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Post by option1 on Apr 4, 2022 9:30:21 GMT -6
We are trying to find a way to sell parents on the idea that we will/can help their child with academics. Does anyone have an academic contract of sorts that they use to show what your program does to support student-athletes?
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Post by carookie on Apr 4, 2022 10:05:13 GMT -6
I havent done one in a while, but whatever you do make sure you get written admin approval and that it jibes with all articulated rules.
I could see some litigious parent raising a fuss that you won't let little Johnny play for violating your unilaterally implemented academic contract, while he is eligible via the school and district rules.
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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 4, 2022 10:17:16 GMT -6
We are trying to find a way to sell parents on the idea that we will/can help their child with academics. Does anyone have an academic contract of sorts that they use to show what your program does to support student-athletes? Coach, I'm going to cut and paste a couple of sections from our program guide for brevity sake. Please feel free to ask questions. I will say that our district is willing to invest in a lot of support structures for us, but that is consistent for ALL of the kids in the building, not just football. We are lucky that we have ample resources. For example we have a supplement slot for an academic coach that doesn't coach on the grass. We are on a traditional schedule I.E. 7 period day, but we do 'block' almost all classes in the build except our year long End of Course test classes. For example my world history class is year long, but is broken into a 'A' (fall) and 'B' (spring) sections, which allows for flexibility for scheduling. Also, our grading scale is the traditional 10 point scale A: 100-90, B: 89-80, C:79-70, D:69-60, F:<60 These development classes are about going above and beyond just grades. Development ClassesThe curriculum is created based on our pillar initiatives and include active participation with speakers and programs. The facilitators of these classes have all been trained in the federally funded and accredited Teen Outreach Program (TOP.) These classes will be semester-based classes that carry 0.5 credit hours. -Freshmen Fall Semester – Student Success. Topics: Know thyself, study skills, organizational skills, conflict resolution, professional code switching and dress, community relations, more... -Freshman Spring Semester – Comprehensive Health. Required for graduation. Topics: Mental and emotional health, nutrition, reproductive health, CPR, effects of drug / alcohol / tobacco, more... -Sophomore Fall Semester – Character Ed. Topics: Mental, social, emotional and psychological development, power of the family unit, decision making skills, personal accountability, positive relationships, more... -Sophomore Spring Semester – Leadership. Topics: Values, ethics, principles, integrity decision making ownership, empowerment, delegation, civic responsibility, more... -Junior Fall Semester: College and Career I. Topics: College, career and independent living readiness, SAT / ACT Prep, NCAA eligibility, interview skills, financial literacy, support structure development, more... -Senior Fall Semester: College and Career II or Active participation in desired next life step. Topics will continue during the summer. Athletes will take notes, respond, communicate, question, reflect, write and present. Athletes will also take part in required civic engagements. Academic Requirements and ServicesIn order to compete, athletes must meet a weekly minimum academic requirement of all grades at 70 or higher. These requirements are accompanied with the necessary support structures. (study hall, academic suspensions, tutoring, etc... more below) Academic SupportWe will provide athletes with support structures to help them achieve high levels of success as they prepare to take the next step in fulfilling their calling. Athletes must meet a minimum academic standard each week in order to earn the opportunity to play. The importance of a victory will never outshine the importance of becoming empowered through education. The players will have access to the following support structures: • Weekly grade monitoring • Assigned and monitored study hall assignments • Weekly academic assistance on assignments within power hour remediation schedules • Tutoring as needed • Academic skills development: note taking, organization, study skills, questioning skills, resource materials, etc. • Help with IGPs, course and teacher recommendations • Encouraged Academic Placement Advancement - monitor and guide increasingly appropriate advancements in rigor • SAT / ACT preparation and testing guidance • SCHSL eligibility requirements guidance and monitoring • NCAA initial eligibility - track NCAA core GPAs, Pacing, Test Scores, and Eligibility • NCAA registration support • Guide on requirements for college, university, military, or other professional programs • Compile scholarship information, opportunities, criteria, and assist with applications Details: Purpose: We will provide our athletes with the support structures needed to help them achieve high levels of success and be prepared to take the next step in preparing for their calling. These support structures are aligned with the academic requirements set for participation. We want to not only equip our players with the knowledge to guarantee future