Grades Policy
Contact Information
Jeff McCoolVice President for Instructionjmccool@nmjc.edu(575) 492-2763 |
Dr. Stephanie Ferguson(575) 492-2643 |
Dianne MarquezDean of Arts, Sciences & Learning Supportdmarquez@nmjc.edu(575) 492-2841 |
Dr. Larchinee Turner |
Grades
are based upon the quality of work done, that is, upon actual accomplishment in courses offered for credit. Grades indicating student standing are issued at the end of each semester. Mid-semester preliminary grades are for advisory purposes and are made known to students for counseling purposes. The mid-semester grades will not appear on the student’s college record.
Grade Distribution / Letter Grades
Students attending New Mexico Junior College will be evaluated according to the grading
scale shown below:
A=90 - 100
B=80 - 89
C=70 - 79
D=60 - 69
F=0 - 59
The appropriate department and / or professor will determine the grade calculations
for a course. Please refer to that section of the course syllabus for details. This
policy will not apply to Nursing and some technical / vocational programs. Refer to
each program for the specific grading scale and grade calculation used.
Definition of Letter Grades
A—Superior Honor grade indicating excellence earned as a result of consistently superior
examination scores; consistently accurate and prompt completion of assignments; ability
to deal resourcefully with ideas; and superior mastery of pertinent skills.
B—Better than Average Honor grade indicating competence earned as a result of high examination scores; accurate and prompt completion of
assignments; ability to comprehend ideas; commendable mastery of pertinent skills; and promise of continued success in sequential courses.
C—Average Standard college grade indicating successful performance earned as a result of satisfactory examination scores; generally accurate and prompt completion of assignments; ability to comprehend ideas; fair mastery of pertinent skills; and sufficient evidence of ability to warrant entering sequential courses.
D—Passing Substandard grade indicating the meeting of minimum requirements earned only as a result of low examination scores; generally inaccurate, incomplete, or late assignments; inadequate grasp of ideas; barely acceptable mastery of pertinent skills; or insufficient evidence of ability to make advisable the enrollment in sequential courses.
F—Failing Unsatisfactory grade indicating that the work has been wholly unsatisfactory, and no credit will be given.
I—Incomplete A grade of “I” will be given only when a student has successfully completed a substantial portion of the work, but some unforeseen event occurs which is beyond the student’s control. A substantial portion of the work would be something in the range of 80-85% or more of the work. The student, unless incapacitated, is responsible for notifying the instructor of the event and requesting an incomplete grade.
B—Better than Average Honor grade indicating competence earned as a result of high examination scores; accurate and prompt completion of
assignments; ability to comprehend ideas; commendable mastery of pertinent skills; and promise of continued success in sequential courses.
C—Average Standard college grade indicating successful performance earned as a result of satisfactory examination scores; generally accurate and prompt completion of assignments; ability to comprehend ideas; fair mastery of pertinent skills; and sufficient evidence of ability to warrant entering sequential courses.
D—Passing Substandard grade indicating the meeting of minimum requirements earned only as a result of low examination scores; generally inaccurate, incomplete, or late assignments; inadequate grasp of ideas; barely acceptable mastery of pertinent skills; or insufficient evidence of ability to make advisable the enrollment in sequential courses.
F—Failing Unsatisfactory grade indicating that the work has been wholly unsatisfactory, and no credit will be given.
I—Incomplete A grade of “I” will be given only when a student has successfully completed a substantial portion of the work, but some unforeseen event occurs which is beyond the student’s control. A substantial portion of the work would be something in the range of 80-85% or more of the work. The student, unless incapacitated, is responsible for notifying the instructor of the event and requesting an incomplete grade.
The following Incomplete Grade Regulations apply:
- If the criteria above are met, the instructor and student enter into a completion contract. The contract specifies what the student must do to complete the course and receive a grade. The method used to calculate the final grade must also be stated. The burden for completing the work resides with the student. The instructor will provide minor assistance to help the student complete the work. The instructor, the student, and the appropriate Dean sign the contract. If the student is incapacitated, the student does not have to sign. A copy goes to the student, the instructor, and the Associate Registrar.
- The student must complete all course work no later than the end of the next long semester.
- The instructor specifies on the contract what grade the student will receive if he/she does not complete the required coursework. When the student completes the required coursework, the instructor computes the final grade and turns in a grade change form to the appropriate academic Dean for processing. If no grade change form is processed because the student failed to complete the work in the specified time, the Associate Dean will change the “I” grade into the grade specified on the contract at the end of the appropriate semester.
W—Withdrawal A student who must withdraw or drop from a course must report to the Office
of Enrollment Management for instructions on the proper procedure. The student who
does not follow the formal procedure may be given an “F” grade in each course irrespective
of the withdrawal date. The student who officially drops a course will be assigned
a “W.” A student will not be allowed to drop / withdraw from a course during the last
two weeks of a regular semester or the last week of a summer session.
Audit Students auditing a course must meet course prerequisites, are expected to attend
all class sessions, but are not required to complete assignments. Courses taken for
audit will appear on the student’s transcript as AU with no credits recorded and no
grades assigned. Courses taken for audit cannot be used to meet a course pre- or co-requisite.
CR (Credit)-Some courses are offered as Credit / No Credit. Students must meet all minimum
requirements for the course to receive credit. CR is the equivalent of a C or better
grade. A grade of CR is not computed in the GPA but the student will receive credit
for the course.
