Le
Moyne College Catalog
Grading Policies
Grading is a measure of the student's mastery of a select body of knowledge
contained in a specific course. This mastery involves the elements of
memory, understanding and expression.
The instructor judges the student's mastery of any course based on
all the evidence provided during the conduct of the course. Formal examinations
are only part of the evidence; questions asked by the student, recitations,
term papers, book reports, written and oral quizzes, the student's participation
in class discussions-any and every kind of evidence that reveals the
student's development in mastering a subject is pertinent and may legitimately
be used by instructors in making their judgment. Therefore, the following
grading system is in effect at Le Moyne .
A
An A student is one who, in addition to all the qualities manifested
by a B student, seeks mastery of a specified field by reason of interest.
The student has initiative and originality in attacking and solving
problems. The student shows ability in rethinking problems, making associations
and adapting to new and changing situations. Moreover, the student has
command of an appropriate vocabulary.
B, B+
To earn a grade of B or B+, a student should manifest all the qualities
characteristic of a C student and, in addition, reveal a memory that
encompasses more than the basic elements of a course. The student has
a more personal grasp of the principles of the course, perceives wider
application of these principles and can discuss the subject matter of
the course with ease.
C, C+
To earn a grade of C or C+, a student should be able to recall the
basic elements of a course, understand the essential background and
materials, make some applications of the basic principles and express
them intelligibly.
D
A student will earn only a D if he/she is deficient to some degree
in any of the areas outlined under C, C+.
F
A student deserves no better than an F if he/she is deficient to a
high degree in any of the areas outlined under C, C+.
HP
Awarded for superior performance in internships only. The student earns
credit but no grade points.
P
Awarded for satisfactory performance in internships only. The student
earns credit, but no grade points.
PF/P
This symbol indicates satisfactory work in a course for which the student
gains credit but no grade points.
PF/F
This symbol indicates failure in a course for which the only alternative
mark could have been a (PF/P). It is the equivalent of an F grade.
WF
Failure for dropping a subject or for excessive absence. It is the
equivalent of an F grade.
No change in course registration is permitted during a semester after
the date stated in the Academic Calendar section. Students who drop
a course after the published deadline will be given a grade WF (failure
for dropping a course) in the registrar's records.
I
Granted by the instructor for failure to complete class assignments.
Students who find themselves unable to complete work for a course by
the end of the regular term should request their instructor to submit
a grade of Incomplete (I).
Such a request should be made only for good cause, and students should
bear in mind that instructors may request documentation in support of
such a request.
If the precipitating cause is of a personal nature, students or faculty
may seek the assistance of the Academic Dean in documenting the reason
for the request. Incomplete grades incurred during the fall semester
must be removed no later than seven days after the first day of classes
in the subsequent spring semester. Those incurred during the spring
semester must be removed within thirty days of the last day of final
examinations for the spring semester. A similar thirty-day deadline
is enforced for Incomplete grades incurred during summer sessions.
Deadlines for removal of incomplete grades are stated in the Academic
Calendar (page 2). Incomplete grades not removed by the appropriate
deadline are automatically converted to a failing grade for the course.
The official deadline for removing any incomplete grade may be extended
only by the Academic Dean.
Students enrolled in either of the two graduate programs have 60 days
from the last day of class to resolve the I status for coursework. Extensions
are granted by the director of the appropriate graduate program.
If a candidate for graduation has completed the work for an incomplete
grade within the required time, the recorded graduation date will be
the semester in which the ÒIÓ was received. If the student
asks for an extension, he/she will have a graduation date recorded as
the next possible graduation date.
W
This symbol indicates that a student has a special justification for
withdrawing from a course subsequent to the last day for dropping courses
without a penalty. It may be granted only by authorization of the Academic
Dean, or, in the case of a complete withdrawal, the Assistant Academic
Vice President.
S
Indicates satisfactory work in non-credit bearing courses and activities.
U
Indicates unsatisfactory work in non-credit bearing courses and activities.
AUD
Granted by the instructor to indicate satisfactory participation in
a course that a student has audited. This symbol does not imply satisfactory
performance on examinations or other work, and it may not be converted
to a letter grade.
