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Ann Arbor Pioneer Athletics » Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements for Athletic Participation

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Residency
The student-athlete must live in the Pioneer High School District. The student -athlete must also be living with the parent or guardian with whom the student-athlete was living the previous year. Enrollment All students must be registered in at least six Ann Arbor Public School classes, which assign a grade or are pass/fail. Students who receive two failing grades at interim times will be ineligible, and placed on a travel card.

Academics/Grade Point Average (GPA)
1) Students must meet the following academic standards to BEGIN the sport:
    Fall Sports
    Freshmen: Immediately eligible the first semester
    Sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Must have five (5) passing grades with a 2.0 GPA from all classes taken during the spring semester from the previous school year. (GPA can be improved through participation in summer school classes.)

    Winter Sports
    Freshmen: Immediately eligible the first semester
    Sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Must have five (5) passing grades with a 2.0 GPA from all classes taken during the spring semester from the previous school year. (GPA can be improved through participation in summer school classes or through academic performance on the first nine-week grades of the fall semester.)

    Spring Sports
    All students: Must have five (5) passing grades with a 2.0 GPA from all classes taken during the first semester of the current school year. (GPA can be improved by academic performance on the first nine-week grades of the second semester.) 
    ***There is a delay of at least a week to check eligibility at the end of each nine weeks.
2) Meet the following academic standards to CONTINUE in the sport:
    To remain eligible until the end of the season, a student-athlete must maintain at least (five) 5 passing grades (D- or better) with an overall 2.0 grade point average when grades are checked at the nine-week marking periods. At each checkpoint, the GPA will be calculated from the start of the semester.

    A student who does NOT meet the continuing requirement at the checkpoints will be ineligible for at least one full week from the following Monday through Sunday after the check. The student-athlete then must take an Athletic Office Eligibility Travel Card to each teacher and return the card to the Eligibility Coordinator in the Athletic Office by Thursday of that week. If the travel card shows that the 2.0 passing 5 classes minimum standards have been met, the student will regain eligibility on the following Monday. There is always a one-week delay going out or coming back
3) Students who receive special services should contact their caseload teacher for eligibility deviation.

Tutoring Services
Tutoring services are available from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM daily. Interested athletes should contact their grade level office or their coach for more information.  You should sign up as early in the school year as possible as there is high demand for services.

Summer School
• Grades from summer school count towards fall eligibility.
• Classes with the same course number are counted only once, with the second grade being superior.
• Classes with different numbers are counted as an additional class.
• Any student who has an E or a GPA below 2.0 should take summer school classes.
• It is the student and parents’ responsibility to calculate the GPA and register for summer school.

MHSAA Eligibility Requirements
    1. Incoming freshmen that meet MHSAA residency requirements are immediately eligible the first semester.
    2. Students who are Wards of the Court are immediately eligible.
    3. Students must live in the Pioneer High School District. New student -athletes must also be living with the parent or guardian with whom the student-athlete was living the previous year.
    4. Students who transfer from another school to Pioneer must sit out one (1) complete semester of school before they can participate. An educational transfer form must be completed and a copy of previous grades is required, if a student meets one of the exceptions. Students and parents anticipating a change of schools should seek the advice of the MHSAA.
    5. Students cannot accept any award (money or merchandise) worth more than $25 as a result of participating in athletics. This includes summer camps.
    6. A student who is 19 years of age before September 1 is not eligible.
    7. Foreign exchange students must be a part of an approved program and have the proper visa.
    8. Students must be enrolled in school prior to the fourth Wednesday of first semester or the fourth Wednesday for the start of second semester. Student cannot be eligible in high school more than eight semesters and seventh and eighth semesters must be consecutive. Students are allowed four first and four second semesters of competition and cannot compete if they have graduated from high school. Students must have passed at least four classes the previous semester.
    9. Students must be taking at least 6 classes.
    10. Student athletes must have on file a physical dated after April 15th of the previous school year. Students may not tryout or practice until the physical, emergency card, and insurance on file.
    11. The use of undue influence by any person directly or indirectly associated with a school to secure or encourage the attendance of a student for athletic purposes, shall cause the student to become ineligible for a minimum of one semester.
    12. After practicing with or participating with high school teams, students cannot participate in any athletic competition not sponsored by Pioneer High School, in the same sport during the same season. Ice hockey and individual sports may participate in a maximum of two non-school individual meets or contests during the season, but may not represent Pioneer High School or use Pioneer uniforms/equipment. The exceptions apply from the time the student first participates in a contest or scrimmage.
    13. Students cannot compete in any all-star contests or national championships, which MHSAA governs. Participation in all-star competitions causes the student to be ineligible for at least a year.
    14. Students may not pose in uniform for advertisement and cannot receive compensation for said advertisement. Students may not sign contracts for playing, or receive free equipment from an outside company. Students become ineligible.
    15. All teams will follow MHSAA rules. Questions are referred to MHSAA 517-332-5046.

