GRADE POLICIES

Grading System

Illinois Central College uses the following letter grades, definitions, and grade point equivalent as its official grading system.

Pass/No Pass Option (Spring/Summer 2020)

Pass/No Pass Option (Spring/Summer 2020)

Grade Point Average (GPA)

An important average for all students is their grade point average (GPA) which serves as a measure of academic achievement.

The number of grade points earned in a given course is calculated by multiplying the number of points assigned to the specific letter grade received in the class by the number of credit hours the course carries. Thus, a grade of B (3.00 grade points) in a course worth four credit hours would earn the student 12 (3 x 4) grade points.

A student’s GPA for a given semester is computed by dividing the total number of credit hours attempted into the total number of grade points earned. The division is carried out three places to the right of the decimal point. An example is shown below:

GPA = 46 divided by 15 = 3.066

Grade point averages are calculated at the conclusion of each semester. Courses with grades S, U, W, NG, and CR are not considered part of the total hours attempted for purposes of determining a student’s GPA, but these grades are recorded on the student’s academic record.

A SEMESTER GPA represents the average of grades for one semester, and a CUMULATIVE GPA reflects the average of grades for all courses taken at Illinois Central College. If courses taken at Illinois Central College are retaken at this institution according to specified retake procedures, both grades appear on the transcript but only the higher grade will be included in the GPA computation. Questions regarding GPA should be referred to Enrollment Services at the East Peoria Campus, L211, (309) 694-5581.

THIS POLICY DOES NOT PRECLUDE ADMISSION/READMISSION REQUIREMENTS IN OTHER COLLEGE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS.

Class Attendance

Regular attendance at all class meetings and laboratory sessions or active participation in online classes is expected of all students. Faculty members may establish attendance policies and/or makeup procedures for their classes. Faculty will ordinarily permit students to make up work missed due to College-sponsored activities, if prior notification of absence is given.

Some programs have established rigid attendance policies. For example, most health careers programs have exacting attendance policies, especially for clinical assignments. These are explained in materials distributed to program enrollees. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of attendance and participation policies and makeup procedures.

Excessive absence and lack of participation are among the most common causes of failing grades. As a College guideline, absences in excess of five (5) percent of total number of scheduled class meetings are considered excessive. For example, three absences in a class which meets twice per week would be considered excessive since these absences represent more than five (5) percent of the class meetings.

In case of prolonged absences because of illness, accident, hospitalization, or family problems, students should notify the Dean of Students so proper notification can be made to instructors. In addition, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor about possible makeup work.

Audit of Courses

Many courses at ICC may be audited. A student that audits a course is a non-participating listener in a course and is not required to take tests or complete assignments. The student receives no grade or notation on a transcript relative to the audited course.

Registration for audit classes will be accepted beginning the week the class is scheduled to begin, provided space is available in the class.

Tuition for auditing a class will be the in-district rate.

Further information about which courses may be audited and procedures for registering may be obtained from departmental offices.

A student may not change class registration status from “audit” to “credit” or from “credit” to “audit.”

Retaking Classes

Students may retake a class attempted at this institution for which they received a grade. Retaking of program-specific courses may require department approval prior to the student continuing in program of study. If a student retakes a class, all grades will remain on the transcript, but only the highest grade will be calculated in the Illinois Central College cumulative grade point average. Students receiving financial assistance should refer to the Retaking Coursework section on page 30 to determine how retakes will affect their eligibility. Questions regarding retaking classes should be directed to Enrollment Services, East Peoria Campus, L211.

Note: Students planning to transfer to another college are cautioned that many colleges include all grades earned to compute the transfer cumulative grade point average.

Repeatable Classes

Classes that are approved as repeatable for credit are marked as such in the “Course Descriptions” area of the Catalog. These classes are each listed individually on the official transcript with all credit hours counting towards graduation and being calculated into the Illinois Central College cumulative grade point average.

Grade Appeal Process

(Approved May 2015)

The Grade Appeal Process is designed to provide students and faculty with a fair and structured process to review a grade issue or discrepancy. Only final course grades may be appealed through this process.

The process, in brief, is explained in these steps:

Informal Appeal

1.     Student must identify a grade issue/discrepancy and contact the instructor (in person or by email) to discuss the issue and a possible resolution. The contact must be within 15 business days from the scheduled course final exam date.

