POLICY Title: Standards of Scholarship Policy No. 4050 Legal Authority: California Education Code Sections 76220-76225; Title 5 Sections 51002, 55021-55025, 55050-55052, 58161 Page 1 of 9 It is the policy of the Pasadena Area Community College District that appropriate evaluation of each student s academic performance is an integral part of the student s learning experience at Pasadena City College. In the absence of mistake, fraud, bad faith or incompetency, the faculty instructor (tenured, nontenured, or adjunct) is the final authority on the assignment of grades. Procedures for grading, awarding credit, including credit by examination, and appealing decisions shall be understandable, fair, and consistent with State laws and regulations. The President/Superintendent shall establish procedures that establish standards of scholarship consistent with the provisions of Title 5, Sections 55750, et seq. and Board policy. Approved by the Board of Trustees: July 21, 1999, Revised: June 17, 2009, March 3, 2010
Title: Grades Procedure No. 4050.10 Page 2 of 9 1. Grades a. Courses shall be graded using the grading system established by Title 5 regulations. The grading system shall be published in the college catalog and made available to students. b. Pasadena City College shall make use of the following evaluative and non-evaluative symbols: (1) Evaluative symbols: A Excellent (4 grade points) B Good (3 grade points) C Satisfactory (2 grade points) D - Less than satisfactory (1 grade point) F Failing (0 grade points) FW Failing due to non participation (0 grade points) (grade symbol to indicate that a student has both ceased participating in a course some time after the last day to officially withdraw from the course without having achieved a final passing grade, and that the student has not received district authorization to withdraw from the course under extenuating circumstances.) (2) P Pass (At least satisfactory) (At least satisfactory - units awarded not counted in GPA. Has the same meaning as "CR" as that symbol was defined prior to June 30, 2007.) (3) NP No Pass (Less than satisfactory or failing) (Less than satisfactory, or failing units not counted in GPA. NP has the same meaning as "NC" as that symbol was defined prior to June 30, 2007.) (4) Non-Evaluative symbols: I Incomplete (Incomplete academic work for unforeseeable, emergency and justifiable reasons at the end of a term result in an I symbol being entered in the student s record.) (5) IP In progress (The "IP" symbol shall be used only in those courses which extend beyond the normal end of an academic term. It indicates that work is in progress, but that assignment of an invaluable symbol (grade) must await its completion. The IP symbol shall remain on the student s permanent record in order to satisfy enrollment documentation. The appropriate evaluative symbol (grade) and unit credit shall be assigned and appear on the student s permanent record for the term in which the course is completed. The IP shall not be used in calculating grade point averages. If a student enrolled in an open-entry, open exit course is assigned an IP at the end of a term and does not reenroll in that course during the term, the appropriate faculty will assign an evaluative symbol (grade) to be recorded on the student s permanent record for the course.) (6) RD Report Delayed (The "RD" symbol may be assigned by the registrar only. It is to be used When there is a delay in reporting the grade of a student due to
Title: Grades Procedure No. 4050.10 Page 3 of 9 circumstances beyond the control of the student. It is a temporary notation to be replaced by a permanent symbol as soon as possible. RD shall not be used in calculating grade point averages.) (7) W Withdrawal (The "W" symbol may be used to denote withdrawal in accordance with the requirements of Title 5 section 55024.) (8) MW Military Withdrawal (The "MW" symbol may be used to denote military withdrawal in accordance with Title 5 section 55024.)
Title: Grading Procedure No. 4050.20 Page 4 of 9 1. Grade Changes a. Grades are not given as a warning, punishment or reward and are not subject to revision for purposes of determining eligibility for office or honors, college transfer or for any other reason except for the subsequent discovery of mistake, fraud, bad faith or incompetency. b. Any change of grade submitted after the normal two-year holding period for backup materials will require documentation as to the nature of the error in the first original grade. 2. Incomplete Grades a. A grade of I is given by a faculty instructor only in cases where a student is doing work at a C or higher level but for reasons beyond the student s control is unable to complete the requirements of the course. The student in such a situation should contact the instructor before the end of the semester and make arrangements for completing the required assignments. b. When a grade of I is given, a complete statement of work to be made up and a cumulative grade to date must be recorded on the Class Roster, and a Contract for the Assignment of an Incomplete Grade must be completed. This form, which must be signed by both student and instructor, lists specific conditions for removal of the I and the default grade to be recorded if the conditions are not met within one year from the end of the semester in which the I was assigned. c. A student with an I grade who has petitioned to graduate will not be allowed to graduate if the grade, when computed as an F grade, would lower the student s overall degreeapplicable GPA to below 2.00. d. A student must complete a course in which an I grade was received within one year; otherwise, the default grade will be recorded on the permanent record. e. Re-enrollment in the class is not permitted except in situations where the work to be completed can be done only by participating in the class; examples would include a field trip, laboratory experiment or performance. When required work is completed the grade earned is entered on the student s permanent record. f. I grades are not used in computing a student s grade-point average. 3. Pass/No Pass Grading a. Most, but not all, courses of the college are offered on a pass/no pass basis. Divisions may elect to exclude courses from pass/no pass grading. The following provisions shall apply: (1) A maximum of 12 units may be taken on this basis with a limit of one class per semester. (2) Pass/No Pass courses should be taken in areas outside the student s Baccalaureate Degree major. Four-year colleges may not accept courses graded pass/no pass within the student s major. (3) The decision to take a class on a pass/no pass basis should be made at the time of registration. However, it is possible for a student to request for pass/no pass grading through Friday of the fourth week of a regular 16-week class, or 25% of the class duration for short-term and summer or winter intersession classes. Students are instructed to check with the Registration Office for details. (4) A grade of P (pass) represents satisfactory achievement which would have been graded C or better on the regular grading scale.