NCAA Eligibility
Any student-athlete planning to enroll in college and participate in Division I or Division II sports must be certified by the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse will analyze the student-athlete’s academic information and determine if NCAA Initial Eligibility requirements have been met.

To be certified by the Clearinghouse, the student-athlete must:
    • Graduate from high school.
    • Earn a GPA of at least 2.0 in a core curriculum of at least 13 academic courses:
    • English - 4 years
    • Math - 2 years (one year algebra and one year geometry)
    • Social Science - 2 years
    • Natural or Physical Science - 2 years
    • Additional Academic Courses - 1 year
    • Additional classes in English, math or natural or physical science, and in any of these areas, foreign language, computer science, or comparative religion - 2 years.
    • Earn a sum of ACT scores between 66 – 86, depending upon core GPA.
    • Earn an SAT score between 820 – 1,010, depending upon core GPA.
    • Complete the NCAA Clearinghouse Initial Eligibility form and send it to: NCAA Clearinghouse-Forms Processing PO Box 4043 Iowa City, IA 52243-4043

Requirements change annually please contact the NCAA at 1 800 638-3731 to discuss NCAA requirements in detail. Pioneer offers a seminar in October or November to discuss college recruiting and the NCAA.

Coach, Parent, and Student Responsibility for Reviewing Academic Standing
At the end of each nine weeks, coaches and parents are expected to access information regarding the academic status of their student-athletes through the Records Office.

Please review the academic status with each student individually prior to the next marking period. Please familiarize yourself with the grading and eligibility procedures. If a student-athlete indicates there is a problem with a grade, the student -athlete should address the issue with the teacher involved. If a student is in jeopardy of failing or is having difficulty, please assist them by:
    1. Recommending after school work — work with the teacher after school for private tutoring.
    2. Recommending tutoring — call your grade level office or your coach for more information.
    3. Using a study table — work with the student to improve their skills

Pioneer High School Grade Point Calculation

            AC & AP Courses                                             General Grading Scale

            A          =          4.00                                         A+        =          4.00

            A-         =          4.00                                         A          =          4.00

            B+        =          3.67                                         A-         =          3.67

            B          =          3.33                                         B+        =          3.33

            B-         =          3.0                                           B          =          3.0

            C+        =          2.67                                         B-         =          2.67

            C          =          2.33                                         C+        =          2.33

            C-         =          2.0                                           C          =          2.0

            D+        =          1.67                                         C-         =          1.67

            D          =          1.33                                         D+        =          1.33

            D-         =          1.0                                           D          =          1.0

            E          =          0                                              D-         =          .67

            I           =          0                                              E          =          0

            U          =          0                                              I           =          0

            W         =          0                                              U          =          0

                                                                                    W         =          0



To calculate the grade point average: List each course and the grade earned. Consult the above chart to determine the point value for each grade. Each class at Pioneer is worth 1 credit. If a class is two hours long, it will be worth two of the same grade and double the credit. Next divide the total grade points by the number of credits attempted.

Example:
Spanish A=4.0
Geometry B=3.0
Biology C=2.0
Physical Ed. B=3.0
History D=1.0
Typing B+=3.33
6 credits 16.33 Points

Points/credits = GPA
16.33/6 = 2.722 GPA (Player has GPA above 2.0 and is eligible to play.)