2.22 Grading Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines and processes for grading, grade appeals, and academic forgiveness.

Applicability

Faculty members have the authority to establish course requirements and standards for expectations and the evaluation of student performance. Grades submitted by faculty to the Registrar's Office are presumed to be accurate. In accordance with Minnesota State Policy and the Minnesota State College Faculty Association Master Contract, all faculty (full-time, part-time, adjunct, and concurrent enrollment) have the right to determine their own grading policy as stated in the course syllabus. Grades may reflect academic achievement, compliance with course expectations, and other standards, as determined solely by the faculty of record.

Grade Determination

Evaluation of Performance

Evaluation of a student's performance is determined by the course faculty and cannot be appealed except as allowed in this policy.

Grading Criteria

Faculty establish the criteria used to evaluate a student's performance and communicate the criteria to students in a written syllabus.

Amendments to Grading Criteria

1. The change is more generous,
2. does not disadvantage a student, and
3. is communicated in writing to all students.

Grade Submission

Faculty must submit a grade for each student who is not auditing or withdrawn. Faculty have two business days following the last day of the course to submit grades. Final grade reporting is completed in Minnesota State eServices. The grades must be submitted by the deadline and in the manner designated by the Registrar's Office each semester.

Exception to Grade Deadline

The following circumstances allow assignment of grades prior to course completion:

Student or College-Initiated Withdrawal

After the drop period ends and prior to the withdrawal deadline (80% point of the course), a student may withdraw from a class. A final grade of W will be assigned. Administration may initiate a grade of W if deemed necessary during discipline procedures.

Last Date of Attendance Reporting

Faculty are required to report students’ non-attendance as soon as they are reasonably certain the student has not or will no longer attend. Grades of FN are assigned for students who have never attended/academically engaged and FW for students who attended/engaged at least one day. Students may still initiate a withdrawal in eServices to change their FN or FW grades to W through the end of the withdrawal period. The last date of attendance as reported by faculty will not change with the grade change.

Exceptions to Faculty Submitting Grades

Certain circumstances may permit the Registrar, a college administrator, or a designee to submit final grades. The Registrar shall assign final grades in the following circumstances:

• When faculty grade entry results in error or omission and the documentation in the Registrar’s possession reflects a final grade.
• When approving a student’s appeal for a late course withdrawal.
• In the absence of the faculty of record, a designee may be assigned to submit final grades to the Registrar’s Office.

Grade Changes

Faculty may submit grade changes when a student’s initial grade has changed. Grade changes are submitted through faculty eServices. A change of grade will be accepted by the Registrar’s Office only if properly authorized by the faculty or at the discretion of the academic dean/designee if the faculty member is not currently employed by the college. Grade changes will be accepted for up to two consecutive terms (not including summer). A grade change exceeding two consecutive terms requires academic dean approval but cannot exceed two calendar years from the original term of enrollment for the course. Changes will be accepted for I (incomplete), Z (grade unknown) and in the event of an error in the calculation of the original grade.

Letter Grades

For courses graded with letter grades, faculty will use the following:

1. Grade A. A student's performance was superior relative to the established expectations for the course.
2. Grade B. A student's performance was above average relative to the established expectations for the course.
3. Grade C. A student's performance was average relative to the established expectations for the course.
4. Grade D. A student's performance was below average relative to the established expectations for the course.
5. Grade F. A student's performance was inadequate relative to the established expectations for the course.

Pass or No Credit Grades

For courses graded pass/no credit, faculty will use the following:

1. Grade P. Passing; performance was adequate relative to course expectations.
2. Grade NC. No credit; performance was inadequate relative to course expectations.

Riverland Community College uses the following grading system and designated quality points for calculating a grade point average (GPA):

Definition of Academic Engagement

"Academic engagement" (34 CFR 600.2) is active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study and includes, but is not limited to:

• Attending class, lecture, recitation, or field/laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is opportunity for interaction between faculty and students;
• Submitting an academic assignment;
• Taking an assessment or an exam;
• Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
• Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion assigned by the institution;
• Interacting with a faculty member about academic matters.

The definition does not include activities where a student may be present but not academically engaged, such as living in institutional housing or participating in a meal plan, logging into an online class without participation, attending academic counseling or advising, or participating in a student-organized study group.

