It’s March 31, and the organization that later became the NCAA was established on this date in 1906. As we look ahead to the Men’s and Women’s Final Four this weekend (and trust us when we say that one American School employee is VERY happy about one of the teams in the Men’s Final Four), you might wonder if any American School students have played in the events. We did some research and couldn’t come up with anyone, and unfortunately that is likely going to be the case for the foreseeable future. That’s because our middle school courses and high school courses are not recognized by the NCAA due to philosophical educational differences. We believe wholeheartedly that students in our independent study program and accredited high school program should be able to work at their own pace and move through courses as quickly or slowly as necessary while fulfilling the terms of their enrollment contracts. The NCAA believes courses should be teacher-driven and stick to a strict schedule. We believe students can succeed under both circumstances, but we believe our position gives students more flexibility, and we have no plans to stray from that philosophy at this time. We know this is disappointing for our students who wish to play college sports, and we do our best to be transparent about our relationship with NCAA. Should our position or the NCAA’s position changes, there is a process for American School courses to become recognized and approved by the NCAA, and we will keep you updated. In the meantime, if you have questions about our relationship with the NCAA, please refer to our FAQ page. Thank you for understanding.
