Franklin HS (Franklin, NY) students enjoy doughnuts while filling out paperwork

Jeff McCann
Director of Training and Curriculum Development
Play It Smart

Play It Smart member schools are setting high expectations when it comes to student-athletes taking the SAT or ACT by the spring of their junior year. We wanted to reference a few helpful links and articles as you prepare your student-athletes for the spring testing months

Below is a link to an archived article describing the importance of encouraging all of our student-athletes to take the SAT or ACT during their high school careers.

SAT Resource

Important Information about Fee Waivers:

We strongly recommend that Academic Coaches work collaboratively with your respective guidance departments on fee waiver issues. There are several helpful links from this article with information regarding the Act Fee waivers and the ACT test "at a glance".

ACT at a Glance

One important note is that the ACT Test has increased their usage limit to 2 fee waivers per student. The excerpt below describes the process for the SAT. For the ACT, if you are eligible, you may use up to two fee waivers total. The waiver is used once you register, even if you do not test on the requested test date.

Please note that the ACT recognizes "qualifying non-profit organizations" that identify eligible students as eligible to call the ACT and request fee waiver forms. Again we strongly recommend you work directly with your guidance department and school administration to determine the best way for your school to receive these forms from the ACT.


For SAT Fee Waivers you can receive up to four fee waiver cards (two for the SAT, two for Subject Tests) to cover both your junior and senior years. Fee Waivers cover the test fee only. Each Subject Test fee waiver card covers up to three Subject Tests for each registration. Whether you used fee waiver cards during your junior or senior year, you should qualify to waive up to four college application fees.

2008-09 Schools Participating SAT waivers

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With major financial support from the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and a broad-coalition of corporations, communities, individuals and organizations, the program has quickly become one of the most comprehensive and effective youth mentoring programs, achieving dramatic results that include:

• 95% of seniors graduating high school, compared to 76% of their peers;



• 80% of seniors enrolling in college compared to 63% of their peers;



• Participants completing more than 55,000 service hours annually;



• Participants earning more than $8 million a year in scholarships; and



• 270-plus graduates earning places among the elite collegiate ranks during the 2008 season on Football Bowl and Championship Subdivision rosters.

Prominent alumni include Ohio State’s Ted Ginn, Jr. (Miami Dolphins), Rutgers’ Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens), California’s Desean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), Miami’s Leon Williams (Cleveland Browns), LSU’s Craig Davis (San Diego Chargers) and Super Bowl champion Jay Alford, who attended Penn State, and currently plays with the World Champion New York Giants.
Play It Smart builds on the positive peer influences of team sports and a participant's interest in football. The program's academic coaches are trained in a set of guiding principles and a variety of tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Working closely with the direct support of a team's head coach and others in the community, academic coaches hold one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events.

ABOUT PLAY IT SMART
Play It Smart is an educational program established in 1998 by The National Football Foundation. The program's mission is to help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others. At the heart of the program is a year-round academic coach, an official member of a team's staff, who serves as a direct link to the classroom by helping players and the team set and achieve their academic and personal development goals during the entire school year. Learn more at www.PlayItSmart.org.


ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME:
With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.