FN/FW Grading — Timeframe for Usage

FN — Failure to complete a course due to no attendance

An FN grade reflects that a student did not academically engage in a class.

• FN is issued when the student has not attended any class sessions or has not academically engaged in online course(s).
• FN is not issued during the drop/add period.
• FN is issued the second and third weeks of fall/spring terms, and the second week of a late-start, short-term, or summer session class.
• FN should be entered before 20% of the course has occurred; if a student never attended, FN must be assigned.
• FN should be issued when the faculty determines the student has earned an FN grade.
• FN counts in credits attempted but not in the GPA.

FW — Failure to complete a course due to an unofficial withdrawal

FW is an attendance indicator. The student began to engage academically but then had an extended period of absence or lack of participation without communicating with faculty.

Recommendation: Refer the student to the Riverland Advising Department through the Early Alert System. (https://www.riverland.edu/faculty-staff/).

• FW is normally issued starting the fourth week of the semester and the third week of late-start, short-term, or summer classes. For shorter courses, faculty use discretion.
• FW may be considered if the student has missed three consecutive weeks of instruction or online assignments.
• FW should be issued when faculty determine the student has earned an FW grade.
• FW should be entered by the last day to withdraw. After that date, assign the calculated letter grade.
• FW counts in credits attempted but not in the GPA.

Assignment of an Incomplete

At the faculty's discretion, students unable to complete course requirements due to extenuating circumstances may receive an Incomplete (I). No faculty member will assign an I without a student request, a required completion date (no later than 20 business days into the following term), and documentation submitted to the registration department.

The following criteria must apply before consent for an incomplete may be given:

1. The student has completed enough coursework to potentially earn a passing grade if an incomplete is granted.
2. The student can complete remaining requirements without direct instruction or supervision.

Students must complete incomplete coursework within 20 business days of the following semester (excluding summer) or by the earlier date stipulated by the faculty member. Faculty submit documentation to the Registrar’s Office as defined in Incomplete Grading Procedure 2.22.1. If an incomplete is not resolved, a grade of F will be recorded. Once an F is recorded, the course cannot be reopened and must be repeated. An incomplete in a prerequisite must be satisfied before taking the advanced course unless permission is given by the advanced course faculty.

Communicating Grades

Posting Grades

Faculty may post grades provided a code is used that is identifiable only to the student and faculty. Posted grades may not contain the student's name, ID number, or Social Security Number.

Access to Grades

Students access official grades via eServices under the Academic Records tab.

Academic Honors

Dean’s List

A student who completes 6 or more credits with a semester GPA of 3.25–3.74 will be included on the Dean’s List. An email of acknowledgment will be sent to each student on the list.

President’s List

A student who completes 6 or more credits with a semester GPA of 3.75 or higher will be included on the President’s List. An email of acknowledgment will be sent to each student on the list.

Excluded Credits

The following credits will not be included to determine eligibility for academic honors:

1. Credits taken for audit;
2. Credits from which the student withdrew; and
3. Credits that are currently in incomplete status.

Appealing Grades

Grounds for a Course Final Grade Appeal

Students are responsible for accessing their final grades using eServices on the Riverland website. No grade appeal may be made until the official course final grade is posted on the student’s record.

Students must contact the instructor about the grade before an appeal can be filed and provide documentation that the instructor declined to change the grade.

Documentation must also include one or more of the following:

• Evidence of an error in grade calculation;
• The criteria or methodology for grade determination was not provided in the syllabus or by the time a final grade was assigned;
• The standard for evaluation of student academic performance was not applied in accordance with the syllabus.

If the student believes that a grade received is based upon discrimination, or sexual harassment, as defined in the student handbook/college policy, the student should complete the report complaint form immediately.

The Appeal Process

Step One

Within ten (10) business days of the posting of the grade, the student must consult with the instructor. Instructors have ten business days to respond. If no response, the appeal moves to Step Three.

Step Two

If unresolved with the instructor, the student may appeal to the faculty member’s dean and must:

• Submit the grade appeal form to the appropriate dean within ten (10) business days following consultation with the instructor.
• Provide clear documentation that demonstrates grounds for the appeal (e-mail correspondence, graded assignments, proof of timely submission, syllabus, etc.).
• Provide evidence that achievement is not supported by the grade awarded.

