It is the policy of CVCC that a student should have an opportunity to appeal any grade that he/ she believes does not accurately and fairly represent the nature of the classwork the student has performed. Therefore, the College has established a grade appeal procedure to be used if a student has a valid reason to believe that a grade he/she received for an examination, a written/ oral presentation, a project, or other required classroom activity is inaccurate or unfair. A student must make the initial grade inquiry within seven (7) calendar days after the student receives notice of the grade in question, except in the case of a punitive grade issued for academic misconduct, which must be appealed by the end of the class day following the date on which the sanction was imposed. Thereafter, each subsequent appeal must occur within a seven (7) calendar day increment after the respective decision is received by the student. If a student does not meet the deadline for appealing a grade, the right to appeal will be waived. For grades on final examinations or grades that represent the final grade for the course, the initial seven (7) calendar day period will begin on the first class day of the next academic term. In appealing a grade, the student may have his or her concern about the grade reviewed through the following procedures:
The student will begin by stating either orally or in writing to the instructor that the grade in question is either inaccurate, unfair, or both and include the justification for the appeal. If the student and the instructor cannot successfully resolve the student’s concern, the student may then contact the Chair of that instructor’s division or program. The student shall appeal to the Division Chair by submitting the appropriate form stating his/her concern regarding the grade and describing the prior discussion with the instructor. (If the instructor issuing the grade is the Chair of the respective division or program, the student may appeal directly to the Dean of Instruction or his/her designee.) The Division Chair will review the student’s grade issue. The Chairperson has the authority to call in the instructor, ask for the assistance of another CVCC instructor, or seek the opinion of an expert in the subject area under review. If the student’s concern about the grade cannot be successfully resolved at this level, the student may appeal to the Dean of Instruction. The instructor also has the right to appeal a decision of the Division Chair to the Dean of Instruction. Appeal information must be submitted on the proper form and must contain the following:
- Name and course number of the grade under appeal.
- Names of the student and the instructor.
- The term, day(s) of the week, and time of day that the course was taken.
- A concise description of the student’s complaint and a narrative explanation of why he/she thinks the grade was unfair, inaccurate, or both.
- The date that the student first took the appeal to the instructor.
- A summary of the result of the student’s appeal to the instructor.
- The date that the student took the appeal to the Division Chair.
- A summary of the result of the student’s appeal to the Division Chair.
In addition to the above information, the student and/or instructor should include a photocopy of documents that the student and/or the instructor believe would assist the Dean of Instruction in reviewing the grade appeal. The Dean of Instruction will review the appeal, schedule a meeting with the student and the instructor, and deliver a written report within 14 calendar days after the Dean of Instruction’s receipt of all of the appeal information. The Dean of Instruction has the authority to consult with the instructor, the Division Chair, or other persons who have expertise in the subject area. When the Dean of Instruction has completed the review of the grade appeal, a written report describing his/her findings and conclusions will be provided to the student, instructor, and Division Chair. If the Dean of Instruction determines that a change in the student’s grade is in order, the student’s official grade will be changed under the authority of the Dean of Instruction to render final rulings on grade appeals. Therefore, the decision of the Dean of Instruction will be final and not subject to further appeal. The Dean of Instruction’s decision may be appealed to the Alabama Community College System using the Student Complaint Process described at the end of this document.
Note: The same general process may be used by a student who wishes to express a concern about the fairness and appropriateness of other strictly academic matters. In reviewing appeals regarding matters other than grades, the Dean of Instruction will provide a memorandum of the findings, conclusions, recommendations, and/or directives regarding the matter under appeal to the student, instructor, and Division Chair.
Admissions Decision Appeal Procedure
Certain limited programs of study (e.g., Nursing, Medical Assisting, etc.) may have special admission policies and procedures separate from those of the general admission for the College. Therefore, the College has established an appeal procedure to be used if a student has a valid reason to believe that a program admission decision is inaccurate or unfair. A student must make the initial inquiry within seven (7) calendar days after receiving notice of the admission decision. If a student does not meet the deadline for appealing the decision, the right to appeal will be waived.
The student will begin by stating in writing to the Dean of Instruction that the admission decision in question is either inaccurate, unfair, or both and include the justification for the appeal. Appeal information must be submitted on the proper form and must contain the following:
- Name of program of study to which the student was seeking admission.
- Name and address of the student filing the appeal.
- A concise description of the student’s complaint and a narrative explanation of why he/she thinks the admission decision was unfair, inaccurate, or both.
In addition to the above information, the student should include a photocopy of documents that he/she believes would assist the Dean of Instruction review the admission decision. The Dean of Instruction will review the appeal, schedule a meeting with the student and appropriate divisional personnel, and deliver a written report within 14 calendar days after the Dean of Instruction’s receipt of all of the appeal information. The Dean of Instruction has the authority to consult with instructors, the Division Chair, or other persons who have expertise in the subject area. When the Dean of Instruction has completed the review of the appeal, a written report describing his/her findings and conclusions will be provided to the student and the Division Chair. If the Dean of Instruction determines that a change in the student’s admission status is in order, the student’s official grade will be changed under the authority of the Dean of Instruction to render rulings on admission standards. The Dean of Instruction’s decision may be appealed to the Alabama Community College System using the Student Complaint Process described at the end of this document.