NFHS Learning Center Offers Professional Development Pathway for Coaches

Along with offering more than 100 online education courses for everyone associated with high school sports and other activity programs, the NFHS Learning Center provides an exceptional professional development pathway for high school coaches.

Available through the Learning Center’s online platform at www.NFHSLearn.com, the three-level NFHS National Coach Credential is designed to keep high school coaches engaged in professional development throughout the year, and it has the same required online courses as the highly successful NFHS School Honor Roll Program.

Coaches can become a NFHS Level 1 Coach by completing “Fundamentals of Coaching” along with three free courses on the Learning Center: “Concussion in Sports,” “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” and “Protecting Students from Abuse.” When 90 percent of a school’s coaches complete these courses, the school can earn Level 1 status through the School Honor Roll program.

To become an NFHS Level 2 Coach, individuals must navigate the courses that pertain specifically to their sports, as well as “First Aid, Health and Safety,” “Heat Illness Prevention” and “Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.”

Finally, NFHS Level 3 status requires coaches to complete the following Learning Center courses: “Sportsmanship,” “Strength and Conditioning,” “Teaching and Modeling Behavior,” “Engaging Effectively with Parents” and “Bullying, Hazing and Inappropriate Behaviors.”

The three-level NFHS National Coach Credential was started in 2022 and replaced the previous model – Accredited Interscholastic Coach (AIC) and Certified Interscholastic Coach (CIC) – that was established in 2009. In the 13 years of those professional development offerings, 44,590 coaches earned AIC status and 8,578 earned CIC status.

Since the implementation of the National Coach Credential program more than 2½ years ago, 53,296 coaches have earned Level 1 credentials, 16,014 have become Level 2 coaches and another 7,198 have earned Level 3 status. In addition, 270 banners have been earned by schools though the School Honor Roll Program, which includes coaches who have completed at least Coach Level 1 credentials.

“The goal of the NFHS National Coach Credential is to provide ongoing education and professional development opportunities for the interscholastic coach community and beyond,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services. “The more coaches who get involved in the student-centered curriculum at the NFHS Learning Center, which is a nationally accredited institution, the better equipped and prepared they will be to provide students the best experiences in our programs.”

The NFHS Learning Center, which has delivered almost 24 million courses since its inception in 2007, earned national accreditation from Cognia in 2022. Cognia, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts and education service providers, recognizes schools and other education service providers that meet rigorous standards that focus on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meet the needs of learners, and effective leadership.

“The NFHS Learning Center provides an opportunity for ongoing learning and a pathway for professional development, and this accreditation highlights that we are willing to commit to ongoing learning and improvement,” Schuster said.

“While everything we do at the NFHS has — at minimum — an indirect impact on high school students, the NFHS Learning Center has been able to directly bring value to millions of students in improving their interscholastic experience through coursework,” Schuster said. “Not only have we been able to leave an impact on today’s students, but we are also working to prepare the next generation of parents, coaches, administrators and officials.”

The Learning Center currently offers more than 100 online courses, including more than 70 that are free, for students, coaches, athletic directors, school administrators, parents, officials, performing arts educators, music adjudicators and others involved in high school sports and performing arts programs.