2.     If the student does not receive a response from the faculty member within 10 business days, the student should contact the department dean. The department dean will notify the instructor of the grade issue.

3.     The student and instructor may schedule a time to meet to discuss the grade issue or correspond by email or phone to determine if the issue can be resolved informally.

If the issue is not resolved through this process, the student can request a formal review. A student must complete the informal appeal process before moving to the formal process. If an extenuating circumstance exists that prevents this informal process, the student must contact the department dean or the Dean of Students.

Formal Appeal

A student must complete the informal appeal process before moving to the formal process.

4.     The student must request a Grade Appeal form from the Dean of Students office (East Peoria Campus.) The student must submit the Grade Appeal form, along with supplemental evidence to support the appeal. The form and supporting documents must be submitted to the academic department office within five (5) business days (except in extraordinary circumstances) of the completion of the informal process.

• Upon receipt of the completed Grade Appeal form and supporting evidence, the academic department will schedule a meeting between the student, the course instructor, and the department dean. The Dean of Students will serve as the mediator for the meeting.

• In situations involving an objection to a face-to-face meeting, the student or instructor can request to meet separately with the department dean.

• The department dean will provide written notice of the resolution to both the student and instructor, via ICC email, within three (3) business days of the meeting.

5.     If the issue is not resolved through step 4, the student may request a formal review by the Grade Appeal committee. 

• Within five (5) business days of receipt of the emailed resolution from department dean, the request for the grade appeal review must be made through the Dean of Students.

• The Dean of Students will notify the co-chairs of the Academic Standards Committee to convene the formal review by the Grade Appeal Committee.

• The student and the faculty member are encouraged to provide a written summary and documented evidence supporting his or her position to the contact person above a minimum of two (2) business days in advance of the scheduled date of the Grade Appeal Committee. Only written materials submitted in advance will be considered by the Grade Appeal Committee.

6.     The Grade Appeal Committee is comprised of a subset of members from the Academic Standards committee. The Grade Appeal Committee will include a minimum of one (1) administrator and two (2) faculty members, with at least one faculty from the academic department from which the appeal originated. In the event an available academic department representative is not available, a designee from the Faculty Senate can be appointed.

7.     The Grade Appeal Committee will review the documentation and make a determination regarding the appeal. The Grade Appeal Committee may request additional information as needed. The decision of this committee is final.

Grade Exclusion Policy

The grade exclusion policy at Illinois Central College provides a second chance for academic success to students who have failed courses that otherwise may make it difficult or impossible for them to pursue a degree or certificate.

In order to qualify for grade exclusion:

1. The student cannot have enrolled in graded, college-level courses  at Illinois Central College or any other post-secondary education  institution for four (4) consecutive semesters prior to application  for grade exclusion (summer terms do not apply). A student may apply at any time for exclusion after this time requirement has been met.

2. The student’s cumulative grade point average must be less than 2.000 at the time of re-admission to the College.

3. Following re-admission, the student must complete a minimum of 15 approved consecutive credit hours in graded college‑level courses (110 or above) with no grades of “D” or “F” or a  GPA of at least 2.000 in each semester in which the 15 hours  are attempted before exclusion will be granted.

Grade exclusion will only be granted once. A maximum of 16 hours of “F” grades earned in graded college-level courses at Illinois Central College will be excluded.

To qualify for grade exclusion, the student is required to meet with a designated academic advisor.

When eligibility requirements have been fulfilled and exclusion granted, the student’s cumulative grade point average will be recalculated with “F” grades removed from the calculation. However, all grades, including those excluded, will continue to appear on the ICC academic transcript and will be counted as attempted hours for Financial Aid purposes. Students who plan to transfer to another institution should be aware that the receiving institution may use all of the grades that are excluded by ICC for calculation of the grade point average for admission review.

(Note: Excluded grades will be indicated by an FX.)

Application forms for grade exclusion may be obtained and submitted to any Enrollment Services office. All applications for grade exclusion are processed through the Peoria Enrollment Services office, Arbor 2, Peoria Campus.

THIS POLICY DOES NOT PRECLUDE ADMISSION/READMISSION REQUIREMENTS IN OTHER COLLEGE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS.