| WIAA COACHING STANDARDS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
What coaches are required to meet the WIAA
Coaching Standards requirements?
Any sport coach, cheer coach, or dance-drill coach at a WIAA member middle
level or high school, whether paid or volunteer. Activity
coaches/advisors, such as music advisors, debate coaches, and drama advisors are
not subject to the WIAA Coaching Standards.
Who keeps track of hours for meeting the
WIAA Coaching Standards requirements?
The ultimate responsibility falls to the coach to provide documentation for
all activities undertaken toward meeting this requirement. This
documentation is provided to the school's designated compliance officer (usually
the Athletic/Activities Administrator).
I thought the WIAA office maintained a list
of my clock hours. Aren't those sufficient to meet the standards?
The whole matter of clock hours, as opposed to coaches education hours, is covered in
the page Coaching Education Hours and Clock Hours...What's the Difference?
Please go there for more details.
How can I get a copy of the Clock Hours
Transcript maintained by WIAA?
Any hours earned prior to September 1, 2002 will be accessible through the online
transcript. WIAA
ceased maintaining clock hour records effective September 1, 2003.
I've attended the WIAA Rules clinics
the past several years, but they don't show up on my Clock Hours
Transcript. Why?
After the 1995-96 school year, WIAA Rules Clinics stopped carrying clock
hours, because they didn't meet the 3-hour standard (see Coaches
Education Hours and Clock Hours...What's the Difference?
for more details). While these clinics count toward coaches education standard
hours, they do not provide clock hours any longer.
How can I find out if a course I'm
interested will apply toward the Coaching Standards requirement?
While WIAA establishes the number of hours required to meet compliance, it
is up to the individual schools to determine whether or not an activity will be
accepted toward that school's Coaching Standards requirement. The only
exception is the ASEP Coaching Principles Course from
ASEP.com. This course
will
fulfill the beginning requirement for middle level (i.e. middle school/junior
high) coaches and will always be accepted toward high school certification.
What happens to a coach that doesn't meet
WIAA Coaching Standards?
No specific action is warranted against individual coaches by WIAA; the
regulations only apply to overall programs. Any specific expectations or
action will be at the discretion of the individual school in accordance with
their personnel policies.
The handbook refers to five difference
coaches education categories. Do I have to take a minimum number of hours
from each category?
No. Two advanced coaching standards exist (experienced and preferred)
that require distribution among the categories, but these are optional
levels.
I live in an area where not many
professional development activities exist. What can I do to pick up hours?
Many coaching clinics with a high number of available hours (typically
15-20) are available every year. Some of the more popular ones include
those held by the All-Sports
School, such as the Best in the West Basketball/Baseball/Softball/Track
Clinics and the PEMCO All-Sports Clinic, and the WIAA
Coaches School. In addition, WIAA maintains a page
of courses approved for clock hours and open for registration. Also,
schools may post a listing of professional development activities open to
coaches outside their school. These are all resources for finding out
about activities for coaches.
If I take a course at a college or
university that's coaching related, will that count toward the coaching
requirement?
Assuming that it is approved by your school, yes. Each quarter credit
hour of study carries 10 coaching hours; each semester hour of study carries 15
coaching hours.
If I take a coaching job at another school,
do my coaching hours carry over?
Yes. Coaching hours are specific to the individual, not the
school. This is another reason why it is important for the coach to
maintain a copy of his/her own records, so that documentation will be easy at
the new school.
I've been coaching community level for the
past five years, and am now coaching in a school. Am I out of compliance,
since I'm past my third year of coaching?
No. You must meet the Beginning Coaching requirement prior to the
start of
your third year of coaching employment at the school, not your third year as a
coach. The clock begins your first day of scholastic coaching.
What is the grandfather clause?
The Coaching Standards Program went into effect in the mid 1990's, and
accommodations were made at that time to allow experienced coaches to waive the
initial requirements. Any individual who coached 5 of 7 years prior to the
1994-95 school year in a sport, a cheer coach who coached prior to the 1996-97
school year, or a dance-drill coach who coached prior to the 1998-99 school year
are "grandfathered" past the initial requirement and are only required
to maintain the continuing standard (15 hours every three years).
For more information, visit the following WIAA Coaching Standards pages: