1. Division I Initial-Eligibility Waivers and PSA Review
Steve Clar and Alex Smith
NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs

2. Overview New legislation/interpretations. Initial-eligibility waivers.
Hot topics/trends.
PSA Review.
Basics.
Statistics.
Hot topics.
Best practices.

3. New Legislation and Interpretations Related to Initial Eligibility

4. NCAA Proposal No
Individuals with a diagnosed education-impacting disorder (EID) may use up to three core courses after high school graduation.
Must graduate on time.
Must complete courses prior to full-time collegiate enrollment.
Adopted January 2009.
Effective for PSAs enrolling full time on or after August1, 2010.

5. Proposal No
What if a PSA does not graduate after eight semesters?
Or, is already enrolled in a postsecondary program and needs more than three courses?
Or, both?

6. Proposal No
All PSAs will be reviewed under the new legislation.
For , PSAs may be reviewed favorably through the academic intercept process pursuant to the following criteria.

7. Proposal No
The PSA received notice from NCAA disability services indicating the prior legislation was still applicable; or
Was diagnosed with an EID prior to August 1, 2009; and
is the PSA’s final year of high school; and
Is a qualifier with the inclusion of courses.

8. Proposal No. 2008-34 The PSA will be certified as a nonqualifier.
The Web status report will indicate “waiver approved.”
Institutions will not be required to file a waiver!
The PSA Review process may necessitate further review of an individual’s academic credentials.

9. Proposal No
For all other PSAs, institutions may file an initial-eligibility waiver.
The following factors will be considered:
Documented history of an EID.
Documented history of the PSA accessing accommodations.
Placement of the PSA on an extended graduation path.
Proactive attempts by the PSA to satisfy initial eligibility.
The institution’s proactive attempts to advise the PSA.

10. Proposal No
NCAA Division I Academic Cabinet appeal (“second appeal”) eliminated.
NCAA Division I Initial-Eligibility Waiver Committee is the final appellate body.
Staff authorized to decide all EID cases.
Still no minimum threshold for review.
Effective May 1, 2010.

11. Proposal No
In order to be acceptable, a nontraditional course must:
Be taught by an instructor;
Include ongoing access and interaction between instructor and student;
Provide a mechanism to evaluate a student’s work;
Be administered consistent with established policy; and
Include a defined time period for completion.
Effective August 1, 2010.

12. September 4, 2009 Staff Interpretation
A repeated course (including credit recovery) must be substantially comparable, qualitatively and quantitatively (e.g., content, textbook, assessments, duration), to the previously attempted course.

13. October 24, 2008 Official Interpretation
PSA may not use a core course, including an online course, to satisfy initial-eligibility requirements if enrolled in the course while also receiving athletically related aid to attend a summer term.  
The course must be completed prior to receiving athletically related aid to attend a summer term, or
Enrolled in and completed entirely after the summer term.

14. Initial-Eligibility Waivers

15. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Hot Topics
Academic support plans.
Early enrollees.
Requesting an initial-eligibility waiver without a final certification.

16. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Academic Support Plans
Plan requirement concept adopted by Academic Cabinet.
Designed to facilitate academic success of SAs.
Institutions can proactively approach academic support.
Consistent with Facilitating Learning and Achieving Graduation (FLAG)/Graduation Risk Overview (GRO).
Plans may be a required element of initial-eligibility waivers.

17. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Academic Support Plans
Designed to help staff make better waiver analyses.
Consistent with other staff waiver processes.
Is the PSA academically prepared for college?
Staff can request on a case-by-case basis.
Academic Cabinet will revisit during June meeting.

18. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Early Enrollment – Case Study
Anikin attends Skywalker High from September 2006 through December 2009.
Makes official visit to Vader University October 25, 2009.
With the inclusion of fall 2009, he will present:
14 core courses.
Deficient two units of additional core.
3.450 core-course GPA.
1120 SAT score.

19. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Early Enrollment – Case Study
Vader’s coaches encourage enrollment for spring.
Graduates from Skywalker High December 21, 2009.
Enrolls in two correspondence courses December 29, 2009.
Completes both courses January 12, 2010.
Begins full-time enrollment at Vader January 19, 2010.

20. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Early Enrollment – Case Study
Anikin’s final transcript received January 26, 2010.
File identified for PSA Review on January 28, 2010.
All courses invalidated through PSA Review process March 1, 2010.
Initial-eligibility waiver filed prior to spring practice beginning March 28, 2010.

