Grading/Grade Changes/Grade Appeal

Grading System

A plus/minus grading system is used at the College. Using the plus/minus system is an option for faculty, not a requirement.

Grades will be available at the end of each semester in Workday.  Mid-semester progress grades will be issued to reflect a student’s performance as S for Satisfactory or U for Unsatisfactory.  Mid-semester grades are issued for Fall and Spring 14 week courses only.

A course or series of courses can be designated by a department to use Pass/Fail grades if assessment is determined by performance/competency-based criteria and the use of P/F grades has been approved by the Academic Policy Committee.  A grade of P has no impact on the GPA. Courses designated as Pass/Fail are noted in the course description.

1. An incomplete grade (I) is given only when the student had obtained, in advance, the permission of the instructor to postpone completion of specific course work for a valid reason. (Refer to Incomplete policy.)
2. A student may withdraw, or be withdraw administratively, from a class in which he or she is enrolled through the 90% point in the instructional period.
3. Through summer 2007, students who withdrew from a course through the first 2/3 of the instructional period received a grade of W. After that point, and through the end of the semester, student received a grade of WP or WF. The grade of WF counted as a grade of F in the student's grade point average.
4. Grade value for completion of developmental math modular units awarded through course challenge process; beginning Fall 2014.
5. Temporary COVID-19 Pass/Fail Grades for Spring Semester 2020 only. After the Spring Semester 2020 the Pass/Fail policy will revert back to the original form. Instructors of all courses will submit the usual letter grades for all students. Students who selected the Pass/Fail Grading option for the spring 2020 semester will see grades on their transcripts for those courses appear as PC, PC- or NC.

Grade Changes

Any grade changes by a faculty member must be made within five months of the end of the semester in which the original grade was issued. Withdrawal from a course is a final action. No change to the final grade is permitted in the case of a Withdrawal.

Grade Appeal

Grades are assigned by the course instructor. Students may appeal a final grade only in the cases where they are alleging a serious computational error in the grade or in cases where they allege unfair treatment in the application of a course policy or procedure.

When a student wishes to appeal a grade, final or part of a semester's work, he or she must follow the appeal procedures for grades, and those involved in the appeal may recommend only the following actions:

• The assigned grade may be supported.
• The faculty member may be asked to reconsider the grade in question.

Appeal procedure-grades

Step 1

• If a student wishes to appeal a grade, he or she must make an appointment and meet with the faculty member within ten working days. To appeal final grades or grades assigned in the last week of the semester, the student must make an appointment and meet with the faculty member at a formal meeting during the first week of the next regular semester unless arrangements can be made to meet prior to that time.
• If no agreement can be reached, the student may file an appeal in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and proceed to Step 2.

Note: working day is defined as any day when a full schedule of classes are in session (this excludes Saturdays and Sundays).

Step 2

• Within three working days of the meeting with the faculty member, the student may request in writing that the appropriate dean should call the meeting within five working days to include the student, faculty member, and program director, if any. 
• After this meeting, the dean will send all parties involved a written recommendation within three working days.
• Students who do not agree with the recommendation in Step 2 may appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee within three working days. This appeal must be submitted, in writing, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Step 3

• Students initiate appeals to the Academic Appeals Committee (within three days of notification of outcome of Step 2) by requesting a hearing through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A hearing will be scheduled as quickly as possible, and all parties to the appeal will be informed of the date, time, and place of the meeting. It is the responsibility of the student and the person(s) whose decision(s) is (are) being appealed to provide the committee with evidence, documentary or otherwise. The appellant may be accompanied by a college friend.
• Having heard the cases of appellant and objects of appeal, the committee will deliberate in private and recommend a decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, whose decision will be final unless different from the recommendation of the committee; in such cases the student may appeal to the President, whose decision is final.
• The Vice President for Academic Affairs will communicate in writing a decision on the appeal no later than three working days after the hearing.