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In this paper, the authors discuss the new academic eligibility policy for at-risk students of Cato-Meridian, a small rural school district in New York State. The traditional eligibility policy that was in place at Cato-Meridian and surrounding school districts required student athletes to pass all but two of their courses. If they failed two classes, they could participate in sports but not play in games. Failing three courses meant suspension from the team. Students who were not eligible to participate in co-curricular activities frequently did not return to their teams when their grades improved. The bar was set low so student athletes could fail two classes and still remain on a team. They could blow off one course without consequence and frequently did. In the year before the new eligibility policy went into effect, 212 students had failed at least one course during the fourth-quarter marking period. A committee of teachers, coaches, parents, and administrators worked out a new policy that the board agreed to pilot for the following school year. Under the pilot policy, students were responsible for developing contracts with their teachers for each subject they were failing. After each five-week marking period, a four-day window was provided during which failing students visited their instructors and discussed how they could find a way in which to raise their grades. By school year's end, the number of students failing one or more subjects had been reduced by half. The aggressive plan of student accountability and ownership had returned impressive results. Most significant, the new eligibility policy put students in touch with teachers to discuss academics and improve performance. The onus was on the students to make and keep contact, but once they approached a teacher for help, the support they received was thorough, complete, and lasting.

In this article, the author describes how Cato-Meridian, a 450-student rural high school in the New York State, successfully implemented a new cocurricular eligibility policy that integrated after-school activities with student academic accountability. The program created data that drove decisions about student life and student-teacher interaction and led to the development of innovative practice. The number of students failing any one course was cut in half and discipline referrals declined significantly.