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ACADEMIC INFORMATION Quarter System CCS operates on a quarter system: summer, fall, winter and spring. Refer to our Academic Calendars for specific dates.
Course Numbers Courses numbered below 100 are not considered college level and are not designed for transfer. Academic courses numbered 100-199 inclusive normally are taken by first-year students. Courses numbered 200-299 inclusive normally are taken by second-year students. Grading Policy Community Colleges of Spokane grading system provides a permanent record of grade evaluations that reflect, in various ways, successful course and program completion. The colleges operate on a quarter system. The quarter hour of credit is the unit of instruction. Grade Legend Grades at CCS are reported in numerical fractions to the nearest tenth. The numerical grades are based on the letter grade system used prior to the 1986-87 academic year, and general equivalents are as follows: Numeric Grade Letter Grade Equivalent 3.8-4.0 A (superior achievement) 3.5-3.7 A- 3.2-3.4 B+ 2.9-3.1 B (above average achievement) 2.6-2.8 B- 2.3-2.5 C+ 2.0-2.2 C (average achievement) 1.6-1.9 C- 1.3-1.5 D+ 1.0-1.2 D (minimum achievement) 0.7-0.9 D- 0.0-0.6 F (failure)
Grade Symbols Explanation follows symbol. I Incomplete N Audit P Pass F Fail W Official Withdrawal Z Special Withdrawal * Missing Grade Conditions for which they are assigned: I - Incomplete — 0.0 grade points; no credit. Incomplete grades “I” may be issued only to those students whose work to date is passing but not completed at the end of the quarter. All “I” grades issued by an instructor should be accompanied by an “Incomplete Contract.” All incompletes must be made up prior to the official end of the next quarter. Exceptions: (1) “I” grades earned spring quarter must be made up prior to the official end of fall quarter, and (2) “I” grades issued to students in the career and technical division of the college are to be made up according to a special schedule developed by the department chair and the vice president of instruction. An incomplete that is not made up will default to the decimal grade listed on the Incomplete Contract. N - Audit — Special registration. 0.0 grade points; no credit. P - Pass — 0.0 grade points; credit not calculated in GPA. A passing grade may be issued in certain predesignated courses or experience-related evaluations for credit rather than the regular grading system. Courses designated with a pass/fail option must be approved by the College Curriculum Committee prior to the beginning of a course.
F - Fail — 0.0 grade points; credit calculated in GPA. Courses designated with a pass/fail option must be approved by the College Curriculum Committee prior to the beginning of a course. W - Official Withdrawal — 0.0 grade points; no credit. All official withdrawals “W” prior to the seventh week of the quarter are the sole responsibility and prerogative of the student and must be initiated and completed by the student. The official withdrawal date for summer quarter will be prorated accordingly. To prevent a “W” grade showing on the student transcript, the student must drop the class or withdraw completely by the tenth day of the normal quarter, eighth day for summer quarter. Short courses will be prorated accordingly.
Z - Special Withdrawal — 0.0 grade points; no credit. All withdrawals of this type must be designated by the instructor on the regular grade sheet at the end of the quarter. 1. After consultation with the student prior to the end of the quarter, the faculty member may agree to grant a special withdrawal on the last day of the quarter. The decision to grant the special withdrawal is to be based on what is best for the student in light of his or her educational objectives. 2. In the event that a student enrolls for a class and never attends or stops attending, a special withdrawal may be granted only by the instructor on the last day of the quarter. 3. Students meeting attendance requirements of the instructor but doing failing work may be given a special withdrawal by the instructor. This must be changed by the instructor to a regular academic grade reflecting proper achievement level if requested by the student prior to the official end of the next quarter. The faculty member is under no obligation to agree to grant a special “Z” withdrawal. Only faculty may change a “Z” grade to a decimal grade by delivering a signed grade change form to the transcript area at SCC and the Admissions/Registration Office at SFCC. * Missing Grade — No grade received from faculty. Academic Standards Requirements for “W” and “Z” Withdrawals The schedule below applies to any combination of two or more "W" or "Z" symbols and will have a bearing upon academic standard requirements: First quarter—two or more—academic warning Second quarter—two or more—academic probation Third quarter—two or more—approval required prior to registration Grade Point Average (GPA) Grade point averages are calculated by dividing grade points earned by the credit hours attempted. The following is an example of a grade-point average computation: Credit Hours Grade Points Attempted Grade Earned 5 x 3.0 = 15.0 3 x 4.0 = 12.0 4 x 2.0 = 8.0 5 x 1.0 = 5.0 1 x 0.0 = 0.0 18 40.0 Dividing 40.0 by 18 computes to a grade-point average of 2.22. Student Grade Appeal The appeal order for a student who feels that he or she has received an unfair grade is as follows: Instructor of the course Department chair Division dean Vice president of instruction Grade Change Students should request grade changes from the instructor within one academic year (summer, fall, winter and spring quarters) from the time in which the grade was issued. Example: If the grade was received at the end of spring quarter, students are allowed to complete a grade change until the end of spring quarter during the following school year. Grade Report Grade/transcript information will be released to students seven days after the end of each quarter via the Internet at SCC: www.scc.spokane.edu, and SFCC/IEL: www.spokanefalls.edu. Students also may access the information via a campus/center, computer or kiosk. Grades/transcripts may be withheld if the student has a financial obligation to the college, which may include loans, library fines or delinquent fees. Honor Roll Students eligible for the President’s Honor Roll or the Vice President’s Honor Roll must meet the following minimum criteria. 