Academic Regulations 2005

GRADING
PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES

1. Time Frame for Assignment of Possible Grades – Fall, Winter, Spring

WEEK(S)                            POSSIBLE GRADES                      
1 – 2                              None                                
3 – first day of seventh week      N or W—if early exit procedure
                                   is followed.                         
7 – last day of instruction        I, NC, P, V, Z—if early withdrawal                                     procedure is followed.               
 Final Exam Week                   4.0 - 0.0, H, I, NC, P, V, Z       

2. Time Frame for Assignment of Summer Quarter Grades

The Registrar’s Office will publish the time frame for summer quarter.

3. Grading System

Instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments, and the grade of 0.0. Grades in the range of 0.6 to 0.1 may not be assigned. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:

4.0 - 3.9 A
3.8 - 3.5 A-
3.4 - 3.2 B+
3.1 - 2.9 B
2.8 - 2.5 B-
2.4 - 2.2 C+
2.1 - 1.9 C
1.8 - 1.5 C-
1.4 - 1.2 D+
1.1 - 0.9 D
0.8 - 0.7 D-
0.0 F

H: Hold Grades – Course still in progress after grading deadline has passed - With the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, instructors teaching courses that extend beyond the end of a quarter will award an H grade to all students at the time when grades are normally due. Upon the completion of the course, the instructor will award the final grades that will replace the H grade on each student’s transcript. I: Incomplete – At a student’s request, a grade of Incomplete may be given when the instructor agrees that the student is unable to complete the requirements of the course during the eleven-week quarter but can successfully complete the course work with no additional instruction. The instructor must specify on a standard Incomplete Contract form what requirements the student must fulfill in order to convert the Incomplete grade to an appropriate grade. To obtain credit for the course, the student must convert an Incomplete into an appropriate grade by completing the requirements specified in the standard contract within the time limits specified therein, not to exceed one calendar year from the date of the contract.

N: Audit – To audit a course, a student must register for the course and pay the required tuition and fees. Class participation will be at the instructor's discretion. Students may change their registration status to or from audit by completing the appropriate form in the registration office no later than the first class day of the seventh week of the quarter. Ns will appear on the transcript but are not counted in the GPA computation.

P/NC & P/0.0: Pass/No Credit & Pass/0.0 – This grade is given when a student successfully completes a course offering a Pass/No Credit (P/NC) option. By assigning a P, the instructor certifies a performance level of at least 2.0. P allows credit for the course, but the grade will not be considered in GPA calculations. In college-level courses (numbered 100 and higher) designated as having the P/0.0 or P/NC option, students who wish to be graded on the Pass/0.0 or Pass/NC option, must submit a Student Option Grading Form signed by their instructor to the registration desk no later than the end of the day which constitutes the midpoint of the course. In precollege level courses (numbered less than 100), students may request a P/NC or P/0.0 grade option without a Student Option Grading Form at any time during the quarter. Unless a 2.0 performance level is achieved, the student selecting the P/0.0 option will receive no credit and the grade of 0.0, and the student selecting the P/NC option will receive an NC grade. The NC grade will not be considered in the GPA calculation. While some degrees and programs may allow no P credits, no degree or program at Shoreline may include more than thirty P credits.

V: Unofficial Withdrawal – To be awarded when a student attends briefly, rarely or not at all and does not withdraw with a W grade. This grade will be considered to be a zero in GPA calculations.

W: Official Withdrawal – A W grade will be granted only from the first day of the third week through the first class day of the seventh week of the quarter (or the equivalent date for the summer quarter) provided the student follows the early exit procedure. No Ws will be given after the cut off date. Ws remain on the transcript but are not counted in the GPA computation. A student may not withdraw to avoid consequences of cheating, plagiarism or other intellectual dishonesty.