Title: Grading Procedure No. 4050.20 Page 5 of 9 (5) Sequential courses may be taken on a pass/no pass basis; a pass grade meets grade prerequisites. (6) Instructors are notified as to which students have elected the pass/no pass option in their courses. b. Any restriction listed above does not apply when a class is offered only on pass/no pass basis.
Title: Credit By Examination Procedure No. 4050.30 Page 6 of 9 1. Advanced Placement Examinations a. After completion of 15 units at Pasadena City College, the college will grant 6 units of elective credit for an examination score of 3, 4, or 5, in subjects of the Advanced Placement (AP) program of the College Entrance Examination Board (Box 592, Princeton, New Jersey 08540). Subject credit, rather than elective credit, may be granted upon recommendation of the division. The Advanced Placement examination must have been taken no earlier than the student s junior year of high school. b. Upon initial request for review of AP scores, the student may elect advanced placement instead of elective or subject credit and, upon satisfactory completion of the advanced course, may petition for subject credit in the lower-level course. 2. College Level Examination Program (CLEP) The college will grant a maximum of six units elective credit for a score of 500 or above in for each General Examination of the College level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Entrance Examination Board. Subject credit, rather than elective credit, may be granted upon recommendation of the division. 3. Credit by Examination: PCC Courses a. Granting of credit by examination is subject to the following criteria: (1) The student is regularly enrolled at the college in at least one graded course. (2) The course is listed in the college catalog and is not primarily of an activity nature and is not in the qualifying or remedial category. Credit by examination is not available for the native language of a student, nor for subjects which appear on the student s high school transcript. Credit is not available for any course which is lower in a sequence than a course in which credit has already been granted. Unique situations may be considered by petition. (3) The student is in good standing, has all required transcripts on file at the College, and has completed 15 or more units in residence with an overall 2.0 or higher grade-point average. (4) The student has never failed the course and has not been enrolled in the class during the semester for which the examination is being requested. (5) The student may attempt credit by examination only once in a particular course. (6) Maximum credit by examination for courses of the College is 12 units. (7) Credit by examination courses are graded on a pass/no pass basis. (8) Approval is required from the division dean responsible for the area in which credit will be given and from the Associate Dean of Admissions and Records. b. Students will be required to pay all applicable fees (e.g., enrollment fee, nonresident tuition) at Student Business Services before any credit is posted on the permanent record based on having taken an approved examination for credit in a college course. 4. Recording Credit by Examination Credit will be recorded with a grade of P after the student satisfactorily completes 15 or more units at Pasadena City College. It may be utilized in meeting requirements for the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science Degree. Units granted will not be used in determining eligibility for college activities, or in certifying for financial aid, Veteran s Educational Assistance, Social Security, or enrollment to an outside agency.
Title: Credit By Examination Procedure No. 4050.30 Page 7 of 9 5. Awarding Credit from Military a. All veteran students wishing to receive veteran educational benefits must submit for evaluation transcripts of all prior college and military training within the first term of attendance at Pasadena City College. b. Documentation of military training (DD2586 Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript [AARTS], DD295, DD214) should be submitted to the Veteran s Office. c. Credit for experiences in the military service (to a maximum of 16 units) and USAFI/DANTES courses may be allowed as recommended by the American Council on Education in accordance with applicable Pasadena City College procedures. d. Two units of PE Activity credit will be granted for completion of basic military training. 6. Maximum Credit by Examination A student may be granted no more than 30 units through any combination of examinations.
Title: Acceptance of Transfer Credit Procedure No. 4050.40 Page 8 of 9 1. Only lower-division credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education, or candidates for regional accreditation, may be accepted as transfer credit. Regional accreditation is that which is facilitated by one of the following accrediting agencies: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 2. Upper-division course work will be considered for credit by petition. 3. Only nonspecific unit credit is granted with the exception that if the student requests a course equivalency evaluation and that evaluation is approved, specific course credit may be granted.
Title: Transcripts of Records Procedure No. 4050.50 Page 9 of 9 1. At the request of a student, and in the absence of any outstanding financial obligation to the College or student request to withhold his or her own records, official transcripts of record bearing the seal of the College and signature of the Associate Dean of Admissions and Records will be forwarded to institutions or individuals designated by the student requesting the transcripts. Such requests are submitted by the student to the Records Office at least five working days prior to the date on which they are to be sent. 2. Students are charged a processing fee for each transcript after two transcripts or verifications of enrollment or verifications of other student records have been issued. An extra fee will be charged for special one-day issuing of the transcripts or verifications. 3. Under no circumstances will partial transcripts of the record earned at Pasadena City College be sent to either the student or to another institution. 4. Pasadena City College will provide transcripts of record only of courses taken at Pasadena City College.