APR (Academic Progress Rate)
The APR (Academic Progress Rate) is the rate which includes all team members; each player is rewarded with points known as “R” and “E.” The E stands for the eligibility and means student-athlete meets required standards at the end of the semester. R stands for the retention, and the student-athlete is fully enrolled. For instance, every student-athlete receives four points each year. Every semester, if a student meets the required qualification their receive a score, and if one is fully enrolled, they receive a total of two- points each semester. In the end, the accumulative earned points from the team are divided by total points, and then it is multiplied by a thousand to find the APR score. This score is used to check the student that is eligible to play and also for an award of the top academic team (Petr & McArdle, 2012).
The fundamental purpose of the APP (Academic Performance Program) is to ensure Division I membership dedicated to providing student-athletes with intercollegiate athletics and excellent educational experience in the environment which supports and recognizes the primacy of academic mission of the students while enhancing the ability of female/male student-athletes to earn their four-year degree. Each active student is responsible for their annual submitting documentation demonstrating its compliance with APP, which includes the GSR (graduation success rate), the APR (academic progress rate), and the APC (educational performance census). The Bylaw 23 sets a specific requirement of the APP ( Paskus, 2012).
Besides, the core-course requirement is strengthened for potential students-athletes, and initial eligibility requirements are made more rigorous. While previous initial eligibility continues to provide access to higher education for students that are eligible for practice and athletic financial aid. The APP is designed to ensure that Division I students receive an intercollegiate experience and learning. It covers both the Graduation Success Rate and the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Academic Performance Program encourages students through a penalty and reward system that is directly tied to the team’s academic performance. The CoA (Division I Committee on the Academics) oversees APR as part of the committee responsibilities with the APP. This committee recommends legislative and sets policy changes to Division I Board of directors that have the final say on Division I changes. Academic Progress Rate system includes a reward for the op academic penalties and performance for the team members, which cannot achieve the required educational requirement. The result is announced in spring to reward the top athlete student. According to Miller and Kissinger (2009), student-athletes face various issues that include balancing academic and athletic responsibilities, social activities with the athletics responsibilities, balancing relationship demands with entities like parents, friends, coaches and teammates, balancing injuries and physical health with the need to continue to compete, and balancing athletic failures and success with stable emotions, and addressing one’s termination of their athletic career.
References
Kissinger, D. B., & Miller, M. T. (2009). College Student-Athletes. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.
Paskus, T. (2012). A summary and commentary on the quantitative results of current NCAA academic reforms. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5, 41–53.
Petr, T.A., & McArdle, J.J. (2012). Academic research and reform: A history of the empirical basis for NCAA educational policy. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5, 27–41.