Z: Hardship Withdrawal – This grade may be given at the student’s written request and the instructor’s agreement that a crisis and/or unusual, extreme circumstance which has interfered or interrupted the student’s ability to attend class and perform course work for the current quarter has occurred. This grade will not be considered in GPA calculations.

4. Early Withdrawal Procedure

Early withdrawal from a course is possible from the sixth day (or the equivalent date for summer quarter) through the last instructional day of any quarter.

  a. Student’s Early Withdrawal Procedure

(1) The Student will initiate the early withdrawal request by securing an official Schedule Change form and filling it out.
(2) The student must obtain the instructor’s signature and date on the form.  A grade must be assigned starting with the eleventh day (or equivalent date  for summer quarter) through the last instructional day.
(3) The student will turn in the form to the registration office immediately.

   b. Assignment of Early Withdrawal Grades

(1) If a properly completed Schedule Change form is turned in to the registration office during the first ten instructional days of a regular quarter (or the summer quarter equivalent), no grade will be assigned and no record of registration will appear on the transcript.
(2) Starting with the eleventh instructional day and continuing through the first class day of the seventh week of a regular quarter (or the summer quarter equivalent), the grade given on the Change of Program form must be a W. Registration is recorded on the transcript, as is the W or Z.
(3) Starting with the second class day of the seventh week of a regular quarter (or the summer quarter equivalent) through the last day of instruction, the grade given will be a I, NC, P V or Z (if emergency situation is applicable) as the instructor's judgment dictates.
(4) A student may not withdraw to avoid consequences of cheating, plagiarism or other intellectual dishonesty.

   c. Early Withdrawal Procedure if Extreme or Unusual Circumstances Apply

This may be invoked when Early Withdrawal Procedures in 4.a. cannot be followed. If the situation is judged to warrant special consideration, the Vice President for Student Services will be responsible to inform the student’s instructor(s) of the circumstances in order that each instructor may award the appropriate grade.

(1) From the beginning of the second week through the first day of the seventh week of each quarter (or the summer quarter equivalent), the instructor, appropriate division dean, or the Vice President for Student Services, if necessary may sign a Schedule Change form to withdraw the student if circumstances do not permit completion of the normal withdrawal procedure. In such cases, if the person signing the withdrawal form is not the instructor, the person signing the form shall notify the instructor(s) of the reason(s) for withdrawal. The W or Z grade will appear on the transcript.
(2) From the second day of the seventh week through the last day of instruction (or the summer quarter equivalent), the instructor, appropriate division dean, or the Vice President for Student Services, if necessary, may sign a Schedule Change form to withdraw the student if circumstances do not permit completion of the normal withdrawal procedure. The grade of I, NC, V or Z will appear on the transcript.

5. Repeating a Course

Courses may be repeated to improve the grade, but credit is applied only once. In no circumstance will any course be repeated more than twice in order to improve a grade; (this is defined as two repeats in addition to the original enrollment). This limit may not apply to all pre-college level courses (numbered less than 100). To repeat a course for the purpose of improving a grade, the student must register for the course, submit a Course Repeat form to the registration office at the time of registration that a course is being repeated, and pay all necessary fees. Only the highest grade for the course will be used in computing grade point average. The lower grade remains on the transcript and is designated with an “R” to indicate the course has been repeated. No additional credits will be calculated on the transcripts for courses designated with an “R”, and only the highest grade awarded in a repeated course will be used in calculating GPA at Shoreline. Other colleges and universities may not accept a grade earned in a repeated course. If accepted, the grade may be treated differently in the calculation of grade point average.

6a. Computation of Grade Point Average (GPA)

The number of credits for each course is multiplied by the numerical grade awarded resulting in the grade points for that course. The GPA is computed by dividing the sum of the grade points earned in courses awarding numerical grades by the total number of credits attempted in those courses. H, I, N, NC, P, W, and Z grades are not assigned weights and are not used in computing GPA. When a student transfers credits from Shoreline Community College to another institution, the grading policy of the receiving institution will be applied to the transcript and the computation of the GPA.

