NCAA Academic Reforms (Merged)

[sandgk]

Methomps Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Buckeyeskickbuttocks
Should schools attempt to graduate 100% of entrants? Of course. Should they expect to? Not in a rational world.
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I believe the passing mark represents graduating 50% of student-athletes. That shouldn't be an unreal expectation.

And therein lies my biggest beef with this whole APR / Grad Rate issue.

Set a target, no matter how low and you do the one thing the NCAA is meant to be against -- you debase the degree. It is a thin end of the wedge issue, but it is there.

Frankly, I have always held that the primary goal of a college is to teach, to educate and to uphold academic standards. That should be true for all the students, be they athletically gifted or not. Effectively requiring a set graduation rate undercuts those efforts in many ways, some obvious, some quite subtle. Undercut, nonetheless they are.

Most insidious in the NCAA math is the assumption that a school has failed if a student elects to leave to pursue a professional career. Tell that to Bill Gates please.

Buckeyeskickbuttocks -- This system the NCAA is using stands to punish prospective college students for the misdeeds of current students. It makes no sense. But, then, it is the NCAA.

Ah yes, the law of unintended consequences.

And what precisely was it that the NCAA was (at root) trying to fix. Why fix nothing less than having students get little or no education at all. Ergo, we shall prove that they are getting educated by demanding quantifiable improvement in the graduation rate. This will lead to some bizarre choices in the coming years at other schools. Thankfully the path Tressel et al have chosen to lead seems to hew closer to the core mission of a school of higher learning.

 

[BB73]

The NCAA has released a list of 15 schools with questionable academic standards. They will no longer accept transcripts from the schools, but students already in college are not affecte/.

si.com

NCAA releases list of questionable academic schools

Posted: Wednesday June 7, 2006 2:27PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The NCAA released an initial list of 15 high schools from which it will no longer accept transcripts, including one in Florida with a Web site telling students they can earn a diploma in weeks.

Goliath Academy of Miami Lakes, which offers correspondence and online courses, was among four Florida schools identified with questionable academic credentials Wednesday by the NCAA initial-eligibility clearinghouse. The Associated Press left a telephone message seeking comment from Goliath.

The NCAA board of directors in April gave the association authority to look into so-called "diploma mills," including the examination of individual transcripts. The investigation was accelerated after a New York Times story on University High School, a Miami correspondence school that had no classes or instructors and operated almost without supervision.

A telephone number for University has been disconnected, as has one for American Academy of Miami, which is also on the NCAA list.

"The schools currently under review have been notified and given the opportunity to respond to specific questions regarding the high school," the NCAA said. "Failure to provide a response to the questions will result in a school being invalidated for use in the initial-eligibility process. In addition, onsite visits have been conducted at some high schools to supplement the information considered in the review."

Most of the schools on the initial list of 15 were included because they had not responded to the NCAA request for information. If the information is provided, the NCAA may review its findings.


sportsline

NCAA no longer accepts transcripts from 15 schools

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD noWrap>June 7, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports </TD><TD width=10> </TD><TD align=right><SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--//var dclkFeaturesponsor='http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/sponsorships.spln.com/fs/stories/'+vTag+';'+vTarget+';'+uID+';sz=234x42;tile=5;ord='+random+'?';if (switchDclk != 'off') { if (location.search.substring(1).indexOf('DCLK')>-1) document.write('<input type="text" value="'+dclkFeaturesponsor+'" style="width:">
'); document.write('<script src="'+dclkFeaturesponsor+'"><\/script>'); }// --></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/sponsorships.spln.com/fs/stories/collegefootball;arena=collegefootball;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anonymous;seg=nonaol;ctype=lan;lang=en-us;lang=en-us;vpmp=no;adv=a;cust=no;vip=no;u=RHuH5gq0DKsAABbfK5E;sz=234x42;tile=5;ord=5012500622206637?"></SCRIPT>

<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10> </TD><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 5px 0px 5px 5px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 8px; BORDER-LEFT: #cccccc 1px solid"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- T9484685 --><!-- Sesame Modified: 06/07/2006 17:42:56 --><!-- sversion: 2 $Updated: johnnyr$ -->INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA will no longer accept transcripts from 15 nontraditional high schools, including one in Florida with a website that promises students an opportunity to earn a diploma in weeks.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=310 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=adlabel colSpan=2 height=10></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD align=middle width=300 height=250><SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--//var dclkImu='http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/imus.spln.com/'+vTag+';'+vTarget+';'+uID+';sz=300x250;tile=7;ord='+random+'?';if (switchDclk != 'off') { if (location.search.substring(1).indexOf('DCLK')>-1) document.write('<input type="text" value="'+dclkImu+'" style="width:295px">
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Others include an institution in Maine that offers home schooling and one in Pennsylvania whose charter was revoked by the state three years ago.