successes, but also empower them with the experiences, tools, skills and network to ensure future successes. We will not place the importance of a victory over the importance of empowering our youth with an education. These academic requirements also allow for us to be the most cerebral team on the field on any given night. Method: Our director of academic services will check the players grades each week. These grades will be reported to the head coach and staff by Sunday at 1:00. The players will be organized into performance tiers. Each tier will be accompanied with its own recognitions, requirements and support structures. The players may move up through the tiers as the week progresses. Tier 1: Any player in Tier 1 will have all A’s. These players will be recognized and applauded. These players will also be dismissed from any academic overtimes and study hall for the week. Tier 2: Any player in Tier 2 will have all grades at or above an 85. These players will be recognized and applauded. These players will also be dismissed from any academic overtimes and study hall for the week. Tier 3: Any player in Tier 3 will have all grades at or above a 70. These players will be required to attend at least one academic overtime for each class that is below an 85. These players will also be required to attend study hall on Thursday afternoons. Tier 4: Any player in Tier 4 will have one or more grades BELOW a 70. These players will be required to attend at least two academic overtimes for each class that is below a 70. These players will also be required to attend study hall on Thursday afternoons. These players will be academically suspended for the game this week unless the grade is brought to a 70 or above or receives a teacher’s override*. Tier 5: Any player in Tier 4 for the third week. These players will be required to attend at least two academic overtimes for each class that is below a 70. These players will also be required to attend study hall on Thursday afternoons. These players will be suspended from this week’s game regardless and from all football related activities until all grades are at or above a 70. *A teacher may override any academic suspension if they advocate on the players efforts. |
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Post by CS on Apr 4, 2022 10:30:30 GMT -6
Are you doing this because you think it will help you recruit players to your program through the parents?
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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 4, 2022 10:34:34 GMT -6
Are you doing this because you think it will help you recruit players to your program through the parents? Coach, I sure you were responding to @optoin1 but I'll reply saying, yes. Ultimately the product on the field is the selling point, but hopefully the parent will also see the bigger picture. |
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Post by CS on Apr 4, 2022 10:41:13 GMT -6
Are you doing this because you think it will help you recruit players to your program through the parents? Coach, I sure you were responding to @optoin1 but I'll reply saying, yes. Ultimately the product on the field is the selling point, but hopefully the parent will also see the bigger picture. Players in my state have to maintain a C average to be eligible to participate in athletics the next semester. So this may be a state thing but a C is a huge accomplishment for some of the ding dongs I have to coach. Are you requiring more than what the state or school requires? |
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Post by groundchuck on Apr 4, 2022 10:44:24 GMT -6
I didn't do a contract.
We did do in-season study table, I also checked grades weekly.
In the off-season I delivered rewards (Smartees Candy) and a post card to each player who made the honor roll. I also posted the names of the players who made the honor rolls in the wt room and outside my classroom which was a high traffic area in the school. For each quarter you made the honor roll the previous year I handed out stickers for their helmet.
For those struggling I mailed home a letter and the gist of it was hey how can I help you? If you need me to me or another coach is happy to help you set up time with a teacher or help you get the resources you might need. I wanted parents to know this was a year-round thing for me. Only once did I have a parent get mad. A mom said I was bullying her son into getting good grades. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 4, 2022 12:04:34 GMT -6
Coach, I sure you were responding to @optoin1 but I'll reply saying, yes. Ultimately the product on the field is the selling point, but hopefully the parent will also see the bigger picture. Players in my state have to maintain a C average to be eligible to participate in athletics the next semester. So this may be a state thing but a C is a huge accomplishment for some of the ding dongs I have to coach. Are you requiring more than what the state or school requires? SC is is pass 5 and have a passing average (D-) Yes we are requiring more than the state minimum. I might add the HC has the ace card 'each circumstance will be evaluated on its individual merits' clause. However, he doesn't mess around if a kid is slacking around. Exceptions are not the norm. |
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Post by carookie on Apr 4, 2022 12:25:01 GMT -6