6b. Grading Systems

a. Mandatory Numerical Grade: Students will be awarded grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments, 0.0, H, I, V, W, or Z.
b. Mandatory and Optional Pass/No Credit Systems: Divisional faculty, acting in appropriate disciplinary sub-units, may designate certain courses as Mandatory or Optional Pass/No Credit. Faculty will report any change in designation to the division chair two weeks prior to the submission of the next quarter's class schedule to the registrar's office.
(1) Grading in Mandatory Pass/No Credit Courses. The instructor will give only a 0.0,      H, I, N, NC, P, V, W, or Z grade as defined in section 3.
(2) Grading in Optional Pass/No Credit Courses. Students wishing to be graded on the Pass/0.0 or Pass/NC system must submit a pass option card signed by their instructor to the registration desk no later than the end of the day which constitutes the midpoint of the course. Students selecting this option will receive a 0.0, H, I, N, NC, P, V, W or Z grade as defined in section 3. Students not qualifying for this optional grading system will receive a numerical grade.
Courses assigned by faculty to mandatory or optional pass/no credit will be marked on each quarter’s class schedule. All unmarked courses will use only the numerical grading system.

GRADE REPORTS
Grade reports are not be mailed to students. Students may view or print an unofficial transcript of their final grades from Shoreline’s web site: www.shoreline.edu.

GRADE CHANGES
Instructors must submit a signed grade change form to the Records Desk in Enrollment Services to change a grade. Grade changes are allowed only within one year of the date the original grade was issued.

SCHOLASTIC REQUIREMENTS

SCHOLASTIC WARNING, PROBATION AND SUSPENSION

A student who earns a quarterly grade-point average of less than 1.75 is placed on academic warning. A student whose quarterly grade-point average is less than 1.75 for a second consecutive quarter receives an academic probation notice. A student who earns a quarterly grade-point average of less than 1.75 for the third consecutive quarter receives academic suspension. Students who have been academically suspended by the college may petition for reinstatement. Contact the Registrar’s Office at (206) 546-5834 for more information.
  Transfer students entering the college after having been on probation at or having been dropped from another institution must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 1.75 after attempting 24 credit hours at Shoreline Community College.
  Note: Different criteria and regulations apply to financial aid recipients. See the Financial Aid section earlier in this catalog, or contact the Financial Aid Office.

  Note regarding Senate Bill 5135:

  Scholastic requirements and academic progress for all students may be changing due to the requirements of Senate Bill 5135. Student progress toward completion of degrees and certificates may affect your ability to meet graduation requirements and may impact eligibility requirements for Financial Aid resources.

FRESH START

Students who have not been in attendance at Shoreline Community College or any institution of higher learning for a period of 18 months may request the elimination of their previous Shoreline credits and GPA. The student’s academic record and transcript will continue to show the previous courses taken and grades received, but the grades for previous courses will not be used in the calculation of the student’s Shoreline GPA, and credits earned may not be used to satisfy graduation requirements. If a student transfers to another college or university, the receiving institution may accept credits and recalculate the GPA according to its own policies. Contact the Registrar’s Office at (206) 546-4613 for more information.

H I G H S C H O L A R S H I P

PRESIDENT’S LIST

Full-time students (enrolled for at least 12 credits) who have earned at least 30 hours of credit, all of which are used in the computation of the grade-point average*, and who earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher are named to the President’s List.
  In addition, students who attain a cumulative gradepoint average of 3.9 to 4.0 shall be designated President’s Scholars at graduation.
 
  * Mandatory P/Z/0.0 courses are excluded from this requirement.

VICE PRESIDENT’S LIST

Full-time students (enrolled for at least 12 credits) who have earned at least 30 hours of credit, all of which are used in the computation of the grade-point average*, and who achieve a quarterly grade-point average of 3.9 or higher have their name placed on the Vice President’s List and shall be designated V.P. Scholar. * Mandatory P/Z/0.0 courses are excluded from this requirement.

