Grading Procedures
Grading System
Final grades are issued after the end of the term in which the student was enrolled. Grades are accessible through the online self-service system. The significance of grades is as follows: A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, passing but less than satisfactory; F, failing; W, withdrawal; MW, military withdrawal; EW, excused withdrawal; P, pass (at least satisfactory—units awarded not counted in the grade point average - GPA); NP, no pass (less than satisfactory—units not counted in GPA). RD, report delayed, means a grade has not been submitted by the instructor. Courses numbered in the 600-band do not award a grade.
Make-Up Grades for Incomplete Work
Permission for making up incomplete work may be granted when unforeseeable emergencies and justifiable reasons cause students to be unable to complete the academic work by the end of the course. Students are responsible for initiating a request for an incomplete, but the I grade is assigned at the instructor’s discretion. An instructor may give a grade of I and indicate the grade to be assigned in the event that the student does not complete the required work within the timeline given on the incomplete grade contract. The grade must be A, B, C, D, or F except that P and NP grades may be assigned where the course provides for grading on this basis and the student has elected to be graded on the P/NP basis by the appropriate deadline. This grade shall be based on the total requirements for the course and a grade of W may not be assigned. Once an incomplete is assigned by an instructor, a student is not eligible to enroll in the same class until the incomplete is resolved. Petitions to change an I grade or to exceed the one-year make-up period must first be approved by the instructor and then submitted to the Grade Review Committee for final disposition. See LBCC’s Administrative Policy and Procedure 4230 regarding all requirements for incompletes located at https://www.lbcc.edu/pod/lbccd-board-policies-procedures.
Withdrawal
A grade of W shall be assigned for withdrawal from a class or classes in accordance with the schedule below for both a student-initiated withdrawal and an instructor-initiated drop. One exception is for military withdrawal or excused withdrawal, in which an MW or EW is assigned.
- Students withdrawing or being dropped after the final deadline for a W must be assigned a grade of A, B, C, D, F, MW, EW, P, or NP. The grade assigned shall be based on the total semester requirements for the course.
- Full semester-length classes: The official transcript will not reflect drops made before the census date. Withdrawals on or after the census date will be recorded as a withdrawal. After 75 percent of a class has taken place, students must be issued a grade.
- Students may petition for a W grade after the final deadline for a withdrawal only for extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, such as a verified accident or illness. Students may elect to request an EW grade in these circumstances, please refer to the Excused Withdrawal section for more information.
Military Withdrawal
A grade of MW may be assigned to students who are members of an active or reserve military service and who receive orders compelling a withdrawal from classes. Upon verification of such orders, the grade of MW may be assigned at any time from the beginning of the period that a W may normally be assigned through the end of the course. The MW grade shall in no way adversely affect a student’s academic record. The MW grade shall not be counted in the completion ratio or GPA calculations. The grade of MW may be applied as appropriate retroactively to January 1990.
Excused Withdrawal
The purpose of the EW non-evaluative symbol is to permit a student to withdraw from a course due to extenuating circumstances at any time, upon petition of the student or their representative. A student may request to use an EW for one or all courses in a term depending on the reason for the request. EW is acceptable when a student withdraws from a course(s) due to reasons beyond their control, which include but are not limited to, the following:
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Unlawful discrimination or retaliation
- Emergency or extraordinary condition as defined in Title 5, section 58146
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Or, any other circumstances beyond the control of the student.
Documentation by the student is not required.
Grade Points
A system of grade points is used to determine a student’s standing for graduation or transfer. Grade points are assigned to the respective grades as follows: for each unit of credit, the grade of A is assigned 4 points; B, 3 points; C, 2 points; D, 1 point; F, 0 points. P (pass) and NP (no pass) units are not counted in a student’s GPA.
Grade Point Average Calculation
Grade Point Average (GPA) is the numeric measure of a student’s average performance in all completed letter-graded courses. LBCC transcripts show two different grade point averages:
- Term GPA is the point average of your grades over one semester
- Cumulative GPA is the point average of your grades over all the academic courses you have taken at LBCC, University or Community College in which units are counted toward degrees or utilized to satisfy major and/or elective requirements.
Other schools and agencies may calculate GPAs differently from LBCC when evaluating records for admission to graduate and professional school programs. Students should contact them directly regarding their policies.
Step One: Determine Criteria and Courses to be Used in Factoring the GPA
Determine what type of GPA is desired, e.g., major, overall, or term. LBCC reviews all coursework to identify which courses should be used to factor in the GPA.
Include courses that are:
- Letter-graded taken at LBCC, and
- Letter-graded taken at any regionally accredited university or community college in which units are counted toward the degree or utilized to satisfy major and/or elective requirements.
Exclude courses that are:
- Graded P, NP, W, MW, RD, or I.
- Exclude repeat units.
- Illegal repeat units.
Step Two: Calculate Grade Points for Each Course Being Used in the GPA
The official GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of attempted units. These figures can be found on the official transcript. Attempted units are found in the attempted column; Grade Points are found in the points column.
Example:
- A student has 116.40 Grade Points and 40.00 Attempted Units.