Coach, I sure you were responding to @optoin1 but I'll reply saying, yes. Ultimately the product on the field is the selling point, but hopefully the parent will also see the bigger picture. Players in my state have to maintain a C average to be eligible to participate in athletics the next semester. So this may be a state thing but a C is a huge accomplishment for some of the ding dongs I have to coach. Are you requiring more than what the state or school requires? Most academic contracts I have seen arent requiring a more stringent standard of achievement (ie must earn a 2.3). But rather a mandatory action plan for athletes whose grade fall below, or near, the state requirement. Such as tutoring, homework checks, grade checks, etc. |
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Post by tripsclosed on Apr 4, 2022 12:47:12 GMT -6
Coach, I sure you were responding to @optoin1 but I'll reply saying, yes. Ultimately the product on the field is the selling point, but hopefully the parent will also see the bigger picture. Players in my state have to maintain a C average to be eligible to participate in athletics the next semester. So this may be a state thing but a C is a huge accomplishment for some of the ding dongs I have to coach. Are you requiring more than what the state or school requires? I absolutely will enforce the district minimum to the nth degree, even if it costs me a title, but only up to the district standard. I think it's kind of absurd that many high school and collegiate programs try to enforce a stricter standard than what the official minimum is...It's like look, these people are already strapped for time playing sports AND trying to meet the minimum academic standard, what makes them think most of them are going to be able to do even better without risking sleep deprivation and/or mental health?? In other words, they should have to keep the minimum standard that all other non-athlete students do, but then shouldnt be expected to go above and beyond that just because they are athletes. Lol |
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 4, 2022 17:33:33 GMT -6
Players in my state have to maintain a C average to be eligible to participate in athletics the next semester. So this may be a state thing but a C is a huge accomplishment for some of the ding dongs I have to coach. Are you requiring more than what the state or school requires? I absolutely will enforce the district minimum to the nth degree, even if it costs me a title, but only up to the district standard. I think it's kind of absurd that many high school and collegiate programs try to enforce a stricter standard than what the official minimum is...It's like look, these people are already strapped for time playing sports AND trying to meet the minimum academic standard, what makes them think most of them are going to be able to do even better without risking sleep deprivation and/or mental health?? In other words, they should have to keep the minimum standard that all other non-athlete students do, but then shouldnt be expected to go above and beyond that just because they are athletes. Lol I understand this point of view, but the minimum standard is such a RIDICULOUSLY LOW BAR that I can see someone wanting to hold a higher standard to someone involved in his/her program. |
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Post by jstoss24 on Apr 4, 2022 19:16:39 GMT -6
I absolutely will enforce the district minimum to the nth degree, even if it costs me a title, but only up to the district standard. I think it's kind of absurd that many high school and collegiate programs try to enforce a stricter standard than what the official minimum is...It's like look, these people are already strapped for time playing sports AND trying to meet the minimum academic standard, what makes them think most of them are going to be able to do even better without risking sleep deprivation and/or mental health?? In other words, they should have to keep the minimum standard that all other non-athlete students do, but then shouldnt be expected to go above and beyond that just because they are athletes. Lol In NC, the only rule is only that you can’t be failing more than one class. With 4 classes, you could have a 0.5 GPA and still be eligible. I don’t know how we can say we are doing our job and reward a student with a 0.5 GPA with the privilege of playing football. High School is easy. Show up every day and turn in all your work and you’re gonna get at least a C in every class. Also, I think we absolutely should hold our players to a higher academic standard than regular students just because they are football players. They are the face of the school to a lot of people and they have a target on their back just for being football players. They are also a reflection of us as coaches. If we don’t push them to be their absolute best as students, we’re not doing our job. |
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Post by CS on Apr 5, 2022 3:36:57 GMT -6