NC (No Credit)-In courses taken for CR / NC, students who do not satisfactorily complete
minimum course requirements will receive NC. A grade of NC is not computed in the
GPA and the student will not receive credit for the course.
P (Pass) / F (Fail)-Some courses are offered as P / F. Students who meet all minimum requirements
for the course receive a P, but the grade is not computed in the GPA although the
student will receive credit for the course. In courses taken for P/F, students who
do not satisfactorily complete the minimum course requirements will receive F.
S (Satisfactory)-Some courses are offered as S / U. Students who meet all minimum requirements
for the course receive a S, but the grade is not computed in the GPA although the
student will receive credit for the course.
U (Unsatisfactory)-In courses taken for S / U, students who do not satisfactorily complete
the minimum course requirements will receive U. A grade of U is not computed in the
GPA and the student will not receive credit for the course.
Note: Some schools, scholarships and honorary societies do not accept CR /NC or S
/ U grading system and / or convert grades of CR to C and NC to F. Likewise S may
be converted to a C and U may be converted to an F. Students planning to transfer
to another institution should talk to an academic advisor at that institution about
possible consequences of CR/NC grades.
Grade Points
Grade points, per semester hour, are assigned as follows:
| A | 4 grade points per credit hour |
| B | 3 grade points per credit hour |
| C | 2 grade points per credit hour |
| D | 1 grade point per credit hour |
| F | 0 grade points per credit hour |
| W | 0 grade points per credit hour |
Grade Reports
Students can obtain their grades at the end of each semester through the T-Bird Web
Portal. If mid-semester grades are issued in a course, those may be accessed through
the student’s T-Bird Web Portal account; access to the T-Bird Web Portal is on the
NMJC official web site, www.nmjc.edu.
Grade Changes
Any grade change on record with the Office of Enrollment Management will be made only
after having been submitted in writing by the professor concerned, approved by the
appropriate academic Dean, and the Vice President for Instruction.
Grade Appeals
If a student has reason to believe that a final grade he / she has received is incorrect,
the student must first contact the professor and informally attempt to Resolve the
issue before beginning a formal, written grade appeal. If no satisfactory resolution
is reached, the student may then proceed with the formal, written, grade appeal process,
as noted below. A formal, written grade appeal must be started no later than the last
day of classes of the first long (regular) semester which follows receipt of the disputed
grade. For example, to appeal a grade received for a class completed during the fall
semester, the student has until the last day of the following spring semester to begin
the written appeal.
The only grounds for a student to appeal a final, semester grade are:
- The grade is allegedly based on an error in calculation.
- The grade allegedly did not follow the grading criteria as stated in the course syllabus.
It shall be the responsibility of the student to prove that the grade is incorrect
or unjustified. Students may not appeal disagreements based on teaching methodologies,
attendance policies, or grade weighting methods. During the term of the course it
is the student’s responsibility to communicate any concerns he/she may have about
the course or grade to the Professor.
An appeal will not be heard at any level unless the proper appeal steps have been
followed. Academic Dishonesty issues go through the Academic Dishonesty process, not through the Grade Appeal Process.
Process for a formal, written Grade Appeal
I. Written Appeal to Professor
- The student is to obtain the Formal Grade Appeal Form from the Academic Division in which the course was offered or from the Registrar’s Office.
- The student is to contact the Professor and provide the Formal Grade Appeal Form with the top section already completed by the student. This is to allow written documentation of reasons for the appeal. This contact with the Professor may be by any method including person-to-person, letter or e-mail. If the Professor is not available, the student should submit the Formal Grade Appeal Form to the Dean who supervises the Professor. (This information may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office or the Vice President for Instruction’s Office.)
- The Professor will complete his/her part of the Form within 10 business days (Monday – Friday) following receipt of the form from the student.
- If the Professor agrees with the student request for grade change, within 5 business days of that decision, Grade Change Form will be initiated by the Professor and submitted to the Registrar.
- If the Professor does not agree with the student, the grade remains unchanged.
-
The student may either accept the Professor’s decision or advance the appeal to the appropriate Academic Dean no later than 20 business days following receipt of the Professor’s decision.
II. Written Appeal to the Academic Dean
-
The student makes a formal, written appeal to the Academic Dean by submitting a copy of the Grade Appeal Form as completed at the previous level, to the appropriate Dean.
- The Dean will complete his / her part of the Form within 10 business days of receiving the formal, written request for appeal from the student.
- If the Academic Dean agrees with the student request for a grade change, within 5 business days of that decision, the Dean will have a Grade Change Form initiated.
- If the Dean does not agree with the student, the grade remains unchanged.
- The Student may either accept the Dean’s decision or advance the appeal to the Vice President for Instruction no later than 20 business days following receipt of the Dean’s decision.
III. Written Appeal to the Vice President for Instruction
- The student requests a formal, written appeal to the Vice President for Instruction by submitting a copy of the Form, as completed at the previous levels, to the Vice President for Instruction.
- The Vice President will complete his / her review of the grade appeal request within 10 business days of receiving the formal, written request for appeal from the student.
- If the Vice President agrees with the student request for a grade change, within 5 business days of that decision, the Vice President for Instruction will have a Grade Change Form initiated.
- If the Vice President does not agree with the student, the grade remains unchanged. The decision of the Vice President for Instruction is final. No further appeals of this grade may take place.
