If you are just beginning a court reporting and/or captioning program, you should plan on taking one of the following courses.
If you want to learn the steno machine, please register for the following courses:
- NCCC 001: Stenographic Machine Theory 1
- NCCC 004: CAT Software Basics
If you want to learn voice writing, register for the following course:
- NCCC 005: Voice Writing Theory
Note: If these courses are full when you try to register, please add yourself to the waitlist in case anyone drops and a space opens up 鈥 no guarantees.
If you have already taken courses through another court reporting program, please check the West Valley College online schedule for additional course information including advanced theory courses, speed building courses, and our academic courses.
Stenographic machine theory students need to purchase StenEd Realtime Theory Pack #2, ISBN 9780938643159. We recommend you order it directly from the . Click on 鈥淧ackages鈥 in the blue header and it鈥檚 the first item on the page.
Voice writing students need to purchase Realtime Voice Writing by Bettye Keyes, 10th edition, published by Realtime U, ISBN 13: 9780989113472. This package is available through the campus bookstore and can be shipped to you. If the book is on backorder, or if you prefer, you may order it directly from .
Textbooks for other courses can also be found in the Online Searchable Class Schedule under Noncredit Court Reporting once the schedule is published.
All courses within our program, with the exception of the court reporting internship course, which is taken at the end of the program, are now free.
Financial aid is not available to students enrolled in our program since enrollment is free. However, if you choose to enroll in another program offered by the college in addition to the court reporting program, you may be able to qualify for financial aid for courses associated with that program.
Students who need financial or other support to take courses at the college should contact our Student Needs program. They also have laptops for loan.
Follow the directions on the apply page.
You should receive your West Valley College Student ID number in an email almost immediately or within two or three days. Once you have your student ID number, you can register by logging on to the WV Portal. Once in the Portal, click on 鈥淪tudent,鈥 then "Registration." Fill out and submit the questionnaire, then follow the directions to register. The easiest way is to register is by using the five-digit CRN (Course Registration Number) for the class. The CRN for each course is in the schedule.
- Click on the drop-down and hit 鈥淪ubmit鈥 for the term (Fall or Spring or Summer).
- Click in the 鈥淪tudent鈥 box
- Click in the 鈥淩egister鈥 box
- Click in the 鈥淎dd or Drop Courses鈥 box and type in the applicable CRN (Course Registration Number) for each course.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me anytime on my cell: (408) 318-4158. If I can't answer immediately, I will call you back as soon as possible.
Just go to the West Valley College website and you will find course offerings using the Online Class Schedule. (Students who are new to court reporting may start the program in the fall or spring semester or the summer session.) NOTE: You must look under 鈥淣oncredit Court Reporting.鈥
The West Valley College 2023-2024 catalog is also available on the college website.
Please type in 鈥淣oncredit Court Reporting鈥 in the search box to find our program and course information.
Yes! The Court Reporters Board school curriculum requirements count class hours successfully completed and passed -- not credits 鈥 and we continue to be a recognized program that can qualify students to take the California Certified Shorthand Reporters written and skills examinations for licensing. (Court reporters must be licensed by the state in order to work in California.)
Yes. College of Court Reporting, a well-respected court reporting college in Hobart, Indiana, offers our advanced theory students and speed-building students access to their online, structured "ev360 Ultimate" practice and testing program for supplemental practice and testing (Jury Charge, Literary, and Two Voice) at a greatly reduced cost. (This is optional.) We also have recorded practice materials that we share with students at no cost, and students may also record class dictation to use for additional practice.
Yes. We have a testing process for students who log on remotely and will have a proctor available to observe transcription of qualifiers using video conferencing.
They can be found in the class schedule. This summer, our courses will be listed under 鈥淣oncredit Court Reporting and Captioning鈥 and in the 鈥淪chool of Continuing Education鈥 section.
