Academic Achievement
Grades and Grade Points
Letter grades are given to let students know how well they are learning the material in their courses. Each instructor chooses the factors he/she believes are important in deciding which grade to give (test results, attendance, outside projects, participation in class, etc.). For each letter grade there is a corresponding number of grade points. These are used to provide a numerical expression of a student’s work. The table provided shows the grades and their grade point equivalents.
| Grade Points | ||
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | |
| B+ | 3.3 | |
| B | Good | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 2.3 | |
| C | Average | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 1.3 | |
| D | Below Average | 1.0 |
| D- | 0.7 | |
| F | Failure | 0.0 |
| I | In Progress* | 0.0 |
| P | Pass* | 0.0 |
| F* | Failure* | 0.0 |
| AU | Audit* | 0.0 |
| W | Withdrawal* | 0.0 |
*not calculated into grade point average
The Grade Point Average
To determine the relative standing of any student, either for a single semester or for his/her total college career, a composite score, called a Grade Point Average (GPA), is computed from the student’s grades.
Grade points for a semester are calculated by multiplying the numerical weight allocated to each grade times the semester hours of credit assigned to each course. The GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of semester hours of credit attempted by the student.
For Example:
| Grade | Semester Hours | Grade Points Per Semester Hour |
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | B | 3 | x | 3 | = | 9 |
| English | C | 3 | x | 2 | = | 6 |
| Math | A | 3 | x | 4 | = | 12 |
| Psychology | D | 3 | x | 1 | = | 3 |
| 12 | 30 |
In this example the GPA would be 2.5 (30 divided by 12).
Attendance
With enrollment in college the student accepts responsibility to take full advantage of the educational opportunity by regular attendance at classes and laboratories. Each instructor has the responsibility of clearly communicating personal expectations on attendance. Faculty may use their discretion in regard to the effect of absences on a student’s grade. In every case of absence, the responsibility for making up work rests with the student.
Pass/Fail Option
Upon verification of eligibility by Learning and Student Development, a student in good standing may elect to take no more than 3 out of 12 consecutive credited semester hours under a Pass/Fail option. Under this option performance in courses is evaluated simply in terms of the normal grading scale. Pass/Fail evaluations do not affect the grade point average. This option is designed to encourage students to explore new or difficult fields without fear of having a low mark depress the GPA. The Pass/Fail grade does, however, affect a student’s satisfactory progress at the College.
The final date in each semester by which a student must exercise the Pass/Fail option is the same as that listed in the academic calendar for withdrawing from a course. To exercise the Pass/Fail option, the student must complete appropriate forms available in the Learning and Student Development Office. The director of enrollment and research will convert an assigned grade to “P” or “F” in any course for which a student has elected the Pass/Fail option. Students are cautioned that credits earned in this way are not guaranteed transferable to another college.
Audit
Students may register to audit a class. Auditing a class means that the individual will be present during class meetings but is not responsible for completing assignments or tests. No credits are given for an audit grade. A student may change his/her registration from credit to audit until the date listed on the academic calendar for withdrawing from a class. To effect this change the student must complete the appropriate section on the add/drop form. Once a course has been placed on “audit,” it may not be reversed to credit.
Academic Honors
Effective Fall 2001, the names of full- and part-time (3 or more credits) students who attain a grade point average of 3.4 or higher during a given semester are placed on the Dean’s List. A course Withdrawal or Incomplete shall make the student ineligible for Dean’s List recognition that semester. To graduate with honors, a student must have earned at QVCC at least 30 of the credits accepted for graduation. Graduation honors are:
- Highest Honors—GPA equal to 3.9 or higher
- High Honors—GPA equal to 3.7 to 3.89
- Honors—GPA equal to 3.4 to 3.69
Students with a grade of “I” (Incomplete) are ineligible for graduation honors.
Courses taken at other institutions are not included in computing honor status.
The College also has a chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, a national community college academic honor society and Alpha Beta Gamma, a national community college honor society for business students.
Medallion for Academic Excellence
The Board of Trustees medallion for academic excellence is awarded in recognition of outstanding academic accomplishment of associate degree graduates of the community colleges and is presented at commencement. Annually, each community college shall determine the students eligible to receive the medallion in accordance with the following criteria:
Recipients must be graduating students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. Recipients must have completed the degree requirements of an approved associate degree program and must have completed at least 50% of the degree requirements in residence at the community college awarding the degree. Graduates shall not be disqualified from receiving the award on the basis of having a “W” or other similar transcript notation of official course withdrawal(s). This policy shall be implemented in recognition of the existence and intent of “fresh start” policies of community colleges.
In Progress Work
The student whose work in a course is incomplete at the time of grading due to extenuating circumstances and who has the approval of the instructor for an agreed-upon extension of time in which to complete the coursework may receive a grade of “I” (In Progress/Incomplete).
A written contract must be signed by the faculty member and the student and submitted to the dean of learning and student development prior to issuance of the “I” grade. “I” grades which have not been changed by the instructor by the end of the following semester in which they are received will be changed automatically to “F”.
