Post by uwmfan on May 3, 2007 9:21:18 GMT -6
UWM just passes NCAA test
Statistical adjustment helps prevent sanctions
By DON WALKER
dwalker@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 2, 2007
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team scored just below the national average in terms of academic achievement over the past three years, according to NCAA data released Wednesday.
If not for a statistical adjustment the NCAA made, the program might have faced NCAA sanctions.
As a means of measuring academic performance, the NCAA now uses a metric called an Academic Progress Rate (APR) for every program at every Division I school. The APR is a "real time" snapshot of a team's academic success that looks at each athlete's progress in the classroom.
An APR score of 925 translates to an NCAA graduation success rate of approximately 60%. The APR score for the UWM men's basketball team was 916. [glow=red,2,300]The average score for all men's basketball teams in the country was 928[/glow]; the average score for all Division I athletes was 960.
Rob Jeter, men's basketball coach, said the APR was nothing new for coaches in Division I sports. "Academics are always stressed," he said.
As for UWM, Jeter said the school had taken steps to raise the APR score by adding staff to the academic support services program.
"We have been proactive," Jeter said.
Next year, the NCAA will drop the statistical adjustment, which is known as a squad-size adjustment. That could mean penalties against schools such as UWM.
"Unless a team has made significant improvement when the squad-size adjustment goes away, or unless they have an approved plan for recovery, there will be penalties," NCAA President Myles Brand said during a telephone press conference with reporters.
Penalties begin with the loss of scholarships and can ultimately include a team being dropped from post-season play.
Teams that score below 925 and have a student fail academically and leave school can lose up to 10% of their scholarships, according to the NCAA.
According to the most recent data, 44% of men's basketball teams, 40% of football teams and 35% of baseball teams would have posted APRs below 925 and possibly lost scholarships without the squad-size adjustments this year.
Other highlights of the report:
• [glow=red,2,300]At Marquette University, the lowest APR score was 927 for the men's basketball team.[/glow] Steve Cottingham, the school's interim athletic director, said every basketball player at the school who has exhausted his eligibility has graduated. Men's golf, men's indoor and outdoor track, women's cross country, women's indoor and outdoor track and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
• At the University of Wisconsin, the lowest APR score was 931 for the men's basketball team. The football team score was 935. Men's cross country, men's tennis, women's ice hockey, women's swimming, women's tennis and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
• At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the lowest APR score was 952 for men's basketball. Men's tennis and women's tennis were honored for high APR scores.
• At UWM, women's basketball and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
[glow=red,2,300]Nobody tell the Gold that their bball team falls just below the national average for academic prowess....this could never happen at such an upstanding institution![/glow]
;D
Statistical adjustment helps prevent sanctions
By DON WALKER
dwalker@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 2, 2007
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team scored just below the national average in terms of academic achievement over the past three years, according to NCAA data released Wednesday.
If not for a statistical adjustment the NCAA made, the program might have faced NCAA sanctions.
As a means of measuring academic performance, the NCAA now uses a metric called an Academic Progress Rate (APR) for every program at every Division I school. The APR is a "real time" snapshot of a team's academic success that looks at each athlete's progress in the classroom.
An APR score of 925 translates to an NCAA graduation success rate of approximately 60%. The APR score for the UWM men's basketball team was 916. [glow=red,2,300]The average score for all men's basketball teams in the country was 928[/glow]; the average score for all Division I athletes was 960.
Rob Jeter, men's basketball coach, said the APR was nothing new for coaches in Division I sports. "Academics are always stressed," he said.
As for UWM, Jeter said the school had taken steps to raise the APR score by adding staff to the academic support services program.
"We have been proactive," Jeter said.
Next year, the NCAA will drop the statistical adjustment, which is known as a squad-size adjustment. That could mean penalties against schools such as UWM.
"Unless a team has made significant improvement when the squad-size adjustment goes away, or unless they have an approved plan for recovery, there will be penalties," NCAA President Myles Brand said during a telephone press conference with reporters.
Penalties begin with the loss of scholarships and can ultimately include a team being dropped from post-season play.
Teams that score below 925 and have a student fail academically and leave school can lose up to 10% of their scholarships, according to the NCAA.
According to the most recent data, 44% of men's basketball teams, 40% of football teams and 35% of baseball teams would have posted APRs below 925 and possibly lost scholarships without the squad-size adjustments this year.
Other highlights of the report:
• [glow=red,2,300]At Marquette University, the lowest APR score was 927 for the men's basketball team.[/glow] Steve Cottingham, the school's interim athletic director, said every basketball player at the school who has exhausted his eligibility has graduated. Men's golf, men's indoor and outdoor track, women's cross country, women's indoor and outdoor track and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
• At the University of Wisconsin, the lowest APR score was 931 for the men's basketball team. The football team score was 935. Men's cross country, men's tennis, women's ice hockey, women's swimming, women's tennis and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
• At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the lowest APR score was 952 for men's basketball. Men's tennis and women's tennis were honored for high APR scores.
• At UWM, women's basketball and women's volleyball were honored for high APR scores.
[glow=red,2,300]Nobody tell the Gold that their bball team falls just below the national average for academic prowess....this could never happen at such an upstanding institution![/glow]
;D