HONORS LIST

Full-time students (enrolled for at least 12 credits) who have earned at least 30 hours of credit, all of which are used in the computation of the grade-point average*, and who earn a quarterly grade-point average of 3.6 to 3.89 are named to the Honors List.
  Students who attain a grade-point average of 3.6 to 3.89 shall be designated Honors Graduates at graduation.
  Eligibility for these lists is determined by the Faculty Senate and the college governance structure. As such, the standards governing eligibility are subject to periodic review and possible change.
   * Mandatory P/Z/0.0 are excluded from this requirement.

C R E D I T I N F O R M AT I O N

CREDIT AND CREDIT LOADS

The academic year at Shoreline Community College is divided into three quarters of 10 weeks each and a summer session of eight weeks. In general, a class that meets one hour a week yields 1 hour of credit per quarter; one that meets five hours a week yields 5 credit hours. Laboratory and some other classes may vary from this pattern.

ASSESSMENT AND AWARDING OF CREDIT FOR PRIOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (CPEL)
The College recognizes that as adults you may learn college- level knowledge and acquire skills in a variety of situations: employment, military experiences, internships, independent research, volunteer or civic work and prior course work. To minimize the loss of credit to you and to prevent repeated course work, a process for awarding of credit for prior experiential learning through portfolio assessment, standardized testing, demonstrations, product creation, interviews or other process has been created. As an enrolled student in a professional/technical program, you can earn up twenty-percent of the college credit that you need to graduate from Shoreline Community College. Through this assessment process, you can avoid taking classes in your program that you have already mastered. For the complete policy, please visit: www.shoreline.edu/catpoliciesforstudents.html

COLLEGE LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP)
Credit is generally not allowed for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) general exams or subject exams. Exceptions can be made by the appropriate division dean.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION (CHALLENGE)
As a currently enrolled student at Shoreline Community College, you may obtain credit for certain courses by satisfactorily passing comprehensive examinations, provided that you have never received college credit for the challenged course or for another course which assumes knowledge of the course being challenged.
  If you are considering the Credit-by-Examination process you must meet with an academic advisor to discuss the feasibility of acquiring credit through this process. This advisor will apprise you of the options available, the steps in the application process, and required documentation to be submitted. The advisor will refer you to the appropriate division dean. The faculty member of the appropriate instructional unit will determine if the course (s) are available for challenge exam considerations. You may not take a challenge exam for a course that you have audited or failed. The faculty member will also apprise you of other restrictions. The grade that you received in the challenged course will appear on your transcript. Please be advised that credit received in courses through Credit-by-Examination with a grade of P/NC may not be accepted by the transfer institution in courses required for a major. You are advised to check with the transfer institution on this and other restrictions on transferring credit earned through challenge exams. The costs for Credit-by-Examination include a processing fee and the faculty assessment fee.
  IMPORTANT: See description of “P” grade, especially for students intending to transfer to another college or university.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Students who do college-level work in high school can receive appropriate credit or placement or both on the basis of performance in the Advanced Placement Program (A.P.) of the College Board. Credit earned through Advanced Placement will be recorded with a “P” grade. To receive transfer consideration for A.P. exam scores, students must either have the A.P. Testing Service send an official score report to the Shoreline Records Office, or if the high school identifies A.P. exam scores on the high school transcript, alert the Records Office to make note of this.
  Advanced Placement scores range from a high of 5 to a low of 1. The various academic areas that offer A.P. credit or placement or both have adopted the same qualifying scores as the corresponding departments at the University of Washington. Where appropriate, A.P. credit may apply toward the general or distribution requirements for the Associate of Arts and Sciences degree (Option A). The following chart outlines the current Advanced Placement practices of the college:

Art History
AP-5 Art History (10 credits)
AP-4 Art History (5 credits)

Biology
AP-5 See biology advisor for credit and placement.
AP-4 A minimum of 5 credits awarded after conference with advisor; up to 10 credits possible. “Biol X’’ A.P. credit may be counted toward natural science distribution.