PASS/FAIL GRADING
A student will be assigned a course grade on a pass/fail basis if:
1. The course is listed in the catalog as a course in which all students
are graded on a pass/fail basis, e.g., an internship; or
2. The student elects the pass/fail grading option described below.
In either case, if the teacher judges that the student has passed the
course, the teacher will record a pass for the course (PF/P) that will
be included in the student's transcript. The student then receives full
credit for the course, although a course with the grade of PF/P will
not be counted at all in computing the student's GPA. If the teacher
judges that the student has failed the course, the teacher will record
a failure (PF/F) for the course; in this case, the course will be counted,
with zero grade points, in the computation of the GPA.
In order to encourage greater student representation and experimentation
in course selections, the pass/fail grading option is offered as follows:
1. A student may elect one course in the spring semester of the junior
year and in the fall and spring semesters of the senior year for which
he or she will receive a grade on his or her transcript of either PF/P
(pass) or PF/F (fail). An exception to this rule may occur for students
involved with internships, i.e., no student may take more than 15 hours
of courses graded pass/fail and not more than 12 hours so graded during
a semester.
2. The course selected may not serve to fulfill the requirements of
a student's major or minor or the requirements of the core curriculum.
3. Before the last day for dropping courses without academic penalty,
the student must inform the registrar in writing if he or she wishes
to take such an option.
4. The student receives grades for all work done, including a final
examination. If the grade is D or above, the teacher will record the
passing grade of PF/P; otherwise, the teacher will record the failing
grade of PF/F.
5. The student must carry at least four courses with at least 12 credit
hours to be eligible for this option.
6. If there are spaces available, a student's desire to make use of
the pass/fail option shall not be a criterion in determining his or
her eligibility for the course or section.
7. The pass/fail grading option is a matter of the student's choice;
no student is required to take advantage of it.
8. At no time in the future will the grade of pass/fail be converted
to a letter grade.
GRADE POINTS AND GRADE-POINT AVERAGE
Candidates for a degree must complete the number of semester hours
required, and their work must also reach a standard of excellence measured
in terms of grade points. The minimum standard required for graduation
is a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average.
The total grade points for each course are calculated by multiplying
the credit hours for that course by the grade points assigned to the
grade earned in the course:
|
A
|
4.0
|
D
|
1.0
|
|
B+
|
3.5
|
F
|
0.0
|
|
B
|
3.0
|
WF
|
0.0
|
|
C+
|
2.5
|
PF/F
|
0.0
|
|
C
|
2.0
|
|
|
The semester grade-point ratio is calculated by dividing the total
grade points for all courses by the total credit hours for all courses.
(Since the grades of W, PF/HP and PF/P carry no specified number of
grade points, the credit hours for such a course do not enter into the
computation of the grade-point average.)
Students with permission to transfer courses taken at other institutions
are reminded that the College accepts only the credit from such courses.
The grades earned in those courses do not affect the students' grade
points and grade-point averages.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR GRADES
For cases in which a student feels he or she has been given an unjustifiably
low grade, the following grievance procedure for grades has been established:
1. Within 30 days following the date of issuance of the grade (the
date on which grades are due at the Registrar's Office or, in the case
of incomplete, the date on which the I is removed), the student shall
inform the professor of his or her dissatisfaction and arrange a meeting
to discuss the grade in question. At this meeting, the professor will
provide the student with his or her final examination paper if it is
relevant to the question.
2. If the grade decision is not satisfactorily resolved at this meeting,
the student may seek the intervention of the professor's department
chair. The chair shall discuss the grievance with both the student and
the professor (either individually or together) and shall make a recommendation
to the student and the professor as to the disposition of the grade.
If the department chair is the professor, the senior member of the department
other than the course instructor shall hear the appeal.
3. If the problem has not been resolved in steps 1 or 2 above, the
student may appeal to the academic dean. In this case, the student and
the professor shall submit in writing their positions in the matter.
The academic dean may also request a written recommendation from the
department chair. (These documents are not intended to preclude meetings
between the academic dean and the student, the professor and/or the
department chair.) The academic dean shall then forward written recommendation
to the student, the professor and the department chair. Within 15 days,
the professor shall give written notice to the student of the final
disposition of the grade with copies to the academic dean and the department
chair.
4. The student may appeal the decision of step 3 (above) to the academic
vice president.
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