Repeating Courses
Students are permitted to repeat a course. The original grade for a repeated course remains on the record. The highest grade value for the repeated course is used to determine credits earned and calculated into the GPA.
Fresh Start Option
The Fresh Start Option allows students the opportunity to minimize the effects of previous academic history and to develop a more favorable academic record. With this option, the student will receive credit for courses with a grade of “C” or better (>=2.000 GPA), including “P” (Pass), taken prior to re-admission. While all courses and grades remain on the student’s transcript, future calculation of GPA (Grade Point Average) will include only courses taken after re-admission. The student’s academic record will carry a notation indicating when the Fresh Start Option went into effect.
Students readmitted to QVCC are eligible to apply for the Fresh Start Option if
- They have been readmitted after an absence of two or more years, and
- They have been suspended from QVCC or have been on academic probation prior to being readmitted, and
- They have an accumulated GPA of less than 2.0, and
- They apply for the option prior to or within one year of readmission.
The Fresh Start Option does not apply to completed degrees and certificates.
The Fresh Start Option may be used only once by the student. A student must complete a minimum of 15 credits after returning to College under the Fresh Start Option to be eligible for a degree or certificate, and for graduation honors. Fresh Start Option forms may be obtained from the Learning and Student Development Office. Submit the application to the dean of learning and student development.
Probation
A student remains in good academic standing by maintaining a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average. Beyond that:
- Any student with less than a 2.0 GPA will be placed on probation or warning or suspension status. Check the student handbook for specific policy.
- Any student who does not complete 50 percent or more of his/her courses in a semester may be placed on “Progress Probation.”
- Financial aid academic progress standards require completion of 67 percent of courses attempted.
Students placed on academic probation will be required to have an interview with an advisor and have the approval of the dean of learning and student development or her/his designee before enrolling in further courses. At this interview the dean or her/his designee will set forth the terms of the student’s probation. These terms may involve the student carrying a reduced course load or taking specific courses. Although the student will ordinarily have one increment of 12 credits to raise her/his grade point average to a 2.0, this guideline may be waived if the dean or her/his designee determines the student is making substantial progress toward reaching a 2.0 GPA.
Failure to meet the stated terms of the probation will result in suspension. Ordinarily, the student must wait at least one year before applying for re-instatement, subject to the approval of the dean of learning and student development or such persons as (s)he may designate.
Standards of academic progress will be monitored at the end of the fall and spring semesters and probation and academic dismissal letters will be sent before the beginning of the next semester.
Grade Reports
Final grade reports showing the official grades earned by the student in each course are issued at the end of each semester. Students may access their grades by logging on at: www.online.commnet.edu. Grade reports are not mailed to students.
Transcripts
Official transcripts of college work will be mailed directly to educational institutions or prospective employers upon application to the registrar. Transcripts issued to students are classified “unofficial.” Students and alumni may access their “unofficial” academic records and grades on the worldwide web at: www.online.commnet.edu
There is a $3 charge for official transcripts. Ordinarily, five working days must be allowed for processing and mailing.
FERPA: Confidentiality of Student Records
Notification of Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. These rights include:
- The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the director of enrollment and research, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- The right to request amendment of an education record that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask an appropriate College official to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. The student should write to the College official, clearly identify the part of the record he or she wants changed, and specify why he/she believes it is inaccurate. The College will notify the student of the decision. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
NOTE: FERPA is not intended to provide a process to question substantive judgments that are correctly recorded. For example, the right of challenge does not allow a student to contest a grade in a course because the student believes that a higher grade should have been assigned.
- The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A “school official” includes but is not limited to the following: a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement and security personnel, counseling and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent or official of the National Student Clearinghouse); a person serving on the Board of Trustees who is authorized to act on its behalf; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities.
FERPA also permits disclosure of education records without consent in connection with, but not limited to:
- To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena;
- To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency;
- To officials of another school, upon request, in which the student seeks or intends to enroll;
- In connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid;
- To certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, to state and local educational authorities in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs;
- To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions;
- To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the College;
- The results of an institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence to the alleged victim of that crime with the respect to that crime;
- Directory information as defined in the policy of the Board of Trustees.
- The right to refuse to permit the College to release directory information about the student, except to school officials with a legitimate educational interest and others as indicated in paragraph 3 above. To do so, a student exercising this right must notify the director of enrollment and research in writing. Once filed, this notification becomes a permanent part of the student’s record until the student instructs the College, in writing, to remove it.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Colleges to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Directory Information
The Board of Trustees had designated the following as directory information: student names and addresses, dates of attendance, full vs. part-time student status, awards and honors and graduation date. For purposes of access by military recruiter only, telephone listings and, if known, age, level of education and major are also designated as directory information.
Colleges may disclose directory information without prior consent, unless a student has exercised the right to refuse to permit the College to release directory information in accordance with paragraph 4 above.