Grade Appeal

Operational Standard/Purpose

The purpose of the Grade Appeal Procedure is to afford a student the opportunity to appeal a grade if the student feels that the grade is not representative of their performance according to the instructor’s specified grading standards or system. It is the intent of this procedure to afford students a fair and equitable process by which to appeal a grade while protecting faculty rights and the integrity of the grading system. Only final course grades may be appealed.

Scope/Applicability

For questions, concerns, or issues related to an individual assignment or other grades during the course of the semester, the student shall bring the concern to the faculty member either via their ICC student email, a virtual format, or in person. This process is not to evaluate the content of the syllabus, to challenge a grading scale, or grading policies of the course. This appeal process looks at whether the syllabus, grading, and related procedures matched with instructor actions/decisions. The course syllabus may be used as a reference guide.

Steps 1 and 2 of the grade appeal process shall begin no later than 5 business days after the posting of final grades (Note: Final grades are posted on eServices/MyICC). The goal of the policy is to complete the grade appeal process within 15 business days of the posting of the final grade. In situations where the faculty member is not on campus or the college is closed for an extended time, the timelines may be extended to accommodate. The timeline identified within any step of this process may be extended provided that both parties mutually agree.

Procedures

The full policy follows:

Step 1: Request Clarification of the Grade

Request Clarification of the Grade Before beginning the appeal process, the student shall make contact with the faculty to request a clarification or explanation of the grade. Contact can be made face-to-face, virtually, by phone, or by email. If made by email, the request must be submitted from the student’s ICC email. The student is encouraged to share any materials to support their position with the faculty member at this time. This initial contact provides the faculty member the chance to ensure the grade issued was the correct grade and to ensure the student is viewing the correct information related to the grade. This step should be done as soon as possible after final grades are posted.

Step 2: Speak with the Academic Departmental Dean

After speaking with the instructor and if the situation is not resolved, the next step is to communicate with the Dean of the department. The student is required to provide evidence as to why they do not agree with the final grade issued by the faculty member.

The required evidence shall be adequate to support the assertion that the grade was awarded in error. This includes, but is not limited to, copies of quizzes, exams, homework, papers, and any other graded assignments that counted toward the course grade. The student is required to present sufficient evidence of performance that can be measured against the instructor’s stated grading policy or system as defined in the most recent copy of the syllabus.

The Dean shall contact the faculty member after meeting with the student to discuss if the issue has been resolved or the student will be planning to appeal.

Step 3: Appeal panel

In the situation where the grade clarification does not address the issue, the student has the opportunity to submit a formal Grade Appeal. This completed form shall be submitted within 15 business days of the posting of the final grade and after the student has communicated with the faculty member and the Dean.

1. The student shall request a Grade Appeal Form from the Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs or the Dean of Students.
2. The student shall then complete the form, include documented evidence of the basis of the appeal (as listed in Step 2 above), and return to the office of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs. All information shall be submitted in writing for review. Without specific evidence the appeal cannot go forward. A grade appeal shall be based upon more than a mere disagreement between the faculty member and the student; there shall be documented evidence of the discrepancy between what was indicated as the grading scale and/or what is on the syllabus and the actual grade received.
3. Upon receiving the Grade Appeal and evidence from the student, the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs shall notify the faculty member by phone and email that the student has submitted the formal appeal within two (2) business days of receiving the appeal. Included in the email to the faculty member shall be scanned copies of the Grade Appeal form and evidence that the student has provided. The faculty member shall then have five (5) business days to deliver in person or email the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs a detailed explanation of why the student received the final grade and submit evidence, as appropriate, to support their position. In situations where the faculty member is not on campus or the college is closed for an extended time, the timelines may be extended to accommodate.
4. The Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs shall convene an Appeal panel to be completed in a timely manner.

The timeline identified within any step of this process may be extended provided that both parties mutually agree.

As this is an internal College procedure, neither party may be represented by an attorney at any step in this process. The student and the faculty member have the option to attend the hearing virtually to state their case and then will be excused. Each side shall have no more than ten (10) minutes to state their case to the panel. After the ten minutes, the panel will be allowed to ask questions to either side, if needed. In rare occasions, when specialized material is being analyzed, the Appeal Panel may request an outside consult of a faculty member from that field.

The panel shall render a decision on the appeal and record it on the Grade Appeal Form. All parties will receive a copy of the final, signed form for their records. If needed, a grade change form shall be initiated by the Academic Dean and forwarded to the Registrar. The decision of the appeal panel is considered final. Communication will come from the Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Additional Provisions/Information

Appendix A: Illinois Central College Grade Appeal Form