I absolutely will enforce the district minimum to the nth degree, even if it costs me a title, but only up to the district standard. I think it's kind of absurd that many high school and collegiate programs try to enforce a stricter standard than what the official minimum is...It's like look, these people are already strapped for time playing sports AND trying to meet the minimum academic standard, what makes them think most of them are going to be able to do even better without risking sleep deprivation and/or mental health?? In other words, they should have to keep the minimum standard that all other non-athlete students do, but then shouldnt be expected to go above and beyond that just because they are athletes. Lol In NC, the only rule is only that you can’t be failing more than one class. With 4 classes, you could have a 0.5 GPA and still be eligible. I don’t know how we can say we are doing our job and reward a student with a 0.5 GPA with the privilege of playing football. High School is easy. Show up every day and turn in all your work and you’re gonna get at least a C in every class. Also, I think we absolutely should hold our players to a higher academic standard than regular students just because they are football players. They are the face of the school to a lot of people and they have a target on their back just for being football players. They are also a reflection of us as coaches. If we don’t push them to be their absolute best as students, we’re not doing our job. Yeah that’s a pretty low standard, but I think a c average requirement is just fine. I agree that high school can be easy for most but it’s really not for some kids and holding them to a higher standard than is required is silly imo. I’m a fairly smart guy but I took trig in school and struggled to get a D. Went to tutoring everyday before class and did all the assignments. I know that’s a higher level math class but that’s how some kids feel going into algebra |
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Post by jstoss24 on Apr 5, 2022 5:38:29 GMT -6
In NC, the only rule is only that you can’t be failing more than one class. With 4 classes, you could have a 0.5 GPA and still be eligible. I don’t know how we can say we are doing our job and reward a student with a 0.5 GPA with the privilege of playing football. High School is easy. Show up every day and turn in all your work and you’re gonna get at least a C in every class. Also, I think we absolutely should hold our players to a higher academic standard than regular students just because they are football players. They are the face of the school to a lot of people and they have a target on their back just for being football players. They are also a reflection of us as coaches. If we don’t push them to be their absolute best as students, we’re not doing our job. Yeah that’s a pretty low standard, but I think a c average requirement is just fine. I agree that high school can be easy for most but it’s really not for some kids and holding them to a higher standard than is required is silly imo. I’m a fairly smart guy but I took trig in school and struggled to get a D. Went to tutoring everyday before class and did all the assignments. I know that’s a higher level math class but that’s how some kids feel going into algebra And that's when it's our job to help them however we can. In my experience, a vast majority of kids who are struggling in school are doing so because they don't go to class or they don't turn in their work. There are always going to be kids who struggle, but if we don't have high expectations of them, how can they have high expectations of themselves? I'm also not saying every kid needs to have a 4.0 GPA. To me, the hardest part about a minimum GPA is that you need it to be low enough that it's achievable for everybody, but not so low that your smarter kids can slack. I wouldn't go any lower than a 2.0 minimum, but I would love to be able to set it at a 2.5. |
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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 5, 2022 8:57:27 GMT -6
I'll add a couple of more things about our school and the HC.
We are the 'inner city' school of our county. We have about 1800 kids. We are 70% free/reduced lunch, but also are one of the top AP schools in the state. We have a weird demographic dynamic; we basically have no middle class kids other than the teacher kids. Also the admin has been trying to implement what we call a ;power hour' lunch schedule. that has been hit or miss for the last couple of years b/c of the wuhuflu.
The power hour is outside of the traditional 7 period day. During the lunch hour, it is split into an A and B segment. Kids can eat during either A or B, and then have the other for a choice of activities, clubs, or tutoring. The incentive/punishment for this is that if a kid has below a C (<69), then the tutoring is required for one of the segments. So some of the football program's requirements fall inline with the overall school expectations.
Within the HC's academic expectations there are really several parachutes/pillows built in; some spelled out to the kids, some just hinted around. Now I will say this, the HC doesn't play around. If he says, "coachwoodall I don't know why you are working Jimmy Halfback at safety this week b/c he ain't going to eligible", then I make sure I coach the hades out of Johnny Benchwarmer this week.
Things like:
-HC doesn't count grades for the 1st 2 weeks of each nine weeks. His reasoning is that teachers don't have any/many grades in the grade book yet. So this basically means every kids gets the incentive to be able to dress at the start of the season no matter what. Also, the start of the 2nd grading quarter is right at the start of the playoffs. So the reality is that the only real threat of losing a player is during the conference schedule. Also, the suspensions are week to week; grades are checked Sunday and warnings are sent out, then then again on Thursday afternoon for final notices.
Also the required study halls are Tuesday/Thursday. If a kid DOES'T have study hall, he gets about 30 minutes before the practice routine on Tuesday and Thursday he can leave right after school (we have a walk through in the morning before school).
