|
|
|
|
Friday, August 1, 2008
College athletics: Who's Got Next?
Central Indiana, IN
|
|
|
If you want to play college sports, it takes more than hard work on the field. The NCAA tells you what you need to know about being eligible for Division I or II athletics.
How many of you know what the NCAA Eligibility Center is and/or what it does? The Eligibility Center was established to certify the academic and amateur credentials of all college-bound student-athletes who wish to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics.
The Eligibility Center desires to become a useful resource for high school student-athletes to help them reach their goal of becoming collegiate student-athletes.
How will the Eligibility Center help student-athletes in this process? The Eligibility Center will focus on creating partnerships with high schools and with high school student-athletes. The Eligibility Center will also collect data from high schools, sport-sanctioning bodies, and most importantly, the high school student-athletes themselves in order to make the initial-eligibility decision.
Education:
Academic planning and success can be even more important than athletics planning for a high school student-athlete, because it opens doors of opportunity. These student-athletes need to start thinking about NCAA eligibility long before their senior year. The Eligibility Center will work to provide that road map to high school students. The Eligibility Center will also provide the information and resources for coaches, counselors and parents to assist their student-athletes with their academic planning.
Partnership:
The Eligibility Center will work with the high schools to help their student-athlete’s achieve NCAA certification. No high school student-athlete can be certified until the Eligibility Center has all the information about the student’s high school curriculum. Most important is the establishment and maintenance of the high school’s list of core courses.
For the NCAA, core courses are those courses that:
1. Qualify for high school graduation in one
or more of the following: English,
mathematics, natural/physical science, social
science, foreign language or non-doctrinal
religion/philosophy;
2. Are considered four-year college
preparatory;
3. Are taught at or above the high school’s
regular academic level (for mathematics
courses, are at the level of Algebra I or a
higher level mathematics course); and
4. Are taught by a qualified
instructor as defined
by the appropriate
academic authority.
These courses may be different from the courses at your high school that count toward graduation credit. It is most helpful to the student-athletes when high schools update their core-course lists at the start of every semester or quarter. By working together, the Eligibility Center will provide the best service possible to the student-athletes and their families.
Steps High School Student-Athletes Must Take to Achieve Initial Eligibility:
Freshmen and Sophomores:
1. Be proactive in your academic planning from day one.
2. Work hard to get the best grades possible.
3. Take classes that match your school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses.
4. You can view your school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses at ncaaclearinghouse.net.
Juniors:
1. Students planning to participate in NCAA Divisions I or
II athletics should register and complete the
amateurism questionnaire at the beginning of their
junior year by going to ncaaclearinghouse.net.
2. Register to take the ACT, SAT or both.
3. When registering for an exam, use the Eligibility Center code “9999” as a score recipient.
4. Double check to make sure the courses you have
taken match your school’s NCAA List of Approved
Core Courses.
5. Request for your guidance counselor to send an official
transcript to the Eligibility Center after completing
your junior year. (The Eligibility Center does NOT
accept faxed transcripts.)
Seniors:
1. Take the SAT and/or ACT again, if necessary.
2. Continue to take college-prep courses.
3. Check the courses you have taken to match your
school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses.
4. Complete the amateurism questionnaire and request
final amateurism certification beginning April 1 (for fall enrollees) or October 1 (for spring enrollees).
5. Do not slack off and let senioritis set in. Continue to
make good grades.
6. After graduation, request for your guidance counselor
to send your final transcript to the Eligibility Center
with proof of graduation.
Core-Course Time Limitation:
This year’s high school seniors, as well as all college-bound student-athletes, will need to make every effort to graduate with their class. The NCAA will only accept one core course taken after the student-athlete’s class graduates. As this year’s seniors begin their senior school year, it would be extremely helpful if their coaches, counselors and advisors checked to make sure they are on pace to graduate with their class and meet the NCAA core-course requirements.
The Eligibility Center is looking forward to working with high schools and their student-athletes to help them become tomorrow’s NCAA student-athletes. For more information, please refer to ncaaclearinghouse.net or the 2007-08 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete at ncaastudent.org. •
|
|
|
|
|
|
Still Stading Strong
by: Mike Beas
In terms of appearance, the Blockhouse is as basic as a quarterback sneak, with an exterior comprised of bricks painted...
More 
Archives
|
|
 ™
|
|
A collection of this month's best action photos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
How To: Pick and Roll
by: Bob Herman
What is sweeter than a spring roll, softer than a toilet roll and looks better than a freshly-baked Kaiser roll?...
More
Archives
|
|
|
|
|
You need to upgrade your Flash Player to version 9 or newer.
|
|
|
|
™
