Advanced Placement
For Middle School Students Trying Out for a JV/Varsity Sport
Please note that students eligibility for high school sports starts when a middle school student plays on a high school team. For a 7th grader, they will have 6 years of eligibility and for an 8th grader, 5 years of total eligibility.
Permission Letter
Athletic Placement Process (APP) Parent/Guardian Permission Letter
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Your child, ___________________________________, has been recommended to participate in the Athletic Placement Process (APP) for the sport of ___________________________________. This process permits eligible 7th and 8th-grade Bronxville Middle School students to try out for a Bronxville High School athletic team.
To qualify under New York State Education Department and Bronxville Athletics guidelines, your child must receive a routine physical clearance from a licensed health professional and demonstrate physical fitness, knowledge of the game, and sport skill proficiency under coach supervision during regular team tryouts.
Please note that passing this evaluation grants eligibility to try out, but does not guarantee a spot on the final team roster. If you consent to your child entering this screening process, please complete, sign, and return the consent section below to the Bronxville Athletic Office.
Sincerely,
Anthony Vaglica
Director of Physical Education, Health, & Athletics | Bronxville Union Free School District
Click the preview below to download the parent permission form for Advanced Placement in Athletics
New APP Guidance
Subject: Important Update: New State Guidelines for Middle School Athletic Placement (APP)
Dear Bronxville Community,
We are writing to inform you of upcoming changes to the Athletic Placement Process (APP)—the framework that allows qualified 7th and 8th graders to try out for Junior Varsity (JV) or Varsity teams.
The New York State Board of Regents has officially adopted revised regulations governing interscholastic athletic placement, effective July 29, 2026. These modifications represent the state’s first major overhaul to the process since 2017, focusing on modernizing safety standards and medical evaluations.
What Is Changing Under New NYSED Regulations?
- Invitation-Only Tryouts: Under the new state framework, 7th and 8th graders may only enter the APP process if recommended and officially invited by the District Athletic Director. Parent-initiated requests for placement testing are no longer permitted. Once an athlete is invited, standardized criteria will apply to all participants.
- Removal of the Tanner Scale: NYSED has completely eliminated the Tanner Sexual Maturity Scale, transitioning toward less invasive, contemporary medical assessments.
- Integrated Health Exams: Medical clearance will now be integrated into standard pre-participation physical exams rather than requiring a separate medical classification process.
- Holistic Fitness & Safety Focus: Healthcare providers and district staff will assess overall physical readiness, skill, strength, and individual injury risk factors rather than solely evaluating physiological maturity.
How This Affects District Athletes
Our priority remains supporting student growth while protecting their physical, social, and emotional well-being. Going forward, our district APP protocol will operate as follows:
- Identification: Head coaches will evaluate 7th and 8th graders and recommend candidates who demonstrate exceptional skill, maturity, and readiness. For specialty sports where student-athletes are harder to evaluate, or for sports that do not offer a modified team, we plan on holding preseason identification camps. More information regarding these camps will follow.
- Review & Invitation: The Athletic Director will review coach recommendations and extend formal invitations to eligible families.
- Parental Consent: Written consent from a parent or guardian is required prior to any testing or evaluation.
- Standardized Evaluation: Candidates will be evaluated on objective criteria—including fitness, sport-specific skill, strategic understanding, and personal responsibility. Evaluation standards will be applied uniformly across all candidates for a given sport.
Next Steps
Students already identified by our coaching staff for the upcoming fall season will proceed under these new rules. We are actively updating our internal athletic policies to mirror state mandates and will provide further details on evaluation timelines as the New York State Education Department issues additional administrative guidance.
To review the complete text approved by the Board of Regents, please refer to the NYS Board of Regents Official Amendment Document.
Thank you for your continued support of our student-athletes and athletic programs. Please feel free to reach out to the Athletic Office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Anthony Vaglica
Director of Physical Education, Health, & Athletics