-We have several teachers that volunteer their time to help any of the kids that really want/need help during the after school tutoring time; the faculty really takes pride in the school community. Also teachers have the right to override a game suspension if they feel like the kid is really trying, or if they have a special circumstance. Our academic coach works really hard to be the liaison between the teachers and the HC
-The HC does a pretty good job of figuring out what is going on the lives of the 'troubled few'. He is a straight shooter with both the kids and the parents. So if a kid has circumstances that might not be readily evident, he will cut the kid some slack, but not forever. He also does a great job of shooting down any arguments to the contrary of his grade policy expectations.
-The staff also has a full time academic coach that does not coach on the grass. We also have a 'heart coach' as the HC calls it.. He is a former coach/former player that grew up in the community (he is our ISS person) that comes to practice. He will make house calls to check in players/parents. He is guy you can send a player to if he's having a bad/melt down/needs a timeout/etc... just a guy that cares about the program and the kids.
Also the HC will do things like suspend a kid but make him stand on the sideline in street clothes. So that one, the kid doesn't get a Friday night 'off'', and two so he can walk by that kid and say, "See, Tommy Numbertwo can play your spot just as good as you".
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Post by chi5hi on Apr 5, 2022 12:46:47 GMT -6
We are trying to find a way to sell parents on the idea that we will/can help their child with academics. Does anyone have an academic contract of sorts that they use to show what your program does to support student-athletes? Why not have a parent/player/coaches meeting and just tell them what you want to say, face to face. I would be cautious about having a contract for them to sign. It just might (in some way) step on the admin. toes. Why take a chance? |
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Post by option1 on Apr 5, 2022 13:30:37 GMT -6
Are you doing this because you think it will help you recruit players to your program through the parents? Parents. We don't have student athlete type parents that use us (sport coaches) to help with Jack when he goes left. They pull him and continue doing the same thing that got them there. Friggin kid is a slap and always has been but now it's footballs fault. Anyway. Report cards just came out and I lost a handful. Although they are eligible (2.0 in Fl) parents don't care, or... We have had study hall 2 days a week since January. I'm looking for a "jazzy" way to get across to parents that we can help. Maybe the word "contract" will mean something to them. |
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Post by fantom on Apr 6, 2022 9:42:32 GMT -6
A thought about the idea of setting athletes' academic requirements higher than the school's:
We coaches often defend school sports as a place where kids learn lessons in life. We consider sports co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. I often read here about kids who need football more than football needs them.
So, why exclude kids who meet state and school district eligibility requirements?
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Post by jstoss24 on Apr 6, 2022 9:52:10 GMT -6
A thought about the idea of setting athletes' academic requirements higher than the school's: We coaches often defend school sports as a place where kids learn lessons in life. We consider sports co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. I often read here about kids who need football more than football needs them. So, why exclude kids who meet state and school district eligibility requirements? We as coaches also push kids to outperform what they, and others, think they are capable of. If a kid is just skating by academically, are we practicing what we preach? From what I've seen, most state and district eligibility requirements are barely enough for a kid to get into college. Not that college is right for everybody, but I refuse to believe 90% of kids aren't capable of being better than a 2.0 student. |
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Post by blb on Apr 6, 2022 10:00:51 GMT -6
A thought about the idea of setting athletes' academic requirements higher than the school's: We coaches often defend school sports as a place where kids learn lessons in life. We consider sports co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. I often read here about kids who need football more than football needs them. So, why exclude kids who meet state and school district eligibility requirements? THIS. 100% this. |
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Post by 44dlcoach on Apr 6, 2022 12:27:31 GMT -6
Our state requirement is a 2.0 in the previous semester. State rules allow kids who don't meet that requirement to stay on the team but they aren't eligible to compete until a 9 week grade check.
A previous school I was at had its own school rule that if a kid didn't meet that 2.0 requirement then they couldn't even be on the roster.
It put us in a position where we always had 3 or 4 (and way more for JV) kids working through summer school right up until the end and we didn't know whether or not we were even going to have them on the roster that season until they finished the summer class.
Something we did that worked really well for us was put in a program requirement that said to be a starter you needed a 2.5 GPA in the previous semester. All of the kids that would previously hover around a 2.0 would suddenly hover around a 2.5. So now our summer school "will he or won't he finish the class" guys weren't going to be kicked off the team if they didn't follow through, they just "couldn't be a starter", and we got to decide what that meant.
It absolutely kept kids in the program for us.
