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Grade Change Guidelines for Instructors
I. INITIATION
- Two ways:
a. The instructor needs to make a correction.
b. The Undergraduate Study Office sends one (most often because of postquarter drops/adds).
- You can pick up a grade change form from your department office or from 143 HIB. Note that students CANNOT pick up a grade change for you.
II. APPROVAL. Routinely granted on the following grounds:
- Clerical or procedural error. The reason must be specified in order for the form to be processed. “Clerical” or “Procedural error” is an insufficient explanation. A clerical or procedural error includes but is not limited to the following:
*Calculation error (e.g. attendance/test score/assignment was not included, bad math, etc.)
*Transcription error (e.g. entered wrong grade in WebGrade, forgot to give grade for student, etc.)
*Procedural error (e.g. student should have been given an ‘NR’ or ‘I’ to allow extra time to complete work, etc.)
- Change of Incomplete grade. This must be submitted within three quarters following its assignment. Note that the last day for a student to submit work for an incomplete is the final day of the academic quarter (last day of Finals Week). You can still submit a grade change after the deadline so long as you note on the form that “the student submitted work by the deadline.” In some instances, you may be asked to explain the reason for the delay (e.g. out of town, forgot to submit grade change, personal matters, etc.).
- Removal of an NR grade. Must be done within one quarter following its assignment if evidence exists that the student was enrolled in error. Evidence could include such things as enrollment in multiple sections of the same course or disappearance part-way through the quarter.
III. DENIALS. The Associate Dean’s office will not approve grade changes based upon the following grounds:
- Reasons other than clerical or procedural error. Such changes are contrary to Academic Senate regulations.
- Reevaluation of a student’s work or completion of additional work.
- Lack of documentation.
- Late submission. Requests must be turned in within a reasonable interval after initial assignment of grade. “Reasonable interval” must remain imprecise, though generally it is expected that grade changes should be submitted within one quarter after grades are assigned (three quarters in the case of Incomplete grades).
- Removal of an NR grade in cases where student was denied permission to drop the class or would have been denied such permission.
- Changes to or from P/NP after the grade is assigned.
- Replacement of an Incomplete grade with a drop (W).
- “Cosmetic” grade changes—i.e. requests motivated by a desire to “clean up” a transcript prior to sending it to prospective employers, grad schools, etc.
- Grade crossed out, whited-out, or difficult to read.
- Petitions hand-carried to the Dean’s office by the student.
IV. OTHER GUIDELINES
- Exceptions to the above policies which are not dictated by Academic Senate regulations are possible in extraordinary situations, but it is expected that such expectations will be rare. The fundamental criterion for granting an exception is that the need for it must result from circumstances beyond the student’s control.
- A petition signed by a teaching assistant/associate must be countersigned by the faculty member in charge of the course.
- The student may not deliver the grade change to the Dean’s office. It must be delivered by you or a staff member or sent through campus mail.
Tip #1: The MOST common reason why grade changes are returned is the lack of an explanation. Please remember that checking off/writing “procedural” or “clerical” error is not enough.
Tip #2: Make sure that the information you write on the grade change is accurate. Many times instructors will write down the wrong grade that they had originally assigned the student (thus, not matching what is on the student’s transcript).
Tip #3: If a student is missing work for a class and you are willing to allow this work to be calculated into the final grade after the quarter is over, you need to assign an ‘I’ or an ‘NR’ rather than assigning a temporary grade. See II.2 for explanation.
Please call ext. 5132 if you have questions.
Grade changes should be sent to Undergraduate Study, zot 3380.
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