Chemistry
No credit will be given.
AP-5 Exemption from Chem 140, Chem 150, Chem 151, Chem 160 granted upon successful completion of Chem 231; consult Chemistry advisor.
AP-4 Exemption from Chem 140, Chem 150, Chem 151 granted upon successful completion of Chem 160; consult Chemistry advisor.
AP-3 Exemption from Chem 140 granted upon successful completion of Chem 150; consult Chemistry advisor.

Computer Science
AP-5 Compu X (5 credits); credits may not be counted toward re-
AP-4 quirements for a degree in computer science except as
AP-3 electives.

English
AP-5 Humanities X(5 credits); may be counted toward Humanities
AP-4 distribution for either AP English exam.

German
LANGUAGE:
AP-5 Germ 201, Germ 202, Germ 203 (15 credits)
AP-4 Germ 201, Germ 202 (10 credits)
AP-3 Germ 201 (5 credits)

History
AMERICAN:
AP-5 Hist 241 or Hist 242 (max. 5 credits)
AP-4 EUROPEAN HISTORY:
AP-5 Hist 231 or Hist 232 (max. 5 credits)
AP-4

Mathematics
AB Exam:
AP-5 Math 124, Math 125 (10 credits)
AP-4 Math 124 (5 credits) AP-3
BC Exam:
AP-5 Math 124, Math 125 (10 credits)
AP-4
AP-3 Math 124 (5 credits)
Statistics Exam:
AP-5 Math 108 or Math 211 (max. 5 credits)
AP-4 Math 108 or Math 211 (max. 5 credits)

Music
Appreciation: See department advisor for placement and possible credit. Theory: No credit; see department advisor for placement.

Physics
AP-5 No credit; exemption from Phys 121, Phys 122 for Physics C exam, or from Phys 114, Phys 115, Phys 116 for Physics B exam.

Romance Languages
LANGUAGE:
AP-5 French or Spanish 201, 202, 203 (15 credits)
AP-4 French or Spanish 201, 202 (10 credits)
AP-3 French or Spanish 201 (5 credits)

See department advisor.

Additional information may be obtained from the Advising and Counseling Center in the 5000 (FOSS) Building, (206) 546-6964.

ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend all sessions of classes in which they are enrolled, in accordance with instructor requirements.

S T U D E N T C L A S S I F I C AT I O N
Students are considered freshmen until they have completed 45 credit hours, at which time they become sophomores.

F I N A L E X A M I N AT I O N S
Final examinations are held at the end of each quarter. Students are required to take the final examination at the time and date specified in the Quarterly Class Schedule in order to receive credit for a course. Students who have three or more finals in one day or a scheduling conflict may petition a division dean whose courses are involved for a change of examination time. Such a petition must be received in writing at least two weeks before the beginning of the first day of examinations. Division deans will consult with the affected faculty members before approving or disapproving the petition. Finals for Summer Quarter are given during the last scheduled meeting of the class.

O F F I C I A L T R A N S C R I P T S
An official transcript is a record of the student’s academic grades. It shows courses taken, credits earned, grades received, transfer credits accepted and degrees or certificates received at Shoreline. An official transcript carries the registrar’s signature and the college seal. There is a charge of $5.00 for the first copy, and $1.00 for each additional copy on the same order. Please allow 72 hours for processing.

G R A D U A T I O N     R E G U L AT I O N S
After consultation with the faculty advisor, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to choose and implement his or her program to see that all specific requirements for that program and all general requirements for graduation from the college have been met in an acceptable manner. To receive a degree or certificate from Shoreline Community College, a student must:

1. Satisfy all specific program and general college requirements as stated in