ACADEMIC INFORMATION 

QUARTER SYSTEM
CCS operates on a quarter system: summer, fall, winter and spring. Academic calendars are posted at www.ccs.spokane.edu.

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.

Symbol Definition
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 with the following 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 chief academic officer, and (3) 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 pre-designated 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.

Exceptions to the refund policy will be considered only if, in the judgment of the college, an extreme hardship has been caused by illness, hospitalization, or military transfer. A student must submit an appeal for an exception to the refund policy with a completed official withdrawal form (CCS 40-133) and written documentation (letter from the doctor in the case of illness) to the registrar. For the case of medical withdrawal at the IEL and SFCC, in addition to the CCS 40-133 form the Medical Withdrawal Request Form must also be completed along with a written or typed letter on business letterhead from the student's health care provider state date(s) of care, the health condition being treated, and the letter must state "Patient is unable to attend classes and must withdraw from school." 

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 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 following schedule 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
  • Chief academic officer
GRADE CHANGE
Students should request grade changes from the instructor prior to the end of the next quarter.

GRADE CHANGE IN ABSENCE OF INSTRUCTOR
Under extraordinary circumstances, and in applying due diligence, the chief academic officer will make a good faith effort to arrive at an appropriate grade.

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) as calculated at the end of the last graded quarter prior to graduation ceremony, or at the end of their last quarter of enrollment in credit classes, whichever comes first, will be designated by wearing honor cords when they participate in graduation.

SCC: A college-level 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 general policy requirements: 
  • Minimum Grade Point Average: Students must achieve and maintain the required grade point average.
  • Degree/Certificate Completion: Students should complete the degree or certificate within the maximum credit limit. 
Community Colleges of Spokane 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 the requirements specified by their funding agency. In addition, students receiving federal and/or state financial aid must follow the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress Policies (as revised 11-16-04). 

PROCEDURES
Minimum Grade Point Average 
Students must maintain a quarterly grade point average of 2.0 or better and 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 quarterly grade point average falls below a 2.0 are notified of progressive action, to include warning, probation and suspension. Students must have a final college-level GPA of 2.0 or better to receive a degree or certificate from Community Colleges of Spokane.

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.