Other schools are still being investigated and could face similar sanctions by the NCAA in an attempt to deal with so-called "diploma mills" whose graduates seek athletic scholarships to college. An NCAA spokesman last week said some cases involved abuse and even fraud in academic standards.
Goliath Academy of Miami Lakes, which offers correspondence and online courses, was among four Florida schools identified with questionable academic credentials Wednesday by the NCAA initial-eligibility clearinghouse. A telephone message seeking comment from Goliath was not immediately returned.
The NCAA board of directors in April gave the association authority to look into the schools' standards, including the examination of individual transcripts. The investigation was accelerated after a New York Times story on University High School, a Miami correspondence school that had no classes or instructors and operated almost without supervision.

A telephone number for University has been disconnected, as has one for American Academy of Miami, which is also on the NCAA list.
The North Atlantic Regional High School in Lewiston, Maine, also is on the list and has been notified of the
NCAA's action, school founder Steve Moitozo said.

"They want students who have put in seat time at the school, and our students are home-schooled," said Moitozo, a Baptist minister who founded the school in the 1980s as an offshoot of a support group for families of home-schooled children. "We have state certified teachers who review their work, but they don't have seat time."
Moitozo, whose school claims about 2,400 students, said he would not fight the NCAA's action.

"We fought for home schooling for years and we got that, but this is between them and the family," he said. "It's just not that big a deal to us."
Among others on the initial NCAA list is Einstein Charter School of Morrisville, Pa., whose charter was revoked in 2003 and subsequently lost an appeal to the state. Another school is Celestial Prep of Philadelphia, whose former students include Keith Butler, who later played basketball at Temple, and Omar Williams, who played at George Washington.

The NCAA listing is not retroactive, meaning it won't affect any players already enrolled in college.
More than two dozen other high schools are under review.

"Failure to provide a response to the questions will result in a school being invalidated for use in the initial-eligibility process," the NCAA said. "In addition, onsite visits have been conducted at some high schools to supplement the information considered in the review."
Most of the schools on the initial list of 15 were included because they had not responded to the NCAA request for information. If the information is provided, the NCAA may review its findings.

But a lawyer representing some of the schools said last week the NCAA does not have legal authority to dictate standards for schools that already operate under state sanction.

"Don't get me wrong. There are some schools like that that need to be closed," attorney Don Jackson of Montgomery, Ala., said. "But the problem is, what they are doing now is going in and trying to kill a flea with an atomic bomb. They're going to impact a lot of schools that shouldn't be affected."
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[sandgk]

In the linked sportsline article there is a bit on Page 2 that concerns the recent rules about Graduate transfer ..

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Fleeing the scene [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Chicken Little time? Arizona lost backup quarterback Richard Kovalcheck to Vanderbilt under the new legislation allowing graduate students to transfer immediately. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Some coaches think Proposal No. 2005-54 might wreak havoc. They might be right, but don't ask Vandy coach Bobby Johnson. He is getting an experienced quarterback after losing Jay Cutler; Kovalcheck, who lost his job last year to freshman sensation Willie Tuitama, has 11 career starts. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] At first glance, mid-level schools will be hurt most by No. 2005-54 as players scramble for shots at bigger programs. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] But don't count out depth charts being ripped apart at BCS conference schools. Backups looking for playing time could become hot items. Kovalcheck looked at Vandy to pursue graduate studies in health care, something Arizona didn't offer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Oh, and the quarterback job is wide open, too. [/FONT]

I remember when this was being discussed it came down between those who thought it might be someone transferring to catch a hot grad program in their specialty, or that maybe it would be someone looking to get out from under being a back-up QB. Guess this kid got a 2-for-1 special.

 

[wadc45]

a few more of the schools are mentioned here...

LINK

N.C.A.A. Begins Listing High Schools It Considers Invalid

By PETE THAMEL

</NYT_BYLINE><NYT_TEXT>In its efforts to crack down on secondary schools that give quick and easy grades to high-profile athletes, the NCAA has drawn up an initial list of 15 schools from which it will no longer accept transcripts.

The N.C.A.A.'s plan was outlined in a document that was e-mailed to colleges across the country over the weekend. The list of so-called invalid schools will be made final by July 1. This would allow students who have attended schools under review to know if they could enroll in college this fall.

