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A grade awarded in a course at the College is based on the instructor’s professional judgment about the degree to which students achieve the learning objectives for the course. If a student believes a grade has been awarded in error, or unfairly, the student shall have recourse through the grade appeal process.
The President or the President’s designee shall establish procedures for bringing a grade appeal.
In the event a student is enrolled in Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission approved courses in the Criminal Justice Institute, the student’s grade appeal shall be processed through the procedures set forth in the Criminal Justice Student Handbook.
(Florida Statutes 1001.02, 1001.64, CF Board Policy 7.11)
Grade Appeal Procedure
Any student wishing to appeal a grade must follow, in consecutive order, the steps of appeal shown below:
Step I: A student who believes a course grade has been awarded unfairly or in error will meet and discuss the concern with the instructor, based on the course syllabus, within thirty (30) calendar days from the time the grade is awarded. (Note: In the event the instructor is not available within 30 days after the grade is awarded, the student may notify the instructor’s supervisor within the 30-day period. The student would then discuss any concerns with the instructor as soon as the instructor becomes available.)
Step II: In the event the matter cannot be resolved between the instructor and the student, the student may request a meeting with the instructor’s supervisor. The supervisor shall meet with the student and the instructor to try to mediate the matter. It is the student’s responsibility to provide a grade appeal form if requested by the supervisor, and evidence that the grade should be changed. If no resolution is reached between the student and the instructor, the supervisor will send a written decision to the student and instructor within ten (10) working days.
Step III: In the event the student is not satisfied at the Step II decision, the student has the right to present the concern to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO). If the student wishes to exercise this right, then, within five (5) working days after the written Step II decision, the student must deliver a copy of the Grade Appeal Form with the appropriate documentation and a copy of the written decision from the instructor’s supervisor (Step II) to the CAO.
Within ten (10) working days from receipt of the Grade Appeal, the CAO will determine if further review is warranted. If the CAO determines that it is not, the CAO will render a final written decision to the student, the instructor and the instructor’s supervisor. If the CAO determines that further review is warranted, the CAO will ask the President to convene a Grade Appeals Committee and shall provide a copy of the student’s Grade Appeal Form to the instructor and the instructor’s supervisor.
The Appeal Committee must arrange a mutually convenient time to meet separately with the student, the instructor, and any other person that the Committee determines may have relevant information. In the event the instructor is not available (For instance, an adjunct who is no longer with the College or an instructor who is unavailable due to illness or leave) the dean will represent the instructor. The student should provide evidence that the grade should be changed. Both the instructor and the student may submit names of persons to be interviewed by the Committee and, with each name, a summary of the information that the instructor and student anticipate the person will provide. The party proposing a person to be interviewed will be solely responsible for ensuring that person is available to the committee at a time requested by the committee. The Grade Appeals Committee has no obligation to reschedule interviews for persons not present at the scheduled interview time. The Grade Appeals Committee has the right to limit the number of persons to be interviewed and the length of the interview, so long as the same constraints apply equally to both parties.
The Committee will make its decision based on the course syllabus, Grade Appeals Form and the attached documentation, the written decision of the supervisor, and the information presented by the student and the instructor and their witnesses. Within four (4) days of the final interview, the Grade Appeals Committee will deliver a recommendation to the CAO. The CAO has the right to reject or accept the recommendation. The CAO will make a final decision within five (5) days. The decision of the CAO will be final and binding on all parties. The CAO will inform the student, the instructor and the instructor’s supervisor of the decision. The CAO shall provide a copy of the committee recommendations, and rationale for the decision, to the instructor.
(CF Administrative Procedure: Grade Appeal Procedure)
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