NCAA releases latest scores for athletes in the classroom

A decade after it created the Academic Progress Rate, the NCAA says its annual measuring stick continues to show improved classroom performance by college athletes.

The most recent four-year APR average for Division I was 974, up one point over last year, NCAA officials said Tuesday.

The numbers were even more promising over a five-year period, with men’s basketball improving by 12 points, women’s track by 11, women’s basketball by 7 and football by 6.

“These are strong and meaningful academic standards, and we are pleased to witness the continued improvement of student-athletes’ academic performance,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said. “The NCAA and its member schools believe in supporting success both on and off the playing field.”

Not all the news was good. While men’s basketball and football have improved, officials said they continue to lag behind other sports. Historically black colleges have been hit with a disproportionate number of penalties.

Each school calculates the APR based on eligibility, graduation and retention. Teams that do not meet a predetermined benchmark face penalties such as practice restrictions and postseason bans.

The NCAA is moving toward a mandatory 930 score, which predicts a 50% graduation rate.

Eighteen teams -- mostly at smaller schools and historically black colleges -- face postseason bans in 2013-14.

The NCAA also announced that in the last nine years, 11,500 former athletes have returned to campus and earned their degrees.

“The former student-athletes who have returned to school and completed in their degree are a powerful testament to the value of education,” Emmert said.

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