Three years removed from NCAA scholarship penalties, the Washington State Cougars received some good news Wednesday on the academic front.

The school’s football program, which was docked eight scholarships after a 2006-07 score of 874, received its highest Academic Progress Rates number in five years, posting a 953 in 2008-09, well higher than the 925 threshold that can trigger penalties.

“I think we’re recruiting better students, academically prepared and character-wise,” said Ken Casavant, WSU’s faculty athletic representative, of WSU improvement in coach Paul Wulff’s tenure. “Since Paul’s been here, (the rate) is 955.”

WSU’s four-year average of 918 is still less than the 925 mark, thanks in large part to the 2006-07 score. But the school’s recent improvement mitigates any penalties.

The basketball program posted a perfect 1,000 for 2008-09, and has a four-year average of 957. The women’s basketball team scored 917, pulling its four-year score down to 933. Football was the only WSU sport with a rolling average less than the 925 threshold and four teams posted perfect scores.

The NCAA instituted the APR in 2005 as part of its academic reform movement. The number calculates how well a school is moving athletes toward graduation. The 925 number translates to a 50 percent graduation rate.

Teams with a four-year average score less than 925 and have a student leave school academically ineligible can be docked up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Teams also face penalties for poor academic numbers over a long period.

Eastern Washington University’s basketball program received an 896 score for 2008-09, and has a four-year average of 904. However, the Eagles avoided penalties. The school’s football program had a 929 score for the year and a rolling average of 926.

EWU athletic director Bill Chaves said his school’s men’s basketball program is still “playing catch-up” from the spring of 2007, when several players opted to transfer following the dismissal of head coach Mike Burns.

Most of those players, according to Chaves, left in good academic standing for other four-year institutions and would not have cost Eastern retention or eligibility points under current APR guidelines.

“If they had been grandfathered in, our numbers would have been much better,” said Chaves, who added he was not surprised that Eastern did not incur any penalties.

“Only because we knew if you’re within that 900-925 range, (no penalties) is pretty standard – unless you lost a first-year athlete who was ineligible when he left,” he said. “And we knew that wasn’t the case.”

At Gonzaga, the men’s and women’s basketball teams each received a perfect score for the year.

Portland State’s men’s basketball team will be banned from next season’s NCAA tournament because their APR went south for the third straight year.

Last season the Vikings lost two scholarships because the team’s academic standing fell for the second straight season.

WSU coach Ken Bone was the PSU coach during those years.

Portland State also lost scholarships in football as did fellow Big Sky members Montana State, Idaho State and Weber State.