Coaches Ed. F.A.Q.

Virginia High School League Coaches Education Initiative – Modified 8/19/09

 

In May of 2009 the Executive Committee of the Virginia High School League passed a coaches education initiative which requires all first time athletic coaches at VHSL member schools and those athletic coaches who are exempted through the VHSL Coaches Rule 27-2-2(4) to complete an approved course in principles of coaching and sport first aid.  Additionally, all athletic coaches are required to complete a VHSL component which familiarizes the coach with rules and regulations found in the VHSL Handbook as well as those found at the local school level.  The following represents an explanation of each part of the new requirements along with a question and answer format.

 

I.  New Handbook Legislation 27-2-5

27-2-5  Coaches Education Requirement – A VHSL-approved course in principles of coaching and sport first aid is required of all first time athletic coaches at a VHSL member school and those athletic coaches who are exempted through the VHSL Coaches Rule 27-2-2 (4).  Coaches have three years in which to meet this requirement.

 

Athletic coaches who are exempted through exception 27-2-2 (4) of the VHSL Coaches Rule are individuals who are registered with the VHSL office as “persons approved by the Executive Director upon written certification from the principal and division superintendent….”  They may be volunteers or paid staff and they are permitted to interact with student/athletes during practices and contests.

 

Coaches hired prior to July 1, 2009

-do not need to complete 27-2-5.

-must still complete the State and Local Knowledge Requirement 27-2-6, explained in II below.

 

Coaches hired on or after July 1, 2009

-must complete 27-2-5.

-are allowed three years, on a fiscal year basis, to complete the requirement.

-must also complete the State and Local Knowledge Requirement 27-2-6, explained in II below.

 

The following 17 questions and answers are intended to help everyone better understand the intent and expectation regarding 27-2-5.

 

Q:  Who is exempt from 27-2-5?

A:  Coaches hired prior to July 1, 2009 are exempt from coaching principals and sport first aid;

however, schools and school divisions may be more restrictive in their interpretation and may

require those hired prior to the implementation date to complete the initiative.  (All coaches are

required to complete the State and Local Knowledge Requirement, explained in II below.)

 

Q:  Is it necessary for a volunteer coach to meet this requirement?

A:  If the volunteer coach’s duties include being present at games and interacting with athletes and

officials on the court/field/course/track, they are required to complete this initiative.

 

Q:  When does this requirement have to be completed?

A:  Beginning July 1, 2009, coaches have three fiscal years to complete the requirement.

 

Q:  Are there courses available which meet this requirement?

A:  There are currently three courses which meet this requirement and thoroughly address the

eight domains (www.naspe.org) established by the National Association for Sport and Physical

Education (NASPE):

 

-ASEP Basic VHSL Course (on-line) - $30 cost per coach

-NFHS (on-line) Fundamentals of Coaching ($35) & First Aid for Coaches ($45) - $80 total cost

per coach

-ASEP VHSL Advanced Coaches Education Course (taught by a certified instructor) - $110 cost per coach

 

Q:  How do we access the on-line courses?

A:  Both on-line sites offer easy access to the VHSL approved courses.  For a VHSL approved

course through ASEP go to: http://www.asep.com/asep_content/org/VHSL.cfm

Once on the site you will be directed to click on the course you wish to purchase.

For a VHSL approved course through the NFHS go to: 

http://www.nfhslearn.com/StatePricingRegs.aspx

Once on the site you will register and then you will be taken to the course purchase page.

 

Q:  How do we access the ASEP Advanced Course?

A:  Those interested in information should contact the VHSL office.

 

Q:  How long does it take to complete the ASEP on-line course?

A:  It takes approximately 3 to 6 hours to complete this course.

 

Q:  I am attending a sport specific clinic this summer (Example: VHSCA Clinic).  Does this

count toward fulfillment of this initiative?

A:  No.

 

Q:  Is it possible to bulk purchase courses for my school/school division?

A:  Both ASEP and the NFHS provide this opportunity.  The ASEP procedure is explained on their

website under the course which you desire to purchase.  The NFHS procedure requires going

through a system administrator in the VHSL office.

 

Q:  Is one course better than another?

A:  The difference between on-line and face to face lies in the areas of depth of topic coverage

and level of discussion and interaction. Both on-line courses expose the coach to basic

necessary elements.  The ASEP Advanced Coaches Course and the NFHS on-line course have

received certification from the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education

(NCACE).  In addition the NFHS course has been endorsed by the National Association of

Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA).

 

Q:  I understand one course includes the VHSL Component.  Is this true?

A:  The two ASEP courses do include the VHSL Component.  The VHSL staff is working with the

NFHS to offer the same option. 

 

Q:  I am a veteran coach and all I need is the VHSL Component.  Do I have to take the

entire on-line course?

A:  Not unless your school or school division mandates that you need to take the entire course. 

 

Q:  Is there a process for schools and school divisions to have programs they currently

use, or ones they may develop, approved for use?

A:  Yes.  The VHSL staff, in conjunction with the VHSL Coaches Education Committee, is

currently developing an application for this purpose.  You should contact VHSL Assistant Director

Tom Dolan for more information.

 

Q:  Will schools be receiving an information packet to give coaches?

A:  The intent of this Q & A is to explain the initiative and to provide information that the school

and/or school division can give to its coaches.

 

Q:  We know that coaches often move from one school or school division to another. 

How are we going to track the completion process?