- 116.40 Grade Points / 40.00 Attempted Units = 2.91 GPA.
The GPA is calculated by converting each letter grade into Grade Points and then multiplying each grade by the course unit value.
Here is an example:
| Course | Course Unit Value | Letter Grade | Grade Points | Course Unit Value x Grade Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 3 | A | 4 | 3X4=12 |
| C2 | 3 | D | 1 | 3X1=3 |
| C3 | 4 | C | 2 | 4X2=8 |
| C4 | 2 | A | 4 | 2X4=8 |
| C5 | 3 | P | 0 | 3X0=0 |
| Total | 12 | 31 |
GPA is = (GPA*Credit)/Total Credits. In this example, your GPA would be 31/12 or 2.58 GPA.
Change of Grades
All grades are final in the absence of mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetence. A student who believes a final grade to be incorrect may file a Request for Change of Grade form, which may be obtained on the Admissions and Records website at www.lbcc.edu/admissions-records. All requests for grade changes should be made by the student, in writing, within two years after the end of the semester in which the grade was earned. In the absence of the instructor, the request shall be referred to the Grade Review Committee.
Open Entry/Open Exit Credit Courses
For students completing 0-29 percent of the work or time required in an open entry/open exit course, a grade will not be recorded. Students completing 30-74 percent of the work or time required will be assigned a W grade. The W will be included in the completion ratio calculations. Students completing 75 percent or more of the work or time required will be assigned the grade earned (A, B, C, D, F, P, or NP). The exception to this policy is the grade of MW.
Repetition of Courses
State regulations restrict the number of times a student may enroll in a course within a community college district. Most courses are designated as non-repeatable, which means that a student may only repeat the course under the following circumstances:
To alleviate substandard work: When a mark of D, F, NP, or W has been previously recorded in a course, a student may enroll to repeat the course. The student is limited to a maximum of three attempts in any one course to earn a passing grade. The grade from the most recent time the course was repeated will be used for determining the GPA regardless of whether the last grade is higher or lower than the grade earned on previous attempts. The grades for all earlier and most recent attempts shall be recorded on the student’s permanent record, ensuring a true and complete academic history.
Significant Lapse of Time: When a mark of A, B, C, or P has been previously recorded in a course, a student may only repeat the course if 36 months have passed since the grade was awarded and the student is required to have taken the course within a recent amount of time as required by another course or program at the college or at another college or university to which the student seeks to transfer. For courses in which a grade of A, B, C, or P has been recorded, the grade of the repeated course shall be counted in calculating a student’s GPA. The grades of all earlier and most recent attempts shall be recorded on the student’s permanent record, ensuring a true and complete academic history. Courses repeated under this criterion will not be used for determining financial aid, scholarships, or athletic eligibility. Unit credit is allowed only once. Neither credit nor grades shall be allowed for unauthorized repeated courses.
Mandated Training: A student will be allowed to repeat a course in which a previously earned grade of A, B, C, or P is recorded providing repetition of the course is necessary in order to meet legally mandated training requirements or conditions of continued paid or volunteer employment. Enrollment under this provision is limited. Documentation supporting the mandated training is required and must be submitted to the Enrollment Services office. A student may repeat a course any number of times where it is required for the student to meet a legally mandated training requirement as a condition of continued paid or volunteer employment, regardless of whether the student recorded substandard work. The student must fill out the required form and submit the required documentation.
Change of Industry Standard or Licensure: A student may be allowed to repeat a course in which a previously earned grade of A, B, C, or P is recorded providing repetition of the course is necessary in order to maintain licensure or if an industry-standard has changed significantly since the course was taken and the student needs the skills in order to gain or keep employment. Documentation supporting the licensure or change in industry standard is required and must be submitted to the Enrollment Services office.
Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities may repeat a special class for students with disabilities any number of times when an individualized determination verifies that such repetition is required as a disability-related accommodation for the student for one of the reasons specified in Title 5 Section 56029. When a student with a disability repeats a class, the previous grade and credit may be disregarded in the computation of grade point averages. A student with a documented disability may therefore enroll multiple times in a credit course specifically designed for students with disabilities. Such repetitions are considered to be disability-related accommodations, subject to appropriate documentation.
Students may not enroll in a course more than three times, except in the limited circumstances, described below. Enrollments include any combination of withdrawals and repetitions.
Students may repeat a cooperative work experience course pursuant to District policy any number of times as long as they do not exceed the limits on the number of units of cooperative work experience set forth in Title 5 Section 55253 subdivision (a).
Courses that are repeated shall be recorded on the student’s permanent academic record using the appropriate symbol. Annotating the permanent academic record shall be done in a manner that all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic history. Nothing shall conflict with Education Code Section 76224 pertaining to the finality of grades assigned by instructors, or with Title 5 or District procedures relating to the retention and destruction of records.
The student is responsible for ensuring that the repetition of a course is authorized by these Procedures. Any student who is determined to be repeating a course when not authorized to do so shall be administratively removed from the class. Credit by examination and courses in the 600-number noncredit band are not subject to the course repetition rules.