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I. Title of Regulation

Grading System

II. Objective of Regulation

To specify a means by which a student’s academic performance can be evaluated and recorded.

III. Authority

Bylaws of the Board of Trustees, Section 1.3034(m)

IV. Regulation Statement

The assignment of permanent grades by the instructor is as follows:

A = 4.00
A- = 3.67

B+ = 3.33
B = 3.00
B- = 2.67

C+ = 2.33
C = 2.00

D = 1.00
F = 0.00
P = 2.00
NC = 0.00

A student’s grade point average for a term is computed by multiplying credits earned times grade points and dividing the total by the number of credits attempted.

P and NC are not calculated into a student’s GPA. Grades earned in foundational skills courses are not calculated into a student’s GPA.

The following designations are initiated by students and are reflected on a student’s academic record.

AUD = Audit, no grade points assigned
W = Withdrawal, no grade points assigned

PASS / NO CREDIT OPTION FOR ABOVE ZERO-LEVEL COURSES

A student may take a course at the 100 level or higher on a Pass/No Credit basis. A grade of Pass is earned if the student completes the course at the “Satisfactory” I level or above. A grade of “No Credit” is recorded if the student fails the course or completes the course at the “Marginal” (D) level. A student may change from Pass/No Credit to the AF grade option or from the A-F grade option to Pass/No Credit, up to the end of the third week of the Fall or Spring terms or 20% of any shorter term. A maximum of two courses (maximum 8 credits) taken on a Pass/No Credit basis may be used toward the degree. This option may not be used for a course in the student’s major.

AUDITS (AUD)

A student who wishes to attend a class but does not want to receive credit or a grade may register for a class and request permission to audit it. All tuition and fees are charged for courses audited.

Students may not change from credit to audit or from audit to credit after the end of the Add/Drop period.

INCOMPLETE (INC)

An Incomplete is a temporary grade that may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor for students who have extraordinary circumstances of documented hardship or emergency. Eligible students are those who have been actively participating throughout the term and have completed a significant portion of the course in a satisfactory manner.
The Incomplete process outlined below must be followed:

For the purpose of calculating academic standing, the Incomplete will be treated as an F or NC.

Addendum

CHANGE OF GRADE

If a student thinks a grade received was not a true representation of his/her efforts, then the student should consult with the faculty member. If a decision to change the grade is made, then the faculty member will submit a change of grade form. A change of grade may be submitted only by the appropriate instructor, department chair or Academic Division Dean. In the event the instructor is no longer affiliated with the College, the Department Chair or Academic Division Dean may submit the change of grade. Students are advised to check their online information from the Brookdale home page a few weeks later to make sure the new grade has been properly recorded on their transcript.

GRADE CHANGES – TIME LIMIT

Grade changes should be made as soon as an error is detected or an appeal is granted.
All grade changes must be submitted within one year of the original grade assignment, to the Registrar’s Office by the instructor or a designee.
All grade changes exceeding the one-year time limit require the Institute Dean’s and Vice President of Learning’s written approval.
Students are responsible for accessing their grades through their online accounts.

GRADING SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS DURING PERIODS OF SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION OF COLLEGE OPERATIONS

If an event causes significant and prolonged disruption of College operations, the President of the College may activate the following grading system modifications:

  1. Establish an additional opportunity for students to change from the A-F grade option to Pass/No Credit grading option. Students enrolled in all courses shall have the right to choose the Pass/No Credit option irrespective of the number of credits and the type of courses being taken. Faculty shall submit traditional letter grades to the Registrar, and students will have the option of converting those grades to Pass/No Credit by a date to be specified by the Registrar. As in a normal semester, a “Pass” shall equate to a “C” or better; “D” and “F” grades shall equate to “No Credit.” Grades of “Pass” or “No Credit” will not count toward a student’s GPA. Students should note that their choice to change to a Pass/No Credit option does not require a transfer-receiving-institution to accept the credit.
  2. A grade of “In Progress” (IP) may be assigned by the faculty in any course for which presence on campus or in a community agency is required to complete the class, and said presence is prevented by the disruption of college or agency operations. “In Progress” is distinguished from an “Incomplete” in that “In Progress” is the result of force majeure, rather than the responsibility of an individual student. A grade of IP must be changed to a grade within the A-F scale, or Pass/No Credit, within one year of the time that the IP grade was assigned. If the student fails to take advantage of any completion offers within one year, the IP will change to a failing grade.

The President of the College shall notify the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Student Affairs Officer, the Chair of College-wide Governance, and the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee upon deciding to activate this grading system modification. The President shall explain the situation requiring the grading system modification and the anticipated timeframe of the temporary modification. This documentation shall be retained for inclusion in accreditation self-study reports.

GRADE APPEAL PROCESS

There is a student grade appeal process that provides an avenue to discuss and resolve problems that may arise with educational progress.

For a Grade Appeal to move forward, at least one of the following criteria must be present:

A data entry or arithmetic error was made.

The grade was determined by different standards than those used for other students in the course section.

Information regarding this process may be found in the Integrity portion of the Student Conduct Code and Academic Integrity Code. Further questions concerning the Grade Appeal Process should be directed to the office of the Vice President for Learning.

COURSE WITHDRAWALS (W)

Student-Initiated Withdrawal (W)

Students are allowed to withdraw from a course, without penalty, until four-fifths of the course or semester has been completed (i.e., the twelfth week of a fifteen-week course).

Administrative Withdrawal (W)

Administrative withdrawals require administrative and/or faculty action. In extreme circumstances, an administrative withdrawal may be authorized after the 12th week withdrawal deadline for one or more courses. This type of withdrawal can be recorded after a student’s performance has been evaluated and recorded by an instructor (i.e. a grade has been submitted). If a grade has been posted, the instructor must be consulted prior to any change of a letter grade to a withdrawal (W).

Upon initiation of all withdrawals the instructor and the student will be notified by the appropriate administrative office, and a W will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

COURSE DROPS
Students are permitted to drop a course for any reason through the Add/Drop period. No record of the course will appear on a student’s transcript as this is not considered an official attempt.

TRANSCRIPT AND GRADE REPORTS

All courses attempted must appear on grade reports and transcripts. Courses are not considered to be attempts in the following circumstances:

COURSE REPETITIONS

Except for special circumstances, if a course is repeated, only the higher grade will be included in the GPA calculation.

V. Responsibility for Implementation

Vice President for Learning

Approved:
President 2/18/1975
Effective 2/18/1975
Revised: 8/23/1977
Effective: 8/23/1977
Revised: 1/26/1982
Effective: 2/15/1982
Revised: 12/1/1998
Effective: 1/19/1999
Revised: 5/31/2000
Effective: 5/31/2000
Revised: 5/31/2004
Effective: 9/2004
Revised: 9/2005
Effective: 9/2005
Updated: 2/2009
Revised: 3/2012
Updated: July 2013
Revised: Fall 2015
Updated: February 2016 (clarification of the Grade Appeal Process)
Approved: President, 04/06/2020