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Post by 44dlcoach on Apr 6, 2022 12:40:03 GMT -6
For whatever it adds I hated our school rule that kept ineligible kids off the roster.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 6, 2022 15:40:14 GMT -6
Our state requirement is a 2.0 in the previous semester. State rules allow kids who don't meet that requirement to stay on the team but they aren't eligible to compete until a 9 week grade check. A previous school I was at had its own school rule that if a kid didn't meet that 2.0 requirement then they couldn't even be on the roster. It put us in a position where we always had 3 or 4 (and way more for JV) kids working through summer school right up until the end and we didn't know whether or not we were even going to have them on the roster that season until they finished the summer class. Something we did that worked really well for us was put in a program requirement that said to be a starter you needed a 2.5 GPA in the previous semester. All of the kids that would previously hover around a 2.0 would suddenly hover around a 2.5. So now our summer school "will he or won't he finish the class" guys weren't going to be kicked off the team if they didn't follow through, they just "couldn't be a starter", and we got to decide what that meant. It absolutely kept kids in the program for us. Doesn’t not being a starter mean, you can’t start the game? Seems pretty straight forward to me. But out of curiosity what did you guys decide it meant? |
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Post by tripsclosed on Apr 6, 2022 15:45:05 GMT -6
A thought about the idea of setting athletes' academic requirements higher than the school's: We coaches often defend school sports as a place where kids learn lessons in life. We consider sports co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. I often read here about kids who need football more than football needs them. So, why exclude kids who meet state and school district eligibility requirements? We as coaches also push kids to outperform what they, and others, think they are capable of. If a kid is just skating by academically, are we practicing what we preach? From what I've seen, most state and district eligibility requirements are barely enough for a kid to get into college. Not that college is right for everybody, but I refuse to believe 90% of kids aren't capable of being better than a 2.0 student. Coach, say your school requires a 2.0 GPA, and one season you decide to bump your requirement up to a 3.0 GPA, and you lose a decent amount of guys who stayed above a 2.0 as sophomores but cant make a 3.0 as juniors, what then? Is it just oh well? Not trying to be a smart@$$, just asking. |
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Post by Defcord on Apr 6, 2022 15:50:36 GMT -6
A thought about the idea of setting athletes' academic requirements higher than the school's: We coaches often defend school sports as a place where kids learn lessons in life. We consider sports co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. I often read here about kids who need football more than football needs them. So, why exclude kids who meet state and school district eligibility requirements? We as coaches also push kids to outperform what they, and others, think they are capable of. If a kid is just skating by academically, are we practicing what we preach? From what I've seen, most state and district eligibility requirements are barely enough for a kid to get into college. Not that college is right for everybody, but I refuse to believe 90% of kids aren't capable of being better than a 2.0 student. If a kid chooses only to be a good enough scholar to be eligible for sports, I can live with that. I’m there to encourage him to do better and let him know how doing better can benefit him, but I’m not there to force him to meet a higher standard than what the state and school implement. Some of the life lesson is you have to make decisions that have results that aren’t optimal. Our job is to give them information and guidance. |
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Post by blb on Apr 6, 2022 16:01:07 GMT -6
It always struck me as extremely hypocritical, first, that schools gave diplomas to kids who were-would've been ineligible for athletics.
And second, if eligibility standards are such effective motivation for improved academic performance, why aren't they applied to ALL Extra-Curriculars (music, drama, clubs, etc.)?
Having eligibility rules higher than your state's (or school's) seems unnecessarily punitive and exclusionary. The assumption would be that sports participation was the cause for poor grades when in fact the opposite is true - studies have shown for decades that kids tend to do better academically when they are involved in athletics.
