Schools drop 2.0 GPA standard

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By Dearrel Bates/ QUAD-CITY TIMES | Tuesday, April 09, 2002 |

The repeal came fairly quietly Monday for Davenport School District's scholastic eligibility requirement for athletic and other extracurricular activities.

The policy, better known as the 2.0 grade-point rule, has been used to determine eligibility for senior and middle school extracurricular activities in the district since 1991. Those activities include athletics, music, pompom, speech and debate.

The 5-2 vote to change the pol-

icy followed about 25 minutes of discussion by board members, with board president Jim Hester and Richard Clewell voting

against it. The new policy, first brought before the board in mid-February, goes into effect next fall at the start of the 2002-2003 school year.

"It's a sound policy, and there have been a lot of good people to help see it through,'' said Randy Schrader, Davenport's director of athletics/marketing, who put the change in motion. "We'll have some safeguards in place, and now the onus is on the kids and our people to help make it work.''

The new policy requires students to have passing grades in three of four academic classes if they are on a block schedule or five out of six classes if on the traditional schedule.

Under Davenport's current rule, students had to maintain a C average each quarter to remain eligible. State policies say a student must be passing only four subjects to be eligible, although the Iowa State Board of Education has talked about raising requirements for eligibility.

"I was a supporter of the 2.0 rule when it was adopted because I thought it would help to motivate students,'' board member Steve Imming said.

"We are not giving up the 2.0 standard. I'm going out on a limb for this change because I believe the support system for these students will be there. I'm envisioning getting some regular reports on how this change is working.''

Schrader, who worked with a committee of 40-plus people drafting a new eligibility plan, said the pieces will be in place by next fall and people will be held accountable. Activities directors and coaches will monitor the policy and submit quarterly reports to Schrader.

"If a student's grade-point average drops below 2.0, they would be placed on academic probation and be required to attend a mandatory study table two days per week until their GPA rises to the 2.0 level or above,'' Schrader said.

The high school study tables would be manned by volunteers from the YMCA and St. Ambrose University. Federal grant funding will provide help for junior high students to meet the 2.0 goal.

Board member Hester was skeptical

"We had study tables in place when we adopted the rule in 1991, but no one did a dog-gone thing,'' Hester said.

"There's not a shred of proof that it didn't work, and now we're lowering the bar. When you see teams with athletes who may have four D's and two F's, you're teaching them they can get by with D's and F's. We're lowering the standards for the Davenport schools.''

Board member Susan Low said, "I've been in favor of changing this rule for several years, and I spoke in some open forums about doing it. I believe the policy changes are positive, and instead of lowering the bar, we're raising the opportunities.''

Dearrel Bates can be reached at (563) 383-2277 or dbates@qctimes.com.