Grade Grievance Policy

Students who believe that there has been a violation of a specific policy or procedure as stated in either the NCC Catalog or the grieved instructor's course syllabus that adversely affected their grade in a particular course may appeal their grade, if they do so before the appropriate deadline (see the section on deadlines below).

At each step of the process described below, a student must submit a detailed written argument explaining why his/her grade grievance should be upheld.

Grievances must be pursued in the following manner until satisfaction is obtained, a grievance is dismissed, or a decision is reached. The grieved instructor may initiate a grade change at any point in the procedure.

• Step 1: With the grieved instructor who issued the grade.
  
  
• Step 2: With the grieved instructor’s department chairperson (and with any members of Department Personnel and
  Budget [P&B] Committee that the chair wishes to include).
  
  
• Step 3: With the grieved instructor’s department chairperson and Academic Standing Committee Chair.

If the grieved instructor's department chair (or his/her designee in the case of recusal) and the Academic Standing Committee Chair (or the next ranking member of the Committee in the case of recusal), unanimously conclude that there is no evidence of a possible violation of a specific policy or procedure as stated in either the NCC Catalog or in the grieved instructor's course syllabus that adversely affected the student's grade in a particular course, then the grievance will be dismissed without a further hearing. The student will be informed of the final decision to dismiss the grade grievance. In all other cases, the department chair and the Academic Standing Committee Chair will form an Ad Hoc Committee to hear the student's grievance.

The Ad Hoc Committee will be a joint committee consisting of three (3) members from the concerned department's P&B Committee, three (3) faculty members from the Academic Standing Committee, and one (1) student representative from the Student Government Association. There will be co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Committee, one (1) member of the P&B Committee and one (1) member of the Academic Standing Committee. After a hearing, the Ad Hoc Committee will deliberate and vote on the student's grade grievance. A student's grade grievance will be upheld if two-thirds (2/3) of the P&B Committee members and two-thirds (2/3) faculty members from the Academic Standing Committee find in favor of the student. The Ad Hoc Committee will not re-evaluate a student's work in deciding a grade grievance. The student's grade can be adjusted only if there has been a violation of a specific policy or procedure as stated in either the NCC Catalog or the grieved instructor's own course syllabus that adversely affected a student's grade. In cases where the student's grade grievance has been upheld, then the P&B members of the Ad Hoc Committee (in consultation with the other members of the Ad Hoc Committee) will decide what grade to award the student, using the grieved faculty member's grading policy for that specific class, if at all possible.

The Ad Hoc Committee's decision will be binding.

Civil Rights Violations

It is not the function of the Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate claims of civil rights violations. If the basis of a student's grade grievance is that their civil rights have been violated, the Ad Hoc Committee will not hear the grade grievance until the appropriate officials at NCC have investigated the student's allegation(s) and a finding has been offered through the College's official civil rights policy.

Deadlines

For a grade received during the Fall semester or Winter Intersession, the student must file the grievance (Step 1) before the end of the fifth week of the following Spring semester. For a grade received during the Spring semester or Summer sessions, the student must file the grievance before the end of the fifth week of the following Fall semester. Grade grievance forms may be obtained in the Office of Academic Affairs, 361 Rice Circle, or at the various academic department main offices and by downloading the form at the link below. The grieved instructor and/or chair must hold the appropriate discussion or hearing within two (2) weeks after his/her receipt of such a grievance or the grievant is permitted to proceed to the next step in the policy. Failure by students to appeal a decision to the next step of the process within one (1) week of their receipt of the grade grievance shall terminate the grievance.

Download the Grade Grievance Form

Instructor Absence

The Academic Standing Committee has established procedures for the conduct of a grade grievance in situations where the grieved instructor of record is unavailable or unreachable. Students are advised to consult the department chairperson for appropriate procedures in the event of such a circumstance.