Academics

Grading Systems

College Credit and Postsecondary Adult Vocational Grading Policies

Class Attendance

The policy on attendance for college classes will be the responsibility of the professor, and the professor will fully inform students of such policy at the beginning of the term.

The faculty and staff at Florida Community College want you to succeed. Since studies indicate a positive relationship between good attendance and better grades, you are strongly encouraged to attend all classes and arrive on time.

• Individual instructors establish their own class attendance policies. Each instructor’s policy is included in the course materials distributed at the beginning of each term.
• It is your responsibility to understand and follow these policies and, if possible, to notify instructors in advance when it is necessary to miss a class.
• Any anticipated prolonged absences should be reported to instructors as soon as possible.
• If you stop attending class(es) for any reason, you should consult with your instructor(s) about possible withdrawal from the class(es).

Course Audits

Students may elect to audit a college credit course by completing the audit form. Students may not change from credit to audit or from audit to credit after the drop deadline. A grade of “X” will be assigned for all courses taken in
audit status.

No credit will be awarded and fees for college credit courses taken on an audit basis are the same as those taken on a college credit basis.

Courses taken for audit do not count as hours enrolled for the following areas: veteran certification, financial aid awards, social security certification, international student enrollment requirements or early admission program enrollment requirements.

Grading System

Florida Community College’s grading system is designed to evaluate the performance of students as fairly and equitably as possible.

Letter grades will be assigned for courses as follows.

A	= Excellent
B	= Good
C	= Average
D	= Poor
F	= Failure
FN	= Failure for Non-Attendance*
W	= Withdrawal
I	= Incomplete
X	= Audit
NR	=Not Reported by Instructor

Students who stop attending class and are failing will be given an “FN.” The “FN” grade may be given immediately after the withdrawal deadline in compliance with the attendance policy published in the class syllabus.

Grade Forgiveness and Course Repeats

Students may repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade previously earned. State Board Rule 6A–14.0301 limits such attempts to courses where a “D,” “F” or “FN” grade was earned, and limits to two the number of times a course grade may be forgiven. The official grade and the grade used in calculating the GPA shall be the last grade earned in the course.

A student may have only three total attempts in any course, including the original grade, repeat grades and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt in a course, the student must be given an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F.” A fourth attempt may be allowed only through an academic appeals process based on major extenuating circumstances.

Courses may be repeated if they are designated as repeatable through the curriculum process (e.g., certain music courses), or if they are required to be repeated by a regulatory agency, or are being repeated as part of a regulatory requirement for continuing education to stay current in a field, such as teacher certification. All courses attempted will appear on the transcript. The forgiveness policy does not apply to courses repeated after the term in which a degree was awarded. Students must be aware that transfer institutions may treat repeated courses differently and that some forms of financial aid may be affected.

Withdrawal Grades

A student may withdraw without academic penalty at Florida Community College from any course up to the last withdrawal date published for each session. The student will be permitted only two withdrawal grades per course. Upon the third attempt, the student will not be permitted to withdraw and will receive an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade for the course.

Students may request a withdrawal for extenuating circumstances after the session withdrawal date by requesting a grade change. The appropriate campus dean will make the decision after consulting with the faculty member(s). Requests for “W” grades after the end of a course constitutes a grade change and must follow the procedure for grade changes.

Withdrawal from a college prep class after the drop deadline constitutes one of two attempts to successfully exit that course. After the second attempt students will be advised into the appropriate adult studies course or alternative remediation.

To withdraw officially from one or more courses after the “drop with refund” deadline (withdrawal from all courses constitutes withdrawal from the College), students must follow one of these procedures.

1. Obtain withdrawal form(s) from any campus enrollment services office.
2. Students are strongly encouraged to contact their professor(s) before withdrawing.
3. Submit the completed form to the office of enrollment services. Forms will also be accepted by fax.
4. Students can complete withdrawal process through the Web registration system, Artemis, on or before the withdrawal deadline.
5. Student can complete withdrawal process through the Touch-Tone registration system, 904.680.3225, on or before the withdrawal deadline.

Note: Students who receive Title IV Federal Aid and withdraw during the first 60 percent of the academic term will be subject to repayment terms as outlined by the federal agency from which the aid was awarded.

Incomplete Grade "I" Grade

An “I” grade may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion upon request by the student to permit the student time to complete required course work which he/she was prevented from completing in a timely way due to non-academic reasons. The instructor may require the student to document the request to assist in the decision. The instructor may choose not to grant the request. The “I” grade should be considered only when the student has the potential to earn a passing grade if the missing work is made up.

The instructor shall prescribe in a written agreement with the student the remaining course work required for completion and removal of the “I” grade. A copy of this agreement will be kept on file in the office of the appropriate dean. All work must be completed within the first eight weeks of the subsequent term, unless the instructor agrees to a longer timeframe (not to exceed one year). When the work is completed, the instructor will submit a grade change form with the grade earned. If the work is not completed within the prescribed timeframe, the “I” will automatically change to an “F” grade. The student will be informed of the final grade assigned.

To be eligible for an “I” grade, the student must be passing the course at the time of the request, and must have completed at least 75 percent of the course work.

