Grades measure student performance and serve as a means of determining graduation eligibility and honors. As such, Seaver College recognizes that a fair and rigorous assessment of student coursework is vital to the mission of the school and wishes to ensure that disagreements arising over assigned grades are handled promptly, fairly, and professionally.

This policy outlines the procedures that students must follow in the event that they wish to dispute the grade received in a course at Seaver College.

This process must be initiated by the student before the midpoint of the next non-summer semester which immediately follows the course in question.

Most grade issues can and should be resolved privately between the student and instructor. This is the starting point with all grade disputes.  In case the matter is not satisfactorily resolved by this means, the following appeals procedure shall apply:

1. The student shall submit a written appeal to the division chair with a copy to the instructor, identifying the course, semester, grade received, and the reason for the appeal.

2. The student shall assemble all relevant class materials (syllabi, returned assignments, tests, papers, etc.) distributed or returned by the instructor to the student. These materials need to be put together within two weeks of the date of the written appeal.

In case the student cannot produce all such documents, the grade dispute ends here with no grade change.

3. Concurrently, the instructor will assemble all relevant class materials retained for this student (final exam, midterms, etc.) within two weeks of the date of the written appeal. A copy of these documents along with the syllabus, gradebook, and the instructor's written response to the student appeal is to be forwarded by the instructor to the division chair of Seaver College.

In case the instructor cannot produce all relevant documents pertaining to the student's work in the course, the grade dispute will be taken up by the instructor's division chair in consultation with the associate dean.

4. The chair will appoint an ad hoc committee of two faculty members within the division who teach the course (or a similar one) in question. This committee will then evaluate the student's course materials based on the following criteria:

• Have all the assignments and examinations been administered accordance with the guidelines set forth in the course syllabus?
• Has all student work been graded fairly, consistently, and accurately?

At the conclusion of the committee's evaluation of the course material, it will submit a written recommendation and explanation to the division chair in one of the following forms:

• Uphold the grade given by the instructor, or
• Require that the instructor re-grade one or more assignments, followed by a recalculation of the student's grade, or
• Require that the instructor formulate a repeat of one or more class assignments or assessments, followed by a recalculation of the student's grade, or
• Recommend a specified grade change

Based on the ad hoc committee's findings, it shall be the division chair's decision, in consultation with the associate dean, as to whether the grade shall be changed.  This decision will be final. No further appeal in possible.