21. Initial-Eligibility Waivers Early Enrollment – Case Study
Waiver analysis.
Academic readiness?
Mitigation?
Misadvisement? Lack of advisement?
Spring practice?
Conditional approvals?

22. PSA Review

23. PSA Review Basics Authority. Initiation. Review.
NCAA Bylaw – NCAA Student Records Review Committee – review of academic credentials.
Bylaw – institutional responsibility.
Initiation.
During the academic certification process when irregularities are noted in the PSA’s academic record.
Can be triggered during preliminary or final certification process.
Review.
PSA’s entire academic record, focusing on irregularities.

24. PSA Review Basics Process.
The NCAA Eligibility Center staff identifies academic records for review.
Review is assigned to an academic and membership affairs staff member.
Academic and membership affairs staff member works with the institution to obtain additional information.
Academic coursework may be validated or invalidated.
Institution may appeal a staff denial to the Student Records Review Committee.

25. PSA Review Basics Important notes.
Core-course determinations are not made during the PSA Review process.
Only coursework that is deemed core may be reviewed.
Even after the PSA Review is completed, member institutions have an obligation to report any discrepancies in a PSA’s academic record.

26. PSA Review Statistics Four-Year Comparison
Total Cases
Validated
Invalidated
Pending
Withdrawn/Suspended
SRRC Appeals
371
288 37 46 7
376
183 24
169 8
162 81 20 61 5
310
232 57 14
statistics through 2/28/10
Note trends

27. PSA Review Statistics Academic year 2009-10. 75 percent validated.
18 percent invalidated.
Of eight appeals to Student Record Review Committee, seven upheld staff decision.

28. PSA Review Statistics Men’s sports. 285 total cases. 214 validated.
52 invalidated.
Football: 33 of 164.
Basketball : 14 of 79.
Other: five of 26.

29. PSA Review Statistics Women’s sports. 25 total cases. 18 validated.
Five invalidated.

30. PSA Review Hot Topics
Proposal No and potential for increased number of PSA Reviews.
Nontraditional courses.
Proposal No
Level of review.
Evidence of academic soundness.

31. PSA Review Case Example – Leia
Leia is a soccer PSA.
Leia attended High School No. 1 for grades nine, 10, 11 and part of 12.
She left her school February 1 of her senior year and enrolled at High School No. 2 for the rest of the academic year and graduated.
Leia had completed 10 core courses at School No. 1 with a core GPA of
She completed eight full-unit core courses in four months at High School No. 2 with a core GPA of

32. PSA Review Case Example – Leia
Basis for review.
Multiple school attendance in same academic year.
Timeframe for completion of eight full-unit core courses.
Full credit for partial-year attendance.
GPA increase.

33. PSA Review Case Example – Han
Han is a PSA in the sport of swimming.
Han was enrolled at High School No. 1 for grades nine through 12 and graduated.
During the second semester of his senior year, he was concurrently enrolled in an online high school where he completed the following full-unit courses: English IV, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Spanish 1-3, Sociology and Psychology. The start/end dates of the online courses ranged from six days to three months.

34. PSA Review Case Example – Han
Basis for review.
Timeframe for course completion.
Sequential math and Spanish courses taken in the same timeframe.
Nine courses taken online concurrently with regular high school enrollment.

35. PSA Review Case Example – Lando
Lando is a PSA in the sport of tennis.
Lando attended five high schools over a four-year period, after which he graduated.
His proof of graduation is from a school he did not attend.
His GPA fluctuated from to
At two of the schools, he had all withdrawals.
At one school, he completed 11 core courses.
At two schools, he completed two or three core courses.

36. PSA Review Case Example – Lando
Basis for review.
Multiple high school attendance.
GPA fluctuation.
Number of courses achieved in one year compared to other years.
Graduated from a school he did not attend.

37. PSA Review Best Practices
Prior to review.
Check initial-eligibility status early in recruiting process.
Advise PSAs regarding potential heightened scrutiny of various nontraditional methods for obtaining additional core-course units.
Advise PSAs to keep copies of all coursework and document all time on task.

38. PSA Review Best Practices
During review.
Ensure collection and provision of all contemporaneous supporting documentation available from secondary institution:
Coursework.
Grade books/assignment logs.
Attendance/work logs.
Material shipment dates.
In the absence of contemporaneous documentation:
Obtain detailed letters from PSA, academic authorities and tutors outlining and collaborating specific completion of courses at issue.

39. Questions?