American School Calls NCAA Ruling Foul

LANSING, Ill., May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American School, an accredited non-profit distance education high school, was surprised by an announcement from the NCAA that it will no longer allow credits earned from the American School by high school student athletes to be used in the NCAA initial eligibility process for Division I academic certification. In its 113 year history, the American School has provided a high quality education to over 3 million students worldwide.

On May 25, 2010, the NCAA released a news item on its website announcing its decision regarding the American School and one other secondary-level distance education provider. This unexpected news release was published by news outlets nationwide. The content of that story implied unfavorable judgments of the American School's program that were not raised as issues in the NCAA notification to the school. No student who has earned core course credit from the American School has been investigated or reviewed by the NCAA in regard to any academic impropriety in their work with the American School.

The American School has submitted its appeal to the NCAA decision based on evidence clearly demonstrating that there is available to students ongoing access to and interaction with instructors throughout the duration of the course as required by the NCAA's new bylaw. In fact, students cannot complete any course without multiple contacts with an instructor who carefully and personally reviews and comments on all exams. Principal Marie Limback stated, "Access and interaction were the only issues cited by the NCAA in its notice to us. Since these issues are basic to our model of education it is clear that the NCAA has not fully reviewed and understood our program. Our instructors interact with students by making connections with them through the personalized, handwritten commentary they put on every page of every exam they grade and by being available for phone contact as well."

The American School has been accredited by the North Central Association- Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement since 1975, and was the first distance education high school to receive regional accreditation. This regional accrediting organization regularly makes a thorough, on-site review of the academic program of the schools in its service area, both traditional and distance education schools, and has awarded the American School its approval of the school's curricular offerings. The NCAA is not an accrediting body nor are its decisions based on on-site evaluations of programs by educators.

The American School was founded in 1897 as a non-profit educational institution. Its mission is to provide quality educational programs and individual subjects to individuals and schools at a reasonable cost using various distance education teaching and learning methods. Students enroll for the purposes of credit recovery, enrichment, or to earn their high school diploma. The American School currently serves more than 30,000 students worldwide and is located in Lansing, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Credits and diplomas earned by American School students have been accepted by hundreds of colleges and universities, including NCAA Division I schools, vocational and trade schools, and all branches of the U.S. military.

SOURCE American School