Wednesday, August 11, 1999
CPS lowers bar on grades for activity participation
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The athletic director for the Cincinnati Public Schools says lower academic eligibility standards for middle-school students to participate in extracurricular activities will keep more children from dropping out.
“Do you use football to increase academic achievement or demand academic achievement before allowing a kid to play football?” said CPS Athletics Manager David Dierker. “We'd be remiss not to use athletics as a carrot.”
The change was approved unanimously Monday night by the Cincinnati School Board and removes a 2.0 GPA requirement. To be eligible to participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities, seventh- and eighth-grade students must now have passing grades in four core academic subjects and no more than one failing grade each quarter in non-academic courses such as art and music.
The president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers says the change sends the wrong message.
“Essentially, the board is telling kids that Ds are acceptable,” union leader Tom Mooney said.
CPS requirements for high school athletes and others who participate in extracurriculars are unchanged. Students must take at least four academic subjects, pass them all and maintain at 2.0 grade-point — or C — average.
Supporters of the middle-school eligibility change say it will allow more students to participate in activities and keep them in school.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in 1995 that students who don't participate in extracurricular activities were 57 percent more likely to drop out and use drugs or alcohol by the time they would have been seniors.
And a three-year study of high school students completed in 1995 by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association showed that athletes had a drop-out rate of 0.7 percent compared to almost 9 percent for non-athletes.
“We're not encouraging kids to get Ds,” said Mr. Dierker, who was athletic director for eight years at Mount Healthy High School before joining CPS this past year. “I'm here to say I've seen it. Participating in sports and other extracurriculars can have a long-term effect on your life.
“If you keep kids in school, they might reap the benefits of academic performance down the road.”
The drop-out rate for students in grades 7 and 8 was 4.9 percent in 1997-98, according to CPS' annual performance report. Administrators had hoped to keep the drop-out rate lower than 5.8 percent. The rate was 9 percent for grades 7-12 and 11.9 percent for grades 9-12.
Dropouts are students who leave school and do not re-enroll in the district by early October of the following school year. Ohio law requires students to stay in school until age 16. Schools say a dropout is anyone who does not graduate from high school.
Still, Mr. Dierker said, too many students are dropping out in middle school and participating in sports can be a deterrent. The positive experience of success in sports can translate to success in the classroom.
Even with the eligibility change, CPS' standards are higher than what the state requires in Ohio and Kentucky.
In Kentucky, students through eighth grade must pass at least two-thirds of their classes to play sports, according to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students in Ohio must pass at least 75 percent of their classes to participate in events sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Students maintain eligibility even if they fail a core subject, such as math, language arts, science or social studies.
The majority of Ohio's public and private elementary and high schools follow OHSAA rules, although some schools have additional requirements.
Requirements for athletic eligibility in Catholic elementaries in the Cincinnati Archdiocese are set by priests and education commissions in the parishes.
“Most schools require students to maintain a passing grade in major subjects,” said Dan Andriacco, spokesman for the archdiocese. “In some schools, the minimum is a D. In some schools it's a C.”
Several Catholic elementaries don't suspend students from athletic teams for an entire academic quarter. “They give the student the opportunity to show effort and improvement,” Mr. Andriacco said. “The the ory is, generally, the ability to play sports is a motivator for kids to do well in the classroom.”
Mr. Mooney, leader of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, urged the board Monday not to make the change.
He said he was dismayed that the board's decision reversed the “no pass-no play” reform approved in 1991. It was passed at the same time school officials moved to tighten academic standards in all schools by increasing graduation requirements, ending social promotion and adopting of a rigorous code of conduct.
“We were recognized nationally as one of the first districts to raise expectations and set clear standards for promotion and graduation,” Mr. Mooney said. “It's tragic to see the district lower expectations now.”
He also said that students with D's are less likely to pass Ohio's proficiency test; students must pass sections in math, science, reading, writing and citizenship to graduate high school.
Ohio's proficiency test is just one of the measures statewide and nationally that has toughened academic requirements.
“This is no time to be telling students they can slack off,” he said.
Michael Hawthorne contributed to this report.
SCHOOL POLICY
The Cincinnati Public Schools policy governing athletic eligibility for seventh- and eighth-grade students requires passing grades (D or higher) in four core academic subjects — math, language arts, social studies and science. A student may fail a non-academic subject, such as art or music, and maintain eligibility.
The previous policy required a 2.0 — or C — grade point average.
The city policy is still tougher than the state policy issued by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under OHSAA rules, students in seventh and eighth grades must pass at least 75 percent of their classes to participate in athletic events. One of the failing grades may be in an academic subject.
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