I. Purpose
A. The purpose of the Student Grade Appeals Policy (“Policy”) at Anne Arundel Community College (“College”) is to establish a consistent, fair, prompt, appropriate, impartial, and equitable process by which Students may seek review of final grades assigned in classes.
B. This Policy recognizes the right and responsibility of faculty members to exercise their professional judgment in evaluating academic performance while ensuring the right of Students to have their academic performance judged in a fair and impartial manner.
II. Scope and Applicability
A. This Policy applies to all Students and all faculty, including part-time faculty, full-time faculty, or instructor who teaches any class at the College, including credit, developmental, and noncredit classes.
B. This Policy applies to requests for review of final grades in a class and does not apply to individual academic assessments or assignments, which cannot be appealed, but which may be informally resolved as provided in Section V. B. of this Policy.
C. This Policy and related procedure provide the sole method for consideration of requests to review final grades in classes.
D. To the extent that the College Manual conflicts with this Policy, this Policy supersedes the College Manual.
III. Definitions
A. Academic Dean means the Dean of the School in which the class that is the subject of the Formal Grade Appeal is taught.
B. Grade means the final grade assigned by an Instructor for the class that appears on the Student’s transcript or continuing education record.
C. Formal Grade Appeal means a written statement by a Student to the Academic Dean, or other appropriate party, as described in the Grade Appeal Procedure.
D. Instructor means the faculty member or instructor who assigned the Grade in a class. In cases where a final grade may be jointly assigned by more than one individual, the term Instructor refers to all individuals who participated in determining the grade and any decision or action described by the Instructor in this Policy must be made by agreement among such individuals and communicated as a single response.
E. Student means an individual who was enrolled for at least one (1) class offered by the College and has been assigned a Grade in the class, regardless of their program or status, including full-time and part-time students, degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students, and students attending classes at any College location or through distance education.
F. Supervisor means the Assistant Dean or Director, or other appropriate party as described in the Procedure to whom the Instructor reports.
IV. Grounds for Appeal of a Grade
A. At all levels of review, the burden is on the Student to demonstrate that the Grade assigned that is the subject of the appeal should be changed based on the Student’s performance.
B. A Student may appeal a Grade only on the following grounds:
1. Mistake. The Grade was assigned based on a miscalculation or clerical error.
2. Arbitrary and Capricious Grading. The Grade was assigned arbitrarily or capriciously, without reasonable justification, as defined by the Instructor’s grading criteria or the course syllabus.
3. Discrimination or Bias. The Grade was assigned due to discrimination, bias, or unfair treatment based on a protected class, as defined in the College’s Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy. A Student asserting this ground for Appeal must follow the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy and related procedures, rather than this Policy and accompanying Procedure.
V. Informal Discussions
A. Prior to filing a Formal Grade Appeal, the Student is required to make every effort to resolve the issue with the Grade through informal discussions with the Instructor and Supervisor, in accordance with the accompanying Procedure.
B. While a Student may not request a Formal Grade Appeal for individual academic assessments or assignments, the Student may discuss a grade on a specific academic assessment or assignment with the Instructor, who will make a decision, in their sole discretion, whether to change a grade. That decision is not subject to appeal.
VI. Formal Grade Appeal
A. If the Grade Appeal is not resolved by the Instructor and Supervisor through informal discussions, the Student may submit a Formal Grade Appeal to the Academic Dean in accordance with the Grade Appeal Procedure.
B. The Student may withdraw the Formal Grade Appeal at any step of the Formal Grade Appeal process by submitting a written request to the Academic Dean, in accordance with the Grade Appeal Procedure.
VII. Confidentiality and Records
A. All individuals involved in the grade appeals process, including the Students, Instructors, Supervisors, Deans, Provost/Vice President for Learning, and President are required to maintain the confidentiality of the proceedings and not disclose any information related to the Grade Appeal except as required by law.
B. All information and records related to a Grade Appeal will be treated confidentially and shared only with individuals directly involved in the appeal process.
C. The Academic Dean will retain all records related to Grade Appeals, including Appeal Forms and decisions and will retain such records in accordance with the College's record retention policies.
VIII. Prohibition on Retaliation
A. Retaliation, including intimidating, threatening, coercing, harassing, or causing physical harm to any Student for filing a Formal Grade Appeal or participating in an informal resolution, investigation, or decision of a Grade Appeal, including as a witness, Supervisor, or Academic Dean, is prohibited.
B. Complaints of such retaliation or interference by Students will be referred to the Office of Community Standards for consideration under the Student Code of Conduct. Complaints of retaliation or interference by an Employee will be referred to the Office of Human Resources for consideration under Human Resources policies.
Policy Title: Grade Appeals Policy
Policy Category: Academic Affairs
Policy Owner: Provost/Vice President for Learning
Policy Administrator: Associate Vice President for Learning
Contact Information: ksmith56@aacc.edu, 410-777-2776
Approval Date: October 8, 2024
Effective Date: October 11, 2024
History: Previously contained on College webpage
Applies to: All Students and Faculty
Related Policies:
Related Procedures:
Forms/Guidelines: N/A
Relevant Laws: