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Grade Appeal and Exclusion

Grade Appeal Process

(Effective August 2022)

The purpose of the Grade Appeal Procedure is to afford a student the opportunity to appeal a grade if the student feels that the grade is not representative of their performance according to the instructor’s specified grading standards or system. It is the intent of this procedure to afford students a fair and equitable process by which to appeal a grade while protecting faculty rights and the integrity of the grading system. Only final course grades may be appealed.

For questions, concerns, or issues related to an individual assignment or other grade during the course of the semester, the student shall bring the concern to the faculty member either via their ICC student email, by phone, a virtual format, or in person. This process is not to evaluate the content of the syllabus, to challenge a grading scale, or grading policies of the course. This appeal process looks at whether the syllabus, grading, and related procedures matched with instructor actions/decisions. The course syllabus may be used as a reference guide.

Steps 1 and 2 of the grade appeal process shall begin no later than 5 business days after the posting of final grades. The goal of the policy is to complete the grade appeal process within 15 business days of the posting of the final grade. In situations where the faculty member is not on campus or the college is closed for an extended time, the timelines may be extended to accommodate. The timeline identified within any step of this process may be extended provided that both parties mutually agree.

The full policy follows:

Step 1: Request Clarification of the Grade

Before beginning the appeal process, the student shall make contact with the faculty (email or phone are acceptable, but virtual or face-to-face may be preferred) to request a clarification or explanation of the grade. This informal process provides the faculty member the chance to ensure the grade issued was the correct grade and to ensure the student is viewing the correct information related to the grade. If made by email, the request must be submitted from the student’s ICC email. The student is encouraged to share any materials to support their position with the faculty member at this time. This step should be done as soon as possible after final grades are posted.

 Step 2: Speak with the Academic Departmental Dean

After speaking with the instructor and if the situation is not resolved, the next step is to communicate with the Dean of the department. The student is required to provide evidence as to why they do not agree with the final grade issued by the faculty member.

The required evidence shall be adequate to support the assertion that the grade was awarded in error. This includes, but is not limited to, copies of quizzes, exams, homework, papers, and any other graded assignments that counted toward the course grade. The student is required to present sufficient evidence of performance that can be measured against the instructor’s stated grading policy or system as defined in the most recent copy of the syllabus.

The Dean shall contact the faculty member after meeting with the student to discuss if the issue has been resolved or the student will be planning to appeal.

Step 3: Appeal Panel

In the situation where the grade clarification does not address the issue, the student has the opportunity to submit a formal Grade Appeal. This completed form shall be submitted within 15 business days of the posting of the final grade and after the student has communicated with the faculty member and the Dean.

1) The student shall request a Grade Appeal Form from the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs or the Dean of Students.

2) The student shall then complete the form, include documented evidence of the basis of the appeal (as listed in Step 2 above), and return to the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

All information shall be submitted in writing for review. Without specific evidence the appeal cannot go forward. A grade appeal shall be based upon more than a mere disagreement between the faculty member and the student; there shall be documented evidence of the discrepancy between what was indicated as the grading scale and/or what is on the syllabus and the actual grade received.

3) Upon receiving the Grade Appeal and evidence from the student, the Vice President of Academic Affairs shall notify the faculty member by phone and email that the student has submitted the formal appeal within two (2) business days of receiving the appeal. Included in the email to the faculty member shall be scanned copies of the Grade Appeal form and evidence that the student has provided. The faculty member shall then have five (5) business days to deliver in person or email the Vice President of Academic Affairs a detailed explanation of why the student received the final grade and submit evidence, as appropriate, to support their position. In situations where the faculty member is not on campus or the college is closed for an extended time, the timelines may be extended to accommodate.

4) The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall convene an Appeal panel to be completed in a timely manner.

The timeline identified within any step of this process may be extended provided that both parties mutually agree.

As this is an internal College procedure, neither party may be represented by an attorney at any step in this process. The student and the faculty member have the option to attend the hearing virtually to state their case and then will be excused. Each side shall have no more than ten (10) minutes to state their case to the panel. After the ten minutes the panel will be allowed to ask questions to either side, if needed. In rare occasions, when specialized material is being analyzed, the Appeal panel may request an outside consult of a faculty member from that field.

The panel shall render a decision on the appeal and record it on the Grade Appeal Form. All parties will receive a copy of the final, signed form for their records.  If needed, a grade change form shall be initiated by the Academic Dean and forwarded to the Registrar. The decision of the appeal panel is considered final. Communication will come from the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

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 in Enrollment Services, Room L211, East Peoria Campus. Completed forms should be directed to Enrollment Services, Room L211, East Peoria Campus.

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