Academic Policies Next Back Index
The very nature of teaching and learning demands that the instructor exercise professional judgement in the assignment of grades. The instructor also has an obligation to discuss the grade and the basis upon which it was assigned with the student, at the student’s request. If a student believes that an error has been made in the assignment of a grade, he or she should bring it to the attention of the instructor within six months and ask for the error to be corrected. In almost all cases, the decision of the instructor about whether there was an error is final.
Occasionally, it is appropriate for someone other than the instructor to deal with the question of reviewing a possible error in a grade. If the instructor has departed from the institution and cannot be reached or if the student alleges that the instructor is prejudiced in his/her refusal to correct the error, the student may request that the grade be changed. This request should be made in writing to a committee of faculty members in the discipline. The committee has the authority to change the grade to a different performance grade. This request is handled by the Procedure for Determination of Error of a Performance Grade, not by the Student Grievance Procedure.

Procedure for Requesting the College to Review a Performance Grade

1.  The student presents the facts to the instructor who awarded the grade and requests a different performance grade. (If the instructor is not available, the student should contact the instructor’s supervisor to determine when the instructor will be available. Between semesters, instructors are not expected to be available. Questions arising during that time must be postponed until the start of the next semester unless the instructor can be contacted and agrees to come in and address the questions.)

2.  If no agreement is reached, the student may contact the instructor’s supervisor. The supervisor shall discuss the situation with the student and advise the student of the process by which a review of the grade may be requested. The supervisor shall encourage the student to make an appointment with an ACC counselor to discuss the process before beginning to prepare his/her formal request. In order to begin this process, the student shall file a written request. The written request must be presented to the supervisor of the instructor and state what error has occurred, and explain any relevant circumstances. The supervisor shall immediately forward the written request to his/her Dean.*

3.  The student shall present the written request no later than six months after the grade was awarded. However, if there are extenuating circumstances which, in the opinion of the Dean, justify a delay, the Dean may accept the request later than six months after the grade was awarded. The review process must be completed within three months from the time the student files the written request for a review.

4.  The Dean shall give the instructor a copy of the student’s written request and ask the instructor to provide a written explanation of the grading procedure used and any other information he/she believes to be relevant. The Dean shall then provide a copy of the instructor’s written statement to the student. If the instructor who awarded the grade is no longer employed by the college, the Dean shall make a diligent effort to locate the instructor to obtain a written statement. If the instructor is completely unavailable, the Dean, in consultation with the Program Coordinator or Task Force Chair, shall provide the student with a written statement of the information available to them about the instructor’s grading procedure and any other information they believe to be relevant.

5.  During the process of writing and exchanging their statements, the instructor may choose to change the grade or the student may choose to stop the process. If neither of those happens, the Dean shall appoint a three-member faculty committee to consider the request. The members of the committee shall be faculty members from the same discipline. The committee may include faculty members from other campuses. The committee shall include at least one adjunct faculty member, unless there are no adjunct faculty members in that discipline, and shall exclude any instructor who is a current instructor of the student. The decision of the committee is final.

6.  If there are not three faculty members in the same discipline to form a review committee, the Dean shall determine reasonable substitutions.

7.  During the committee process, all parties may be questioned to clarify issues, all evidence and discussion must protect the confidentiality of student records, and only committee members shall be present during committee deliberations. If the committee’s decision is to change the grade, the committee shall explain the rationale, in writing, to the instructor, the supervisor, and the Dean, and communicate the result of the process, in writing, to the student. If the decision is not to change the grade, the committee shall explain the result and rationale, in writing, to the student. The Dean shall fill out the appropriate form and state that this was the result of a committee decision.

* If the Dean is the instructor who assigned the grade, the Associate Vice President of Workforce Education or Associate Vice President of Academic Programs, as applicable, shall act in place of the Dean.

Excessive Credits Earned
Toward an ACC degree

Students who entered a Texas public college for the first time in the fall of 1999 are subject to Texas statute 76R SB345 that limits the number of courses a student may take for which the State will pay. The limit for each community college student is 1.5 times the credits required for a two-year degree.