Grade Challenge
Grade Appeals Procedure
1. Meeting with Instructor: Students may dispute a grade within one year of the grade being received. A student who seeks appeal of a final course grade will first speak with the instructor concerned. If the instructor determines that s/he was mistaken, s/he will re-calculate the grade and/or submit a request for a change of grade form. If the instructor maintains that the grade was not in error, the student may request a meeting with the Chair of the Department in which the course was taken.
2. Meeting with Department Chair: If the student wishes to proceed further with the appeal, s/he will then speak to the Chair of the Department in which the course was taken. The Chair, after speaking with both the student and instructor, may agree that the grade be upheld, or direct the instructor to alter it. If there is any question about the decision reached by the Chair, the aggrieved student or instructor will request a meeting with the School Dean or his/her designee. The Chair will keep a written record of all discussions. A copy of this should be forwarded to the School Dean if further action is necessary. If the School Dean is the instructor of the student filing the appeal, the appeal will be forwarded to the VPAA instead of the School Dean.
3. Conference: If either the student or the instructor wishes to proceed further with the appeal, s/he will contact the School Dean. If the School Dean is the instructor, the VPAA will be the designee of the School Dean’s role in the conference setting. Upon receiving the request, the School Dean or designee will call a conference with the student, Chair, and instructor. If the student wishes, they may invite a fellow student or advocate knowledgeable of the situation to attest on his or her behalf. The School Dean or designee will keep a written record of the conference, or may, at his or her discretion, invite a secretary to the meeting to assist in taking minutes. The School Dean or designee can only overturn a grade if it is found to be arbitrary, capricious, or inconsistent with the announced grading policy of the 67 course. The final decision reached by the School Dean or designee will be communicated in writing to the student, instructor, and department Chair involved. Should the student refuse to follow the sequence herein outlined, his/her complaint shall be considered void.
[Revised 02/26/21]