1. Be a full-time student who has earned 12 or more quarter decimal grade credits as computed by the end of the quarter grading cycle. 2. Achieve a 3.50 or above for the President’s Honor Roll. 3. Achieve a 3.0 - 3.49 for the Vice President’s Honor Roll. Pass credits are not computed in the quarterly or cumulative grade point average; therefore, do not count as completed credits toward the honor roll. The honor roll program that automatically enters the honor roll status on the transcript will be run only once, after the quarterly grading cycle. Exception: If the instructor has made an error in grading and the student should be on the honor roll, staff will manually enter the appropriate honor roll status onto the transcript. Graduation Students must petition for graduation to have their credits evaluated for the requirements of their respective degrees. Graduation ceremonies are held in June. Students completing their degree requirements at other times during the year are encouraged to return to participate in these activities. Students who finish their degree requirements during the summer quarter may participate in the June commencement. (Refer to the Degree and Certificate Requirements.) Participation in the commencement ceremony does not ensure completion of a degree and/or certificate. Honor Cords Students who achieve the following grade point averages (GPA) will be designated by wearing honor cords when they participate in graduation. SCC: A cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above in completion of career and technical degrees/certificates and a college-level GPA of 3.5 and above in completion of an associate of arts degree. SFCC/IEL: A cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above in completion of degree and one-year certificate requirements. Class Attendance Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratories. If absent due to illness or other unavoidable reasons, the student should contact instructors and make arrangements for completing missed assignments. (See Academic Standards Policy.) Academic Standards Policy Community Colleges of Spokane’s Academic Standards Policy is intended to support a successful learning experience for all students. Students enrolled in degree or certificate programs are expected to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress as defined by the following three general policy requirements: Minimum Grade Point Average: Students must achieve and maintain the required grade point average. Credits Earned/Credits Attempted: Students must complete a minimum percentage of attempted credits per quarter. Degree/Certificate Completion: Students must complete the degree or certificate within the maximum credit limit. CCS recognizes the unique and diverse backgrounds and needs of students, and while all students are held to the same level of academic excellence, students with special circumstances may petition for special consideration. Students enrolled in special programs are required to follow requirements specified by their funding agency. In addition, students receiving federal and/or state financial aid must follow the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress policies. Procedures Minimum Grade Point Average A degree-seeking student or student enrolled in a certificate program must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better in all coursework. Students are encouraged to consult with instructors, counselors or faculty advisers, and student services support staff for assistance in achieving their academic goals and objectives. Students whose grade point average falls below a 2.0 are notified of progressive action, to include warning, probation and suspension. Credits Earned/Credits Attempted A student in a degree or certificate program who has attempted 30 or more credits must successfully complete at least 75 percent of attempted credits. Repeated courses and courses in which the student receives a Special Withdrawal “Z”, a Withdrawal “W” or an Incomplete “I” are included in the total of attempted credits. A student receiving these alternative grades may not meet credit completion requirements. A student who fails to complete 75 percent of attempted coursework is notified of progressive action to include warning, probation and suspension. Degree/Certificate Completion A student who is enrolled in a degree or certificate program must complete the program in at least 125 percent of the program’s credit requirements. A student in a degree or certificate program may not take college-level courses in excess of 150 percent of the credits needed to complete the degree or certificate. For the purposes of this policy, 90 credits will be assumed to be the program length unless otherwise indicated. To assist the student in meeting this standard the college will monitor local, college-level credits leading to degree/certificate completion. A student who does not meet this standard will be subject to corrective actions.
Attempted
Grade
Earned
5
x
3.0
=
15.0
3
4.0
12.0
4
2.0
8.0
1.0
5.0
1
0.0
18
40.0