A:  The VHSL staff is currently developing an eligibility form which schools will be able to complete

and submit either on-line or by email. Both ASEP and NFHS are committed to developing data

bases which will help with the transient world of today’s coaches.  Coaches should NOT

individually report their certification status to the League office.

 

Q:  We have no record of a coach completing the requirement yet they insist that they

have met the initiative.  How do we confirm that we are in compliance with the initiative?

A:  One of the most important components of a good coaching education program is the ability to

track completion.  ASEP and the NFHS have developed a two prong approach to accomplish this

tracking.  Each coach has the ability to obtain a certificate upon completion of each segment of

the program.  Additionally there is a database accessible either by the individual school or through

the state office as a backup when confirming completion.  Those individuals who cannot verify

completion of the initiative will need to take the material again to guarantee that the school is in

compliance with the initiative.  The school will ultimately make the decision on who is eligible using

the form referenced in the previous question.

 

Q:  Do we need to alert the VHSL office of the status of each segment of completion for

each coach?  For example, my cheer coach just completed the state component.  Should I

send an email to the League office stating this fact?

A:  Before each sport season coaches who will be coaching that season and have not previously

been designated on the eligibility list should be listed.  The form will be set up so that prior to July

1, 2012, the progression of completion can be documented as in the example below.

 

                              Coaching Principles             Sport First Aid                      State Comp

Joe Smith              ASEP/ 7-2009                      NFHS/ 10-2010                    Not completed

 

Each coach will have a three year period to complete the initiative. The period for completing

certification is based on a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).

Examples:  Joe Smith was hired August of 2009.  He has until June 30, 2013 to complete the

initiative.  Susan Jones was hired February of 2011.  She has until June 30, 2014 to complete the

initiative.

 

II.  New Handbook Legislation 27-2-6

27-2-6  State and Local Knowledge Requirement – All coaches are required to complete a VHSL Component which familiarizes the coach with rules and regulations found in the VHSL Handbook as well as those found at the local level.  Coaches have three years in which to meet this requirement.

All coaches, regardless of when hired,

-must complete 27-2-6.

-are allowed three years, based on a fiscal year, to complete this requirement.

 

The following 12 questions and answers are intended to help everyone better understand the intent and expectation regarding 27-2-6

 

Q:  What is the VHSL Component?

A:  The VHSL Component deals with state and local rules and regulations, using as its basis the

VHSL Handbook and any local information provided by the individual school division.

 

Q:  Who is exempt from 27-2-6?

A:  No one.

 

Q:  Is it necessary for a volunteer coach, or one who only works with players at practice,

to meet this requirement?

A:  Yes.

 

Q:  I am a veteran coach and all I need is the VHSL Component.  Do I have to take the

entire on-line course?

A:  No, unless your school or school division mandates that you need to take the entire course. 

 

Q:  When does this requirement have to be completed?

A:  Beginning July 1, 2009, coaches who fall under the umbrella of this rule have three fiscal years

to complete the requirement.

 

Q:  How do we access this course?

A:  For the VHSL approved course through ASEP go to:

http://www.asep.com/asep_content/org/VHSL.cfm.  Once on the site you will be directed to click

on the course you wish to purchase (VHSL Component on-line) - $20 cost per coach.

 

Q:  How long does it take it to complete the VHSL Component?

A:  It takes approximately 2 to 3 hours to complete this course.

 

Q:  Is it possible to bulk purchase the VHSL Component for my school/school division?

A:  Yes.  The ASEP procedure is explained on their website under the course which you desire to

purchase.

 

Q:  We know that coaches often move from one school or school division to another. 

How are we going to track the completion process?

A:  The VHSL staff is currently developing an eligibility form which schools will be able to complete

and submit either on-line or by email. Both ASEP and NFHS are committed to developing data

bases which will help with the transient world of today’s coaches.  Coaches should NOT

individually report their certification status to the League office.

 

Q:  We have no record of a coach completing the requirement yet they insist that they

have met the initiative.  How do we confirm that we are in compliance with the initiative?

A:  One of the most important components of a good coaching education program is the ability to

track completion.  ASEP has developed a two prong approach to accomplish this tracking for the

VHSL Component.  Each coach has the ability to obtain a certificate upon completion of each

segment of the program.  Additionally there is a database accessible either by the individual

school or through the state office as a backup when confirming completion.  Those individuals

who cannot verify completion of the initiative will need to take the material again to guarantee that

the school is in compliance with the initiative.  The school will ultimately make the decision on who

is eligible using the form referenced in the previous question.

 

Q:  Is there a process for schools and school divisions to have programs they currently

use, or ones they may develop, approved for use?

A:  Yes.  The VHSL staff, in conjunction with the VHSL Coaches Education Committee, is

currently developing an application for this purpose.  You should contact VHSL Assistant Director

Tom Dolan for more information.

 

Q:  Do we need to alert the VHSL office of the status of each segment of completion for

each coach?  For example, my cheer coach just completed the state component.  Should I

send an email to the League office stating this fact?

A:  Before each sport season coaches who will be coaching that season and have not previously

been designated on the eligibility list should be listed.  The form will be set up so that prior to July

1, 2012, the progression of completion can be documented as in the example below.

 

                              Coaching Principles             Sport First Aid                      State Comp

Joe Smith              ASEP/ 7-2009                      NFHS/ 10-2010                    Not completed

 

Each coach will have a three year period to complete the initiative. The period for completing

certification is based on a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).

Examples:  Joe Smith was hired August of 2009.  He has until June 30, 2013 to complete the

initiative.  Susan Jones was hired February of 2011.  She has until June 30, 2014 to complete the

initiative.