LSDBi
Division II Proposal - NC-2025-1
ELIGIBILITY -- FRESHMAN ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS -- ELIGIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AID, PRACTICE AND COMPETITION -- QUALIFIERS AND PARTIAL QUALIFIERS -- CORE-CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS AND NONTRADITIONAL COURSES -- MODERNIZATION OF CORE-COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Convention Year: 2025
Date Submitted: October 25, 2023
Status: Adopted Final
Effective Date: August 1, 2024, for high school account, program or course reviews that occur on or after August 1, 2024.
Official Notice Number: NC-2025-1
Source: NCAA Division II Management Council (Academic Requirements Committee).
Proposal Category: Noncontroversial
Topical Area: Eligibility
Intent: To modernize core-course requirements to encompass all delivery models; further, to eliminate the legislative distinction for nontraditional courses, as specified.
Bylaws: Amend 14.3, as follows:
[Common provision, Divisions I and II only, divided vote]
14.3 Freshman Academic Requirements.
14.3.1 Eligibility for Financial Aid, Practice and Competition -- Qualifiers and Partial Qualifiers .
[14.3.1.1 through 14.3.1.2 unchanged.]
14.3.1.3 Core-Curriculum Requirements. For purposes of meeting the core-curriculum requirement to establish eligibility at a member institution, a "core course" A course must meet all of the following criteria to satisfy core-curriculum requirements:
(a) A course must be a recognized academic course and qualify forThe curriculum for the course meets high school graduation creditrequirements in one or a combination of the following areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreignworld language, philosophy or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy (e.g., comparative religion);
(b) A course must be considered college-preparatory by the high school. College-preparatory is defined for these purposes as any course that prepares a student academically to enter a four-year collegiate institution on graduation from high schoolThe curriculum for the course must meet college preparatory criteria for content (e.g., standard, learning objectives, competencies) and rigor of performance tasks and assessments (e.g., application of skills and concepts, strategic or extended thinking), as established by the High School Review Committee (see Bylaw 14.1.2.3);
(c) The course must be administered by a high school that meets criteria for validity (e.g., quality control and integrity of information, school policies and operations), as established by the High School Review Committee; and
(d) The instructional model for the course must meet criteria for review (e.g., instructor interaction, pacing, instructional time, monitoring, feedback, intervention), as established by the High School Review Committee.
(c) A mathematics course must be at the level of Algebra I or higher-level mathematics course;
(d) A course must be taught by a qualified instructor as defined by the appropriate academic authority (e.g., high school, school district or state agency with authority over such matters); and
(e) A course must be taught at or above the high school's regular academic level (i.e., remedial, special education or compensatory courses shall not be considered core courses). However, the prohibition against the use of remedial or compensatory courses is not applicable to courses designed for students with education-impacting disabilities (see Bylaw 14.3.1.3.5).
[14.3.1.3.1 unchanged.]
14.3.1.3.2 Nontraditional Courses. Courses taught via the Internet, distance-learning, independent-study, individualized-instruction, correspondence and courses taught by similar means, may be used to satisfy NCAA core-course requirements, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The course meets all requirements for a core course as defined in Bylaw 14.3.1.3;
(b) The instructor and the student have ongoing access to one another for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance to the student throughout the duration of the course;
(c) The instructor and the student have regular interaction with one another for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance to the student throughout the duration of the course;
(d) The student's work (e.g., exams, papers, assignments) is available for evaluation and validation;
(e) Evaluation of the student's work is conducted by the appropriate academic authorities in accordance with the high school's established academic policies;
(f) The course includes a defined time period for completion; and
(g) The course is acceptable for any student and is placed on the high school transcript.
[14.3.1.3.3 through 14.3.1.3.9 renumbered as 14.3.1.3.2 through 14.3.1.3.8, unchanged.]
[14.3.1.4 unchanged.]
[14.3.2 through 14.3.4 unchanged.]
Co-sponsorship - Conference:
None
Co-sponsorship - Institution:
None
Position Statement(s):
None
Review History:
Additional Information:
Current legislation prescribes separate and distinct definitions for core-curriculum requirements and nontraditional courses. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of delivery methods that are utilized in offering core-curriculum courses. Accordingly, modernized core-course requirements creates a streamlined set of rules that are more broadly applicable to any delivery method but still provide guardrails for learning environments that are more conducive to fraud or abuse. The intent to ensure initial-eligibility certifications include only courses that academically prepare prospective student-athletes for four-year college academic work would remain paramount and is not impacted by the definition change. Rather, the change prevents the definitions from becoming quickly outdated due to ever-evolving delivery methods.
Convention Vote:
No Convention Record
Legislative References
| Division | Number | Title |
|---|---|---|
| II | 14.3 | Freshman Academic Requirements. |
| II | 14.3.1 | Eligibility for Financial Aid, Practice and Competition -- Qualifiers and Partial Qualifiers . |
| II | 14.3.1.3 | Core-Curriculum Requirements. |
| II | 14.3.1.3.2 | Nontraditional Courses. |