Please register for the speed class with your current speed goal. (If you鈥檝e been out of school for a while, please register accordingly. If you have questions and/or need theory review, please contact Maggie Ortiz to assist you with proper course placement.)
The speed focus for the 80 鈥 140 classes and the 160 鈥 180 and 200鈥 220 classes start with the highest speed, then the next lowest, and so on. We normally administer one test for each speed each day of class.
Our courses are cross listed with multiple skill levels/speeds: Three levels of theory, 80, 100, 120, and 140 speeds in one class, 160 and 180 in another, and 200 and 220 in another so students can 鈥減ush鈥 or 鈥渢rail鈥 lessons or speeds and to ensure that we have enough enrollment in each class. Since there is lab time built into the classes, students should transcribe or practice on their own when not participating in their theory lesson (lecture) or target speed portion of the class while still in the classroom or logged on to class.
As long as the school is a California Community College, UC, or California State College or University, we will accept relevant courses for certificate purposes. If it is a private school, and recognized by the Court Reporters Board of California, we will honor classroom 鈥渃lock hours鈥 for the Court Reporters Board of California requirements, but the courses may not be accepted for certificates of completion issued by West Valley College. (You do not need to receive a certificate of completion from the college to take the state licensing exams.)
Zoom meeting links will be posted on Canvas, our learning management system, before the semester begins.
We hope that you will consider enrolling in the West Valley College Court Reporting program. We care about our students and we are here to support you in your court reporting studies.
Before classes begin, you should procure a steno machine, also called a writer before taking this course if you don鈥檛 already have one. Used machines are recommended. We recommend you consider one of the following steno machines:
- Wave (used) student writer
- Luminex (new or used) student writer
- Cybra (used)
- Mira (used)
- Diamonte (used)
- Prot茅g茅 (used)
Stenograph is having a supply chain issue, so your best bet 鈥 cost-wise too 鈥 is to buy a used machine. Sources include Stenograph, LLC; Stenoworks, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Acculaw, StenoSearch, JM Steno, and Mercari.
As an alternative to regular steno machines to get started in theory class, if you are unable to get a steno machine, we recently found out about the from one of our students 鈥 she purchased the TinyMod because she was traveling and couldn鈥檛 take her full-size machine. It鈥檚 a keyboard that connects to your computer and not an actual steno machine.
鈥淭he TinyMod is easy to use; even easier to link to Eclipse (steno translation software). And the support folks at Eclipse actually did help me connect the TinyMod, but much of what they showed me is the what (instructor) Linda (Lawson) taught us in the CAT (software) class. The vendor who sold me the TinyMod did give me great instructions as well (It's the Gemini Piper model, which is in our Eclipse software drop down menu options for writers). I do not need to use Plover's dictionary. (My note: Do not use the Plover dictionary. We ask for the StenEd software dictionary to be loaded on all student software.) This machine would benefit folks who are just starting out with steno during Theory 1 during that awkward start-up phase when you don't have all your technology yet etc. It took 2 days for me to get the TinyMod. One day for the person to build it, and 2 days in the mail. $140 + $9 shipping #worthit "
Resources
- West Valley College Bookstore
- Court Reporting Department Room 13 Bulletin Board
- (800) 800-1759
- American Shorthand Machine Service
1982 Park Boulevard
Oakland, CA 94605
(510) 452-2148 - General Business Machines
268 Hillsdale Avenue
San Jose, CA 95136
(408) 267-6820 - Lee's Stenographic Service Center
55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 12
San Francisco, CA 94105 - (Steno paper supplier)
(800) 831-6989 - Personal Touch Steno
1090 Ralston Avenue, Suite D
Belmont, CA 94002
(650) 591-1101 - (304) 346-8363
- 645 North Eckhoff Street, Suite J
Orange, CA 92868
(888) 367-7836 - (Case Catalyst)
(800) 323-4247 ( Nick Ridge, Ext. 5561)
Please contact Maggie Ortiz if you have more questions.