Student Warnings

When students repeat a course at Florida Community College, only the last grade earned is calculated in their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of “W” or “FN” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA may jeopardize their admission to programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) or other institutions.

Grade Points

To evaluate the scholastic standing of students, the following points are assigned to grades.

A	= four grade points per semester hour
B	= three grade points per semester hour
C	= two grade points per semester hour
D	= one grade point per semester hour
F	= zero grade points per semester hour
FN	= zero grade points per semester hour

Students’ scholastic standing or grade point average is obtained by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted for which the foregoing grades have been assigned. Grades of “I,” “W,” “NR,” and “X” are not used in the computation of grade point average. Grades earned in college preparatory classes do not count in the computation of the grade point average.

President's and Dean's List

Students who achieve academic excellence during a term are recognized by being placed on the College President’s or dean’s list. This is done at the completion of the fall and spring terms and in August for the summer terms. The criteria of eligibility for each list are listed below.

College President's List

To qualify, students must have:

1. a minimum enrollment of at least three credit hours (excluding college preparatory classes),
2. a minimum of 12 credit hours earned at Florida Community College (excludes transfer work),
3. an Florida Community College cumulative GPA of 3.0,
4. a term GPA of 3.75-4.0 with no grade of "I," "F," "FN," or "W," and
5. must be making satisfactory academic progress (see standards for student success).

Dean's List

To qualify, students must have:

1. a minimum enrollment of at least three credit hours, (excluding college preparatory classes),
2. a minimum of 12 credit hours earned at Florida Community College (excludes transfer work),
3. an Florida Community College cumulative GPA of 2.5,
4. a term GPA of 3.5-3.74 with no grade of "I," "F," "FN," or "W," and
5. must be making satisfactory academic progress (see standards for student success).

Grade Changes

Once a grade of "A," "B," "C," "D," "F," "FN" or "NR" in a course has been reported to the registrar, it may be changed only:

1. upon recommendation of the professor who assigned the grade with approval of the associate dean or program manager, or
2. upon recommendation by the program manager or associate dean and approved by the campus instructional dean when the professor who assigned the grade is no longer a member of the faculty.

The "I" grade may be changed by the professor to "A," "B," "C," "D," "F" or "FN" within the time limits specified in the "I" grade agreement.

Continuing Workforce Education

The grading system is designed to evaluate the performance of a student as fairly and equitably as possible. Several continuing workforce education courses assign only “NG,” “S” or “W” grades. Letter grades will be assigned as follows.

"A"	- Excellent
"B"	- Good
"C"	- Average
"D"	- Poor
"F"	- Failure
"NG"	- No grade
"S"	- Satisfactory
"W"	- Withdrawal

High School Equivalency, Adult Basic Education (ABE), Vocational Preparatory Instruction (VPI), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

The grading system is designed to evaluate the performance of a student as fairly and equitably as possible. Letter grades will be assigned for courses as follows:

S	= Satisfactory*
NG	= No grade**
IW	= Instructor-Initiated Withdrawal***
W	= Withdrawal

*This grade may only be awarded to a student who has successfully completed the appropriate ABE, VPI or ESOL course.

**A student registered in an ABE, VPI or ESOL class who has not successfully completed the course will receive an “NG” (no grade). A student registered in a general educational development class who has not passed the appropriate portion(s) of the General Educational Development diploma will receive an “NG” (no grade).

***An instructor-initiated withdrawal grade of “IW” may be assigned by an Adult Studies instructor if prior to the withdrawal deadline a student has been absent for more than 15 percent of the scheduled classes in any given term and is making unsatisfactory progress. The “IW” grade is an optional grade and may be assigned only after a warning has been sent to the student. Faculty who intend to use this grade option must clearly state that intention in their course syllabi. A student may appeal an “IW” grade within ten (10) days of the withdrawal, by contacting the campus Adult Studies office.

Adult High School

The grading system is designed to evaluate the performance of a student as fairly and equitably as possible. Letter grades will be assigned for courses as follows:

A	= 90 percent-100 percent
B	= 80 percent-89 percent
C	= 70 percent-79 percent
D	= 60 percent-69 percent
F	= Below 60 percent
I	= Incomplete****
IW	= Instructor-Initiated Withdrawal***
NG	= No grade*
W	= Withdrawal
S	= Satisfactory**

*A student registered in a high school class who has not completed the course will receive an “NG” (no grade).

**This grade may be awarded only to a college preparatory student who has completed the requirements for the course.

***An instructor-initiated withdrawal grade of “IW” may be assigned by an Adult Studies instructor if prior to the withdrawal deadline a student has been absent for more than 15 percent of the scheduled classes in any given term and is making unsatisfactory progress. The “IW” grade is an optional grade and may be assigned only after a warning has been sent to the student. Faculty who intend to use this grade option must clearly state that intention in their course syllabi. A student may appeal an “IW” grade within ten (10) days of the withdrawal, by contacting the campus Adult Studies office.

****An “I” grade may be assigned only when extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing the coursework during the regular term. To be eligible to receive an “I” grade, a student must have completed at least 75 percent of the coursework. The “I” grade may be changed by the instructor to “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “NG” within the first eight weeks of the subsequent term. The “I” grade is not computed for purposes of grade point average. The “I” grade is changed to an “F” after one year and GPA is recalculated.