It is the policy of WSCC that students should have the opportunity to appeal any grade which a student has reason to believe does not accurately and fairly represent the work that was completed. Therefore, the College has established a grade appeal procedure to be used if a student has valid reason to believe that a grade which the student received for an examination, a written/oral presentation, a project, or other required classroom activity, is either an inaccurate or unfair grade. A student must make the initial grade inquiry within seven calendar days after the student receives notice of the grade in question except in the case of a punitive grade issued for academic misconduct, which must be appealed by the end of the class day following the date on which the sanction was imposed. Thereafter, each subsequent appeal, if any, must occur within a seven-calendar day increment after the respective decision is received by the student. If a student does not meet the deadline for appealing a grade, the right to appeal will be waived. For grades on final examinations or grades that represent the final grade for the course, the initial seven-day period shall begin to accrue on the first class day of the next academic term.
In appealing a grade, the student shall have the opportunity to have his or her concern about the grade reviewed through the following procedures:
The student shall begin by stating either orally or in writing to the instructor that the grade in question is either inaccurate, unfair, or both, and include the justification for appeal on the Grade Appeal Form, available online at www.wallacestate.edu under Student Services Forms. If the student and the instructor cannot successfully resolve the student’s concern, the student may then contact the Chairperson of that instructor’s division, department, or Program Director. The student shall appeal to the Chairperson by submitting the appropriate form stating his/her concern regarding the grade, and describing the prior discussion with the instructor. (If the Instructor issuing the grade is the Chairperson of the respective division, department, or program, the student may appeal directly to the Division Dean.) The Chairperson will review the student’s grade issue. The Chairperson shall have the authority to call in the Instructor or to ask for the assistance of another WSCC Instructor or seek the opinion of an expert in the subject area under review. If the student’s concern about the grade cannot be successfully resolved at this level, the student shall be given the opportunity to take the appeal to the appropriate Dean. The faculty member shall also have the right to appeal a decision of the Chairperson to the Vice President for Students. Appeal information must be submitted in writing along with the Grade Appeal Form to the respective Dean. Material submitted must contain the following:
- Name and course number of the grade under appeal.
- Names of the student and the Instructor.
- The term, day(s) of the week, and time of day that the course was taken.
- A concise description of the student’s complaint and narrative explanation of why it is felt that the grade was unfair, inaccurate, or both.
- The date that the student first took the appeal to the Instructor.
- A summary of the result of the student’s appeal to the Instructor.
- The date that the student took the appeal to the Division Chairperson or Program Director.
- A summary of the result of the student’s appeal to the Division Chairperson or Program Director.
In addition to the above information, the student and/or instructor should include a photocopy of any and all documents that the student and/or the instructor believe would assist the Dean in reviewing the grade appeal. The Dean shall review the appeal, schedule a meeting with the student if needed, and the Instructor and render a written report within fourteen calendar days after the receipt of all of the appeal information. The Dean shall have the authority to consult with the instructor, the Division Chairperson or Program Director, or other persons who have expertise in the subject area. Once the Dean has completed the review of the grade appeal, a written report describing his or her findings and conclusions will be provided to the student, instructor, and Division Chairperson or Program Director. In the event that the Dean determines that a change in the student’s grade is in order, the student’s official grade will be changed under the authority of the President of WSCC, which has been delegated to the Dean, to render final rulings on grade appeals. Therefore, the decision of the Dean will be final and not subject to further appeal.
NOTE: The same general process may be used by a student who wishes to express a concern about the fairness and appropriateness of other strictly academic matters. In reviewing appeals regarding matters other than grades, the Vice President for Students will provide a memorandum of the findings, conclusions, recommendations, and/or directives regarding the matter under appeal, to the student, instructor, Division Chairperson or Program Director, and Division Dean.