The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse has announced a number of operational changes that will become effective in 2005.

The most immediate of the changes concerns preliminary certification reports for home-schooled student-athletes.

In April 2004, the Clearinghouse began performing certifications for students-athletes who had been home-schooled at any time during secondary school. Only final certifications were performed as the Clearinghouse staff grew accustomed to the special circumstances of home-schooling certifications. Beginning immediately, though, the Clearinghouse will perform preliminary and final certifications for all home-schooled students, thereby providing those students the same opportunities to view their certification status as traditionally schooled students.

Another change is that effective March 1, the Clearinghouse will no longer mail a paper copy of certification reports to institutions, as that information is readily available on the Clearinghouse Web site (www.ncaaclearinghouse.net).

Prospects who elect to have all communications from the Clearinghouse sent via e-mail will not receive a paper copy of the preliminary or final reports. Rather, they will receive instruction regarding how to access the information via the Internet. Prospects who have elected to have all communications from the Clearinghouse sent via regular mail will still receive a paper copy of preliminary and final reports, as will students with undeliverable e-mail addresses. Any prospect may receive a paper copy on request.

Also effective March 1, the Clearinghouse will remove computer science courses from all high schools' lists of NCAA-approved core courses, since computer science courses may no longer be used as core courses unless the courses receive mathematics or natural/physical science credit toward high-school graduation. For computer science courses to be used for initial-eligibility purposes, the courses must appear on the high school's list of NCAA-approved core courses as either mathematics or natural/physical science.

Since computer science courses cannot be used for the class of 2005, the courses are currently not being used in preliminary certification determinations and will be moved from the approved to the denied section of the high school's list.

Other operational changes include:

* Elimination of voice response unit. The Clearinghouse currently offers callers the opportunity to receive certification information through a toll-free voice response unit (VRU). Before the launch of the redesigned Clearinghouse Web site, prospective student-athletes were able to receive information only through the Clearinghouse customer service line and the VRU. Presently, prospects are able to access information at any time through the Clearinghouse Web site and by calling the toll-free customer service line during regular business hours.

The number of calls logged by the VRU has dropped 50 percent over the past year, and many of those calls are individuals who are trying to reach an operator. The toll-free VRU number will stay connected; however, after-hours callers will receive a message indicating that they may either check eligibility status on the clearinghouse Web site, or call the toll-free customer service line during regular business hours. During business hours, VRU callers will be routed to an operator.

That change will be effective May 1.

* Fee increase. Beginning September 1, the Clearinghouse registration fee will increase to $32 (starting with the class of 2006). The registration fee for the past three years has been $30.