High school athletic/academic eligibility standards

[TheHacker]

Curious to know about the academic minimums high school students must meet in order to be eligible to play sports in different states. Three I know of:

PA: Students must pass at least four full-credit courses, individual school systems are free to establish stricter standards.

VA: Students must past at least five classes for credit, and again school systems can add further requirements on top of that.

MD: County school systems each set their own requirements -- there is no state-wide standard.

What are the rules in your state?

 

[CR19]

Here in the Bay State, from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association:

A student must secure during the last marking period preceding the contest (e.g. second quarter marks and not semester grades determine third quarter eligibility) a passing grade, and full credit, in the equivalent of four traditional year long major English courses. A transfer student may not gain academic eligibility if he/she was not, or would not be, eligible at the sending school, unless transfer was necessitated by a move of parents and then eligibility would be determined by receiving schools eligibility standards. (see Rule 57.7.1)

Basically, if you're passing your classes, you're fine.

 

[mustangj17]

I always though the academic standards in Michigan were you had to have a 2.0 to compete and not be failing more than one class. However, I've had student-athletes below that threshold who have been allowed to compete with a 1.8, or a 1.5 if they met certain requirements:

-Made 90 percent of the classes.
-Turned in all homework
-Went to study hall 3 times a week to improve their grades.

(This was usually at the athletic director's discretion, but generally speaking if the kid was under a 2.0 I wouldn't let them on the team.)

 

[WolvEagle]

Mustang - I was covering your school when it raised the academic standards to 2.0 across the board. Lots of people howled - and fewer kids were ineligible because they worked harder at their grades.

Seems to me that a "C" average isn't too much to ask.

 

[mustangj17]

Mustang - I was covering your school when it raised the academic standards to 2.0 across the board. Lots of people howled - and fewer kids were ineligible because they worked harder at their grades.

Seems to me that a "C" average isn't too much to ask.

They've definitely loosened the rules since then I had a girl with a 1.5 who was allowed to be on the team (we cut her because we didn't want the hassle), anyway it must mean the standard in Michigan is pretty loose.

 

[TheHacker]

Found this on the Michigan state athletic association site, among a list of things for students to know about eligibility:

5. You have received credit for the equivalent of at least 66 percent of full class-load potential for a full time student in the previous academic term.

6. You are currently passing the equivalent of at least 66 percent of full class-load potential for a full time student.

I've looked at a bunch of state sites today ... seems like everyone has some set of minimal standards except for Maryland, where the schools can do whatever they want.