Athletic placement process for interschool athletic program: Parent/guardian information

2023-24 Athletic placement process timeline

What is the process?

The Minisink Valley Central School District is subject to the New York State Education Department’s Athletic Placement Process (previously known as the Selection Classification Process) for athletics.

This program is intended only for the student who is truly at a level of physical and emotional maturity, comparable physical size, fitness and sport skill that is commensurate with the level they wish to pursue.

The intent of the Athletic Placement Process (APP) is to provide for students in grades 7 through 12 a mechanism that allows them to participate safely at an appropriate level of competition based upon readiness, rather than age and grade.

Students do not mature at the same rate and there can be a tremendous range of developmental differences between students of the same age. This program is not used to fill positions on teams, provide additional experience, provide a place for junior high students when no modified program is offered, or to reward a student. Instead, it is aimed at the few selected elite students who can benefit from such placement because of their level of readiness. Middle School students who participate on a high school team are not permitted to return to the modified level in that sport.

APP Steps

If your child is mature and an exceptional athlete and is interested in trying out for a high school sport team, please review the steps and process timeline for this program:

1. Coaching Recommendation: Request consideration from the sport’s head varsity coach for a signed letter of recommendation (coaches have copies of this form). The coach may wish to include your child’s physical education teacher in this process if he/she is not familiar with your child. This form is to be presented to the Middle School Athletic Coordinator (MSAC) in the building’s Physical Education Office. If this recommendation is not obtained, the process stops.

2. Eligibility Committee Review: The district’s Athletic Placement Eligibility Committee (consisting of the district’s director of health/physical education and athletics, the middle school and high school principals or their designees, the child’s middle school guidance counselor, the middle school nurse and the MSAC) will meet to review the information detailed above and will make a recommendation to the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum & instruction as to the ability of the child to compete at the high school level. The assistant superintendent will make the final eligibility decision for those who will proceed to Step 3 of the APP.

3. Medical Clearance: The district medical director will review your child’s medical records and current sport physical status. The sport physical must be updated annually and on file with the Middle School nurse’s office and include the Tanner Maturity Rating form. The district medical director will review the student’s maturity level and compare the physical size of the student in relation to that of the students against whom the student wishes to compete. Students deemed to have attained the appropriate physical maturity level and comparable physical size for the desired sport and level may proceed to Step 4 of the APP. If the student is determined to not have attained the appropriate physical maturity level for the desired sport and level, the process stops.

4. Parent/Guardian Permission: Upon receipt of the coach’s recommendation form, the MSAC will provide your child with the required parental permission form. Please complete this form and return it to the MSAC.

5. Parent/Guardian Meeting: Students recommended by the Assistant Superintendent are required to attend a meeting with the district Director of Athletics to review the APP. This meeting will further explain the details of the APP (process) and answer any questions you may have.

6. Physical Fitness Testing: This President’s Physical Fitness Test will be administered to the child, following the district’s scheduled timeline for each sport season. The student must meet the threshold set forth by the NYS Education Department.  APP Physical Fitness Test Instructions 

7. Qualification Determination: The results will be sent to the director of physical education/athletics. Only students who have passed all areas of the APP are permitted to try out with a high school team.

8. Try Outs: The student will try out for the sport and level requested. Students who do not make the team, or decide not to complete the try out session, must return to the modified level of competition.

9. Records: The director of physical education/athletics must maintain all records of students who have successfully completed the APP. Items kept in the student’s file are: parent/guardian permission and result letters; maturity evaluation and medical director form; physical fitness results; coach’s Sport Skill Evaluation.

10. Notifications: A notification list of the scores of all athletes who have successfully completed the process and have been approved through the APP after the try-out period has been completed must be sent to the PE/athletic director of competitor schools and Section IX Athletic Office.
The parents of each child will be notified in writing of the district’s decision and his/her final team placement.

Students in eighth-grade who have met all of the required standards, and have been approved by the Athletic Placement Eligibility Committee and assistant superintendent of  curriculum and instruction are permitted to try-out for a freshman,junior varsity or varsity team. Ultimately, the coach of the team will make the final decision on the make-up of his/her team roster. A student placed on a high school team will be aligned with a teammate, chosen by the coach, to serve as a resource for your child as they adjust to this level of participation and competition.

Students in seventh-grade who have met all of the required standards, and have been approved by the Athletic Placement Eligibility Committee and the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction are permitted to try out for a freshman or junior varsity team. If the sport does not offer a freshman or junior varsity level team, emotionally and physically gifted seventh-grade students may be permitted an opportunity to try out for the varsity team. This consideration may be granted by the superintendent of schools only with extremely extenuating circumstances. A student placed on a high school team will be aligned with a teammate, chosen by the coach, to serve as a resource for your child as they adjust to this level of participation and competition.