If the evidence appears compelling, the dean will forward the student’s statement to the instructor for a response within ten (10) business days or may request a meeting with the student and instructor. If not compelling, the dean will notify the student (and instructor) in writing that the appeal is denied. If a meeting occurs, the dean will render a decision in writing within ten (10) business days of the meeting.

Step Three

Following the dean’s decision, a student may request an appeal review before the Vice President of Academics & Innovation by submitting a written request within ten (10) business days of the dean’s decision. The Vice President will determine merit, may schedule a meeting, and will render a written decision within ten (10) business days of the meeting. The Vice President’s decision is final.

Treatment of Grades in Assessing Satisfactory Academic Progress

Audited Courses

Audited courses (AU) are not funded by financial aid and are not included in financial aid satisfactory academic progress measurements.

Completed Credits

Completed credits include A, B, C, D, and P (and shaded grading). They do not include F, FN, FW, I, W, AU, NC, Z, or drops. Completed credits may qualify for retroactive payment of financial aid.

Consortium Credits

Credits for which a student is registered at another college and accepted by Riverland for financial aid processing are included in satisfactory academic progress calculations (cumulative GPA, completion percentage, and maximum time-frame).

Credits Attempted but Not Successfully Completed

Credits with grades of I, NC, W, FN, FW, F, and Z are treated as attempted but not successfully completed. Audited courses (AU) are not counted as attempted.

Earned Credits

Successfully completed credits that count toward the required completion percentage; includes only A, B, C, D, and P (and shaded grading).

Academic Forgiveness: Credits for which students have been granted academic forgiveness are retained in the Student Data System and included in qualitative and/or quantitative measurements of financial aid satisfactory academic progress. Academic Forgiveness will not remove the letter grade from the transcript, but the grade will no longer be calculated in the GPA.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

GPA is the quotient of the student’s grade point total divided by the grade point credits. P carries no grade point value; it does not affect GPA but counts toward registered and completed credits.

Grade Points

Only grades of A, B, C, D, and F (and shaded grading) carry grade point value and are included in the GPA calculation.

Grade Point Total

The sum of grade points earned, determined by multiplying the grade point value by the number of course credits.

Incompletes

Grades of I do not contribute to GPA calculation but do contribute to the completion percentage calculation.

Remedial/Developmental Courses

Credits below the 100 level are included in qualitative and quantitative measurements of satisfactory academic progress. Financial aid is available for up to 30 remedial/developmental credits, which are excluded from maximum time-frame calculation.

Repeated Courses

Students may repeat courses. The best grade counts in the GPA. All repeated credits are included in completion percentage and maximum time-frame calculations. Financial aid is not permitted for more than one repetition of a previously passed course. Repeating a course will not remove previously posted Satisfactory Academic Progress notations.

Successfully Completed Credits

Credits with grades of A, B, C, D, and P are included in the cumulative completion percentage.

Transfer Credits

Transfer credits accepted by Riverland and applied to program requirements count as attempted and completed credits for completion percentage calculations. Associated grades are not used in cumulative GPA. Transfer credits apply to the 150% time-frame if they apply toward the current credential.

Credit for Prior Learning

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) offers students a way to earn credit for verifiable college-level learning acquired through life or work experience. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the process by which a student’s learning from experience is assessed and evaluated for purposes of granting credit certification, or advanced standing toward further education or training. More details and information on CPL is available online at https://www.riverland.edu/academics/credit-for-prior-learning/. The detailed procedure is located: (https://www.riverland.edu/about-riverland/policies-and-procedures/credit-for-prior-learning-procedure/)

Withdrawals

Credits with a grade of W are considered attempted but not successfully completed. W does not impact GPA but does negatively impact the cumulative completion percentage.

Scope

Faculty, students.

Definitions

See above.

Procedure

Yes.

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Date Implemented: November 8, 2018

Date of Adoption: November 8, 2018

Responsible Division / Author: Student Affairs / Dean of Students / Vice President of Strategic Enrollment and Equity

Date & Subject of Revisions: February 2021; April 2024