"That's the first list of subsequent lists," said Kevin Lennon, a vice president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. "More to come, is the way I would look at it."

None of the 15 schools are regarded as an athletic powerhouse.

One of the schools on the list was University High School in Miami, which closed in December in the wake of an investigation by The New York Times that revealed it gave easy grades to high-profile athletes.

Also on the list were Celestial Prep in Philadelphia and Philadelphia Christian School, two schools attended by the former George Washington University star Omar Williams, who graduated from the university this spring. Williams's questionable academic record in high school drew scrutiny from George Washington's faculty senate.

A number of schools that have come under scrutiny for their questionable academic standards were not on the initial list. Lennon said that N.C.A.A. staff members had visited at least seven schools and that they were currently on the road visiting other questionable schools.

Lennon confirmed that Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia was one of the schools the N.C.A.A. had visited. Lutheran Christian is coached by Darryl Schofield, the former coach at Celestial Prep and Philadelphia Christian School.

In an article in The Times in February, four former Lutheran Christian players were quoted as saying that they were not required to attend classes and that their only teacher was Schofield. In an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday, Schofield called the publicity surrounding his school and the N.C.A.A. investigation "a public lynching." Reached on his cellphone last night, Schofield hung up and did not respond.

The e-mailed document also noted that the N.C.A.A. could deny a transcript from schools not on the invalid list. The N.C.A.A. has given its clearinghouse the authority to deny transcripts that reflect questionable jumps in grade point average.

 

[BB73]

sportsline

Transcripts from 16 more schools disallowed by NCAA

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD noWrap>July 5, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA on Wednesday added 16 nontraditional high schools, seven of them in Santa Ana, Calif., to a list of those whose transcripts will no longer be accepted because of questionable academic credentials.

Five schools were removed from an original list of 15 released last month after a review by the NCAA. Other schools are still being investigated and could face similar sanctions in the association's attempt to crack down on so-called "diploma mills" whose graduates seek athletic scholarships to college.

"The vast majority of high schools in the country, public and private, do a fine job of educating their students," NCAA vice president Kevin Lennon said. "But we will continue to be vigilant to ferret out those schools that are providing miraculous academic recoveries for students in a short amount of time and with little-to-no instruction. Hardly anyone would claim that legitimate education takes place under those kinds of conditions."

In April, the NCAA board of directors gave the association authority to look into the schools' standards, including the examination of individual transcripts. When the initial list of 15 was released last month, Lennon said some cases involved abuse and even fraud in their academic standards.
About 100 schools have been reviewed so far, based on irregularities in academic records, their nontraditional course content or their requests for approval from the NCAA clearinghouse, Lennon said. Those that did not meet NCAA standards or did not adequately respond to requests for information were placed on the list.

NCAA President Myles Brand said there already have been positive results.
"Several 'storefront' schools have closed their doors," he said. "We have discouraged other similar schools from beginning operation, and college and university admissions offices are paying closer attention to transcripts from students who attend nontraditional high schools."

Those removed from the original list of 15 schools were: Hawaii Electronic, Honolulu; Martinez Adult Education, Martinez, Calif.; Ranch Academy, Canton, Texas; Tazewell (Va.) City Career and Tech Center; and Virginia Beach (Va.) Central Academy.

The 16 added Wednesday include Access, Horizon, Joplin, Los Pinos, Lyon, Otto A. Fischer and Rio Contiguo, all of Santa Ana. The NCAA said 22 others have been cleared for only those graduates entering college this fall and are subject to review.

Five other schools have applied to the NCAA clearinghouse, but no decision has been made on their status for initial eligibility. They are Educational Consultants, Midlothian, Va.; God's Academy, Grand Prairie, Texas; Mill Creek Baptist School, Youngstown, Ohio; New Life Academy, Salt Lake City; and Progressive Christian Academy, Camp Springs, Md.

The NCAA listing is not retroactive, meaning it won't affect any athletes already enrolled in college.

 

[BB73]

sportsline

Oak Hill, Fork Union cleared in NCAA 'diploma mill' investigation

RICHMOND, Va. -- The NCAA's investigation of possible "diploma mills" no longer includes Oak Hill Academy and Fork Union Military Academy, the organization said Friday.

After visiting the two Virginia campuses, NCAA officials determined that the schools' grades and course work will continue to be used in determining athletic eligibility for students moving on to college.

