540 GRADING SYSTEM(from the Columbia College Chicago Faculty Handbook) 540 UNDERGRADUATE GRADING SYSTEMThe College undergraduate grading system is listed below. Your grades should reflect your judgment of students’ achievement, improvement, effort, and motivation within the framework of that system. Students are best served by evaluations that accurately describe their abilities, performance, and seriousness of purpose.
Notes: P / F: Please see Section 540.5 Pass/Fail Grades FX: This is an administrative grade only; it is not to be used to reflect academic performance. The FX grade is to be assigned only to those students who have never attended your class but whose names appear on your fourth-week class list. The FX grade should not be used as a final grade. W: not for faculty use, notes that student has withdrawn from the course. Many departments adhere to no-more-than-three-absence attendance policy. Individual faculty members are encouraged to check as to a specific departmental attendance policy. There is no College-wide attendance policy. 540.1 INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY An Incomplete Grade (I) can be issued only for an undergraduate student who has met one of the following criteria:
This section replaces 540 [Incomplete grade] . Source, Provost's Office 540.2 GRADE CHANGES Only an instructor can change a grade. The student must submit the request for a grade change by the end of the semester following the term for which the original grade was awarded. Both the department chairperson and the Dean of the appropriate School must approve the change. Copies of grade changes are mailed to students. 540.3 GRADE DISPUTES The faculty member and chairperson of the department in which the disputed grade was awarded resolve grade grievances. Every attempt should be made to resolve the grade grievance through consultations between the student and the instructor or among the student, instructor, and the department chairperson (or subject-area coordinator when that person is charged with resolving grade grievances). In the event that these consultations fail to resolve the grievance, an appeal procedure is available to students, and for the procedure to go forward, written documentation is required. All documents must be dated. The grading and evaluation policies outlined in the course syllabus will form the basis for resolution of all grade grievances. 1. A grade grievance occurs when a student protests a grade awarded on the final grade roster. The grievance must be filed within three weeks of the student’s receipt of the grade. 2. Every grade grievance must be submitted in writing by the student to the instructor who awarded the grade. The student must copy the department chair when the original grievance is submitted to the instructor. 3. The instructor must respond in writing to the student and send a copy to the department chair within ten working days of receiving the grievance. 4. If the response from the instructor is not satisfactory to the student, a written petition of appeal to the department chairperson (or, in some departments, to the subject-area coordinator) must be submitted within two weeks of the instructor’s written response. 5. The chairperson or coordinator must respond to the student’s petition of appeal within two weeks of receipt of the petition. 6. If the decision of the chairperson or coordinator is unsatisfactory to the student, he or she may appeal to the Dean of the appropriate School whose decision shall be made in a timely fashion and shall be final.
540.4 GRADE REPORTING Final class lists upon which final grades are to be entered are issued the last week of the semester. Final grades are due in the Records Office no later than one week following the end of the term. Specific dates are announced each semester. Always retain a copy of final grades for your own records. Final grades must be submitted by the instructor in person or directly through the mail to the Records Office. Final grades for a class are to be reported to the students by the Records Office only. Please check with your department, since it may require a copy. Failure to return grades in a timely manner may profoundly affect students’ ability to register, to qualify for financial aid, and to create a sound academic program for the subsequent semester. Returning grade sheets on time is an expectation of continued employment. 540.5 PASS/FAIL A student can only take a course pass/fail with the approval of the course instructor. The student must complete a declaration form obtained from the Records Office before the end of the fourth week of the semester in order to exercise this option. Instructors will receive copies of the form. Students may not take more than 15 credit hours out of their total program under the pass/fail option. A student is not allowed to take any course that is required to complete either a general education or major requirement on a pass/fail basis. 541 GRADUATE GRADING POLICYThe Graduate School at Columbia College Chicago uses a 4.0 scale to calculate the cumulative grade point average. A – earns 4 quality points per credit hour [No more than 6 credit hours with a grade of C are applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements.] D – earns 1 quality point per credit hour [D credit hours are not applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements.] F – earns 0 quality points per credit hour [F credit hours are not applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements.] I (Incomplete)-earns 0 quality points per credit hour [I credit hours are not applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements.] NG (No Grade) – earns 0 quality points per hour [NG credit hours are not applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements.] S (Satisfactory) – in progress toward Graduate Thesis/Project, an S grade earns credit hours but is not included in calculation of GPA. U (Unsatisfactory) – in progress toward Graduate/Thesis Project, a U grade does not earn credit hours and is not included in calculation of GPA. [Grades S and U are awarded only in Graduate Thesis/Project and Thesis Continuance courses.] W (Withdraw) – assigned by the Records Office for courses dropped after the fourth week but before the end of the eighth week of Fall or Spring semester (or, after the second week but before the end of the fourth week of Summer session). Grades of W do not earn quality points or credit hours.
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