The College has several student policies that could impact grades. These policies are listed in the College Catalog and should be referenced for most updated policy. Some important policies are summarized below to assist; however, please do consult the catalog or your supervisor if you have questions.
Late Policy
The late policy is listed in the College Catalog and in all course syllabi. Faculty should adhere to the ACE late policy when grading assignments. However, there will be some instances where adjustments need to be made due to extenuating circumstances; thus, faculty are asked to use their professional judgment in applying the late assignment process. Extenuating circumstances should be examined individually as some situations may prevent students from seeking instructor-prior approval for late submission of an assignment.
Incomplete Grades
A student may need an extension of time to complete course requirements due to unanticipated circumstances arising near the end of the term. Incompletes are issued only in cases of extenuating circumstances, such as severe illness or life-impacting events. Incompletes are not issued in cases in which the student is simply unable to complete their work within the specified term. It is the student’s responsibility for completing the incomplete contract.
As a faculty member, you have the discretion to deny an incomplete if the student does not meet the criteria. Students are limited to two incomplete grade requests during their program of study. The student must submit the Incomplete Grade Contract and provide any requested documentation to be reviewed and completed by the course instructor prior to the end of the term. However, the student must have completed at least half of the course work to be eligible.
Incomplete grades are not available in the following courses: Capstone courses, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership Internship/Practicum courses, all ASMT (Assessment) courses, Doctoral Concept Paper course, Doctoral Boot Camp courses, and all Doctoral Dissertation Chapter courses.
Grade Change
A faculty member or department chair can initiate an official grade change after official grades have been recorded under the following conditions:
- Re-file a grade due a technical error.
- Correct a computational error made by the faculty member.
- Change a grade of “I” from an approved Incomplete Grade Contract to the appropriate earned grade.
Grade change requests (form available on Faculty Commons) will be submitted to the registration office. Upon receipt of this form, the registration team will reach out to the faculty member and your department chair to confirm submission. After confirmation is received, the grade will be changed in the student’s record.
Grade Appeal
Students at American College of Education have the right to appeal a final course grade which they allege to be the result of arbitrary or capricious grading. The following procedure provides for an orderly and equitable hearing of such cases. This procedure may not be used to merely challenge the professional judgment of a faculty member. In all cases, the burden of proof rests with the student.
“Arbitrary and capricious grading” is defined in the following manner:
- A grade assigned on some basis other than performance in the course.
- A grade assigned through significant deviation from criteria stated in the course syllabus, assessment rubrics or articulated by the faculty member.
- A grade assigned by resorting to standards significantly different from those applied to other students in the course.
- A grade assigned, as a result of vindictiveness, or discrimination.
A student who believes his or her final course grade is a result of arbitrary or capricious grading, must submit a grade appeal form by the end of the second week of the term following the grade in question (i.e. if the student is appealing a grade for the January 5-week term, they must submit the grade appeal by the end of the second week of the February 5-week term).
When a grade appeal is received from a student it is routed to the appropriate department chair or program director who will investigate the appeal. The department chair or program director will reach out to the faculty member during this time for information; it is important to provide as much information as possible when this occurs. Based on their research, the department chair or program director will render a decision within the time frame listed in the Grade Appeal Policy. If the student is unhappy with this decision and wishes to escalate the appeal further to the appeals committee, they can do so, within the time frame listed in the Grade Appeal Policy by notifying the department chair or program director. The academic appeals committee will render a decision within the time frame listed in the policy. The student, if still unsatisfied, can escalate the appeal (within the time frame listed in the policy) to the senior vice president of academic affairs whose decision is final.
Course Drop Policy
Some students, throughout their time at the College, will have a desire to drop a course(s). If students do have questions about this, please refer them to Student Services. Whereas students can always request to drop a course, the outcome of the drop will be different depending on the time in the term the drop takes place. This is important to ensure the academic integrity of the grades received at ACE. This policy exists to eliminate the practice of students dropping the course on the final day of the term to avoid a failing grade.
- Week 1: Students will be allowed to unregister for a course until 11:59 Pacific Time the Friday of the first week of the term. The course will not appear on the student’s transcript and tuition charges will be reversed.
- Week 2-3: Students will be allowed to drop a course during weeks 2 and 3 of the term. If received on or prior to Friday of week 3 of the term, the student will be dropped from the course and receive a “W” on their transcript.
- After Week 3: Students requesting to drop a course after the drop period ends, are not eligible to receive a “W” in the course. He/she will continue to be registered for the course and will receive the grade earned at the end of the term. The grade will be reflected on the transcript and be included in the GPA.
- If a student requests to withdrawal from the College; the statements above will apply to the course he/she is taking.
Extra Credit Policy
Extra credit, in any form, is not allowed in American College of Education coursework. Faculty are expected to grade all students equitably and through established and communicated policies to ensure all students’ course grades truly reflect their level of performance in the course. Extra Credit includes awarding extra points on student assignments through practices such as:
• adding points to assignments that the students did not earn for the purpose of artificially raising student scores,
• providing additional assignments for students to earn extra points toward their final grade, and
• allowing students to revise and resubmit assignments after they have been initially graded to earn a higher score on the assignment.
The avoidance of these practices will support faculty in ensuring their grading practices are equitable for all students.
Student Access (to Policies and Forms)
Students can access the necessary policies in the ACE College Catalog. Additionally, ACE students can access the forms associated with the policies in the MyACE Student Portal. If students have questions, please encourage them to use these resources and/or contact Student Services ([email protected] or 1-800-280-0307 opt 1).
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