Oak Hill Academy, a perennial basketball powerhouse with Carmelo Anthony and Jerry Stackhouse among its alums, and Fork Union Military Academy, which has helped produce more than 70 NFL players, including Vinny Testaverde, were among dozens of nontraditional high schools whose academic standards were targeted for review by the NCAA.

The schools were placed on the list because of "irregularities in some of the academic information submitted to the NCAA for student-athletes," Kevin C. Lennon, NCAA vice president for membership services, said in a written statement.

In particular, the NCAA was concerned about irregular course work and grade patterns at the two schools, Lennon said. The use of course work to rectify NCAA academic deficiencies also was identified as an issue at Fork Union, he said.

Information provided by the two schools alleviated the NCAA's concerns, said Lennon, who emphasized that neither school was ever placed on the "not cleared" list.

 

[sandgk]

More Graduate Transfers this time to FLA

AP at ESPN

New life for Ute CB, with his old master, Meyer in sunny Florida.

Courtesy of the new NCAA rules governing transfers by graduate players.

Post-grad pigskin: Former Ute Smith joins Florida
<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" width="100%"> Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's depleted secondary got a boost Tuesday when former Utah starter Ryan Smith joined the team. Smith, who could replace departed cornerback Avery Atkins, is eligible to play this season under new NCAA legislation that allows athletes who graduate and have eligibility remaining to transfer without sitting out a year. Smith started 12 games for the Utes in 2004 under then-coach Urban Meyer and had 44 tackles and an interception. He started the first five games last year, but was replaced in the lineup midway though the season because coach Kyle Whittingham said others were "playing better." Smith left the Utes after spring practice, saying he was physically and mentally exhausted from the game. Now, he has been reunited with Meyer and could play a big role for Florida. Atkins was released from his scholarship in late June, a week after he was accused of striking the mother of his 2-month-old child. Atkins asked for his release before the alleged battery, but Meyer denied the request after talking with family members. Meyer eventually relented. A week later, reports surfaced that Smith planned to transfer to Florida provided he completed his undergraduate degree in the summer. He did so last week and has been accepted to Florida's graduate program. He was expected to practice with the Gators for the first time Tuesday afternoon and has two years of eligibility remaining. Without Atkins, Meyer moved safety Reggie Nelson to cornerback to start opposite seldom-used senior Reggie Lewis. But Florida's secondary became even thinner Monday, when freshman safety Bryan Thomas had arthroscopic knee surgery. Thomas twisted his knee in practice Sunday, bursting a blood vessel near his anterior cruciate ligament. He will be sidelined four to six weeks. The NCAA approved the graduate-transfer rule in April, ending a one-year waiting period for student-athletes who graduate and want to transfer in football, basketball and hockey. So far, three prominent football players -- including Smith -- have taken advantage of the change. Offensive lineman Tyler Krieg transferred from Duke to California, and quarterback Richard Kovalcheck transferred from Arizona to Vanderbilt.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

See no evil
Let's hear some more talk from the NCAA about its concern for the ``student-athlete" as ESPN begins college football games on Friday nights. No one flinched when ESPN began Tuesday night games to go along with its package of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (on holidays) games. Friday night is now part of the deal, which is a direct slap at high school football. ESPN has tried to placate high school interests with money and television exposure for some high-profile high school programs. South Florida hosts Rutgers tonight in a game that leaves South Florida coach Jim Leavitt with mixed emotions. ``High schools, I think, should have Friday nights," said Leavitt. ``But we're going to do it. We're fortunate to play on television. But I've always been a big proponent of high school football. It is what it is."
Other schools -- and conferences such as Conference USA -- make their own deals with the devil.
``I'm a traditionalist," said Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins. ``I feel college football should be played on Saturdays. We did play a Friday game [against Toledo] a couple of weeks ago, so you can say I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but we thought about it and it was a very difficult decision. We missed only one day of classes and as a one-time experience with the exposure, it wasn't that bad. But it is not something we're going to do very often."
Friday night at least is part of the weekend, but Tuesday night? Conference USA has signed off on Tuesday nights, producing Southern Mississippi at Central Florida this week. Television money is one thing, but what is the tradition of Tuesday night college football? Student-athlete concerns ring hollow. Apparently the phrase, ``Just say no" doesn't apply when ESPN or another network flashes some coin. Next week's schedule has Southern Miss. at Tulsa Tuesday night; Central Florida at Marshall Wednesday night; Florida State at North Carolina State and Texas Christian at Utah Thursday; Louisville at Middle Tennessee Friday night; and Northern Illinois at Miami (Ohio) Sunday night. Oh, the NCAA allowed some Saturday games as well.