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Post by 44dlcoach on Apr 6, 2022 17:21:28 GMT -6
Our state requirement is a 2.0 in the previous semester. State rules allow kids who don't meet that requirement to stay on the team but they aren't eligible to compete until a 9 week grade check. A previous school I was at had its own school rule that if a kid didn't meet that 2.0 requirement then they couldn't even be on the roster. It put us in a position where we always had 3 or 4 (and way more for JV) kids working through summer school right up until the end and we didn't know whether or not we were even going to have them on the roster that season until they finished the summer class. Something we did that worked really well for us was put in a program requirement that said to be a starter you needed a 2.5 GPA in the previous semester. All of the kids that would previously hover around a 2.0 would suddenly hover around a 2.5. So now our summer school "will he or won't he finish the class" guys weren't going to be kicked off the team if they didn't follow through, they just "couldn't be a starter", and we got to decide what that meant. It absolutely kept kids in the program for us. Doesn’t not being a starter mean, you can’t start the game? Seems pretty straight forward to me. But out of curiosity what did you guys decide it meant? We decided it meant the first two series. |
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Post by jstoss24 on Apr 6, 2022 17:23:29 GMT -6
Coach, say your school requires a 2.0 GPA, and one season you decide to bump your requirement up to a 3.0 GPA, and you lose a decent amount of guys who stayed above a 2.0 as sophomores but cant make a 3.0 as juniors, what then? Is it just oh well? Not trying to be a smart@$$, just asking. i wouldn’t change it from year to year. If my program standard is 2.0, it’s 2.0. If it’s 2.5, it’s 2.5. I’m not trying to use it to screw guys, but I want them to be held accountable academically. If a kid chooses only to be a good enough scholar to be eligible for sports, I can live with that. I’m there to encourage him to do better and let him know how doing better can benefit him, but I’m not there to force him to meet a higher standard than what the state and school implement. Some of the life lesson is you have to make decisions that have results that aren’t optimal. Our job is to give them information and guidance. At the end of the day. I will not let a player with a 0.5 GPA (whom the state of North Carolina deems eligible to participate) play because if I can’t trust him to go to class or turn in his assignments, how can I trust him to remember what he’s supposed to do or to not jump offsides on 4th down with the game on the line. What lesson are we teaching by saying you don’t need to give your best effort? Kids don’t learn a lesson about the consequences of their actions if there are none. If you don’t show up to your job or don’t do everything you need to do at work, you’re going to get fired. If you don’t go to class or don’t turn in your work, there should be a consequence. Playing sports is a privilege, not a right. |
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Post by 44dlcoach on Apr 6, 2022 17:24:32 GMT -6
It always struck me as extremely hypocritical, first, that schools gave diplomas to kids who were-would've been ineligible for athletics. And second, if eligibility standards are such effective motivation for improved academic performance, why aren't they applied to ALL Extra-Curriculars (music, drama, clubs, etc.)? Having eligibility rules higher than your state's (or school's) seems unnecessarily punitive and exclusionary. The assumption would be that sports participation was the cause for poor grades when in fact the opposite is true - studies have shown for decades that kids tend to do better academically when they are involved in athletics. This is exactly why I really hated the school rule that kids under a 2.0 couldn't even be on the team. I guess the logic was that having less structured time after school and fewer adults around them would give them more time for homework and studying. |
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Post by tripsclosed on Apr 6, 2022 17:27:08 GMT -6
Coach, say your school requires a 2.0 GPA, and one season you decide to bump your requirement up to a 3.0 GPA, and you lose a decent amount of guys who stayed above a 2.0 as sophomores but cant make a 3.0 as juniors, what then? Is it just oh well? Not trying to be a smart@$$, just asking. i wouldn’t change it from year to year. If my program standard is 2.0, it’s 2.0. If it’s 2.5, it’s 2.5. I’m not trying to use it to screw guys, but I want them to be held accountable academically. If a kid chooses only to be a good enough scholar to be eligible for sports, I can live with that. I’m there to encourage him to do better and let him know how doing better can benefit him, but I’m not there to force him to meet a higher standard than what the state and school implement. Some of the life lesson is you have to make decisions that have results that aren’t optimal. Our job is to give them information and guidance. At the end of the day. I will not let a player with a 0.5 GPA (whom the state of North Carolina deems eligible to participate) play because if I can’t trust him to go to class or turn in his assignments, how can I trust him to remember what he’s supposed to do or to not jump offsides on 4th down with the game on the line. What lesson are we teaching by saying you don’t need to give your best effort? Kids don’t learn a lesson about the consequences of their actions if there are none. If you don’t show up to your job or don’t do everything you need to do at work, you’re going to get fired. If you don’t go to class or don’t turn in your work, there should be a consequence. Playing sports is a privilege, not a right. Coach i do feel ya on that last part 👍🏻 |
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