Grading

Final grade reports are available to students via Kish Self Service at the end of each term reflecting the credit hours attempted and completed, grades achieved, and quality points earned for each course in which students are enrolled. Only these final grades are used in computing the grade point average (GPA) and are recorded on the permanent academic record.

The following grading structure is in effect at Kishwaukee College:

Prior to the 1983 spring semester, an AU (audit) granted may be reflected on Kishwaukee College transcripts as either an “N” or “R” grade. Prior to and during the 1970-71 academic year at Kishwaukee College, the “WP” (Withdrawal-Passing) and “WF” (Withdrawal-Failing) grades were in use. The “WP” grade reflects credit not earned (no penalty) and is not included in GPA computations; the “WF” grade represents credit not earned (penalty), and is included in GPA computations.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The quality of a student’s work is measured by the grade point average. The GPA is used to determine eligibility for: graduation, Dean’s List honors, other honors and scholastic awards, athletic eligibility, and eligibility for financial assistance.

Kishwaukee College uses a four-point system of GPA computation. A student’s GPA is calculated by multiplying the numerical equivalent for each grade earned by the credit hours for each course, resulting in quality points earned for each course. The total number of quality points is then divided by the total number of GPA credits to obtain the GPA. Credits earned by proficiency are not used in GPA computations; nor are grades of AU, I, NC, NR, P, S, U, or W.

Two GPAs are computed after each term of enrollment at Kishwaukee College; the semester GPA and the cumulative GPA. The semester GPA represents the GPA computation for the current term’s course work, while the cumulative GPA is based on all course work attempted.

Additionally, GPA computations on Kishwaukee College transcripts are separated according to an all-course GPA (representing grades for all course work attempted, including developmental), and a transfer-course GPA (representing only courses numbered at the 100/ 200 level).

Transcripts of Educational Record

The Student Services Office will provide an official transcript of a student’s academic record upon request by the student. Transcript requests by telephone or email will not be processed by Kishwaukee College. To request a transcript visit Request a Transcript on the Kishwaukee website.

The Student Services Office at Kishwaukee College reserves the right to insist that transcripts be mailed to addresses designated by students requesting official transcripts.

Academic Standing

Academic evaluation of students is conducted at Kishwaukee College according to the following guidelines:

Good Standing

Students will remain in Good Standing if their cumulative GPA for all courses taken at Kishwaukee College does not drop below the following minimums.

Restricted Standing

Students who drop below the minimum GPAs required for good standing as described above are placed on restricted standing status until such time as they raise their GPAs to or above the appropriate GPA required for good standing. While on restricted standing, the following limitations will be in effect:

1. Students must meet with an Academic Advisor each term prior to official enrollment. Written approval for registration by the Academic Advisor is required.
2. Students on restricted standing may enroll for no more than 12 credit hours for a fall or spring semester or 6 hours for a summer term, unless written approval for a higher course load is provided by Academic Advising.

The College reserves the right to designate students as on restricted standing on the basis of other criteria besides the cumulative Kishwaukee College GPA. Examples include: failure to enroll in or successfully complete developmental classes in English, mathematics or reading; significant history of course withdrawal; lack of significant progress toward degree/certificate objective; or failure to achieve an overall 2.000 GPA for graduation purposes.

The restricted standing classification is not intended to be punitive in nature, but to facilitate the potential for student success by requiring contact with an Academic Advisor. In addition to required advisement and reduced course load, students on restricted standing may be required to comply with other educational procedures deemed necessary by the College to aid each student in achieving his/her educational goals. Kishwaukee College reserves the right to deny enrollment to any student who fails to follow proper advisement procedures related to restricted standing status.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course under one of the following conditions:

1. The class is authorized by the Illinois Community College Board to be repeated, in which case the number of times the course may be repeated will be noted in the text of the course description. Repeatable classes are those which carry special topics and are not offered as part of the regular college curriculum, or those for which repeated practice might help to refine or improve a skill.
2. A class that is not designated as repeatable may be repeated in order to enhance the grade or for other related purposes.

If a student exceeds the maximum number of attempts allowed, he or she will be stopped at registration. If desired, the student may audit the class after all allowed attempts are completed. Only the best grade of the repetition will be computed in the student’s grade point average (GPA), but all attempts will be listed on the transcript.

In some cases a repeated course may not be covered by financial assistance resources. Consult the financial aid office prior to re-enrolling for a completed class. In addition, other colleges may count all grades for repeated courses when determining a transfer GPA. It is the students’ responsibility to acquaint themselves with the policy of the college or university to which they plan to transfer.

Incomplete Grade Policy

The grade of “I” (Incomplete) may be given by an instructor if, in the instructor’s judgment, there are extenuating circumstances which merit granting a student more time beyond the end of the term to complete course requirements.

To request consideration for an incomplete grade, a student must complete an Incomplete Grade Contract form available through the Office of Instruction. The completed contract form must be presented to the instructor prior to the instructor’s submission of final course grades.

The College is not obligated to approve the awarding of an incomplete grade. If the Incomplete Grade Contract form is approved, the actual deadline for finishing incomplete course requirements will be determined by the instructor.

However, an “I” grade must be removed by the end of the following semester (excluding summer term) unless a longer extension is approved in writing by the instructor and the appropriate academic dean. Any requests for extensions of incomplete grades must be submitted in writing by the student to the course instructor prior to the deadline established for resolving the “I” grade.

For incomplete grades granted during a fall semester, the course instructor must submit a Change of Grade request by the final day of the following spring semester. For incomplete grades granted during a spring semester or summer term, the course instructor must submit a Change of Grade request by the final day of the following fall semester.

Resolution of incomplete grades is a student responsibility. Any unresolved, incomplete grades will be converted to failures (“F”) by the Student Services Office according to the deadlines indicated above, unless a Change of Grade request has been received from the course instructor by the appropriate deadline.

Once an incomplete grade has been converted to an “F”, a student must re-enroll in the course (including payment of tuition and fees) to pursue course credit.

A student may not withdraw from a course once an incomplete grade has been issued.

Change of Grade

Students’ grades are considered final when recorded by the Student Services Office. A grade cannot be changed after recording, unless it is an “I” grade, or a grade which resulted from an error in computation or recording.

Once a final grade other than “I” is submitted by an instructor, a student may not complete additional course assignments to raise the grade originally earned.

Students in disagreement with a final grade should consult with the appropriate course instructor. Under certain circumstances, a final course grade may be appealed.

The formal procedure for a grade appeal is referred to below in the section titled Grade Discrepancy Resolution.

Fair and Equal Evaluation of Students

Students shall have fair and equal access to the criteria used by instructors to determine a final course grade. Instructors will explain and interpret the criteria to the students and announce that grades will be determined in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the course syllabus or any addenda to it.

Grade Discrepancy Resolution

Conditions:

The grade discrepancy resolution is available for students to review a final course grade. Assessing a student’s academic performance is one of the major responsibilities of instructors and is solely their responsibility. It is not the intent of this policy/procedure to question the judgment of instructors or to subject them to pressure from any source. It is NOT for review of the judgment of an instructor in assessing the quality of a student’s work.

A grade discrepancy resolution will be considered if any of the following statements are asserted to be true:

1. The final course grade was assigned on some basis other than a student’s performance in the course.
2. The final course grade was assigned using standards significantly different than applied to other students in the class.
3. The final course grade was assigned with substantial departure from the standards set forth by the instructor’s syllabus or any addenda to it.

Informal Procedure:

A student who believes a final course grade was assigned based upon any of the above criteria must initiate the grade discrepancy resolution within 30 calendar days from the date the final grade was officially due. The following steps must be completed prior to initiating a formal grade discrepancy resolution.

1. Consult with the instructor to fully understand the grounds and procedures used to determine the final course grade. The goal of this conference is to reach mutual understanding about the criteria, assessment, and the final course grade assigned, and, if necessary, to correct any errors. If the instructor is not available, the immediate supervisor of the instructor (typically a Dean) should be contacted.
2. If there is no resolution after consultation with the instructor, the student should confer with the instructor’s immediate supervisor. At this time, the supervisor will review the situation and any information available, as well as inform the student of the procedures involved in the formal grade appeal process. The supervisor may suggest a meeting with the student, instructor and supervisor in an effort to reach an understanding and resolution.

Formal Procedure:

If a satisfactory resolution to the grade discrepancy has not been obtained through the consultations listed above, the student may initiate a formal grade appeal by following the procedure listed below.

The student must submit a written grade appeal petition to the Office of the Vice President of Instruction, requesting that a Grade Appeal Committee convene to review the final course grade which the student considers to be inaccurate or unfair. The written grade appeal petition must be submitted no later than 45 calendar days after the beginning of the fall or spring semester following the term in which the final grade in dispute was recorded.

The petition must outline the issues as specifically and completely as possible and include a statement of a desired solution to the matter. The Office of Instruction will provide a copy of the petition to the instructor, the instructor’s immediate supervisor, and the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee.

Upon receipt of the student’s petition, the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee shall convene the Grade Appeal Committee to rule on the grade appeal. The Grade Appeal Committee will be composed of three faculty members serving on the Academic Standards Committee, one College administrator, and a representative of the Student Association. Neither the petitioning student nor the instructor involved in an appeal may serve as a member of the Grade Appeal Committee reviewing that specific appeal.

Once a Grade Appeal petition is filed, the instructor (or instructor’s immediate supervisor, if the instructor is not available) will provide a written response to the petition to the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee within 10 working days of notification.

In addition to the student’s petition and the instructor’s response, the Grade Appeal Committee may request from the instructor items such as the course syllabus and any addenda, specific grades earned on various tests and/or assignments, and any attendance records. Additionally, the Grade Appeal Committee may meet with the instructor and student, individually or together, if the committee deems it necessary. Within 45 days after the petition is submitted, the Grade Appeal Committee will resolve the issue by issuing one of the following decisions:

1. The final course grade assigned was NOT inaccurate or unfair and shall stand as recorded.
2. The final course grade was assigned inaccurately or unfairly.

The Grade Appeal Committee shall notify in writing, the student, the instructor, the instructor’s immediate supervisor and the Vice President of Instruction of its decision. If a grade change has been approved by the Grade Appeal Committee, the Vice President of Instruction will ensure a Change of Grade form is completed and forwarded to the Student Services office for modification of the student’s academic records.

The decision of the Grade Appeal Committee is final.

Academic Forgiveness Policy

Kishwaukee College recognizes that students may return to college after an extended absence and be seriously encumbered by a prior academic record that is exceptionally poor. Likewise, students may have experienced failure in a course of study that was inappropriate for their talents, or may have performed poorly because of serious illness or personal problems. Nevertheless, these students are now committed to a new beginning in their academic careers and can demonstrate the ability to succeed in college.

Accordingly, students may petition one time for forgiveness of up to 15 hours of prior “F” grades in accordance with the following guidelines:

• At least two years must have elapsed between the end of the semester in which the failing grades were earned and the date of the petition.
• Subsequent to the last semester in which failing grades occurred, and prior to petitioning for academic forgiveness, the student must have earned at least 15 consecutive credit hours at Kishwaukee College in courses numbered 100 or above, with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above and with no individual class grade lower than a “C”.
• A student seeking academic forgiveness must submit their petition in writing to the Vice President of Instruction. A thorough justification for forgiveness as well as the precise identification of the semester(s) affected will be included in the petition. The justification must identify the circumstances in place when the failing grades were earned and how those circumstances have changed.
• Forgiveness grades remain on the student’s record but are not computed in the student’s grade point average.

Note: Kishwaukee College accepts no responsibility for the ways in which another academic institution or employer might interpret a student’s use of the forgiveness option. Students planning to transfer to another college or university are cautioned for financial aid purposes, all attended coursework must be counted when determining aid eligibility per Department of Education regulations that the receiving institution may use all grades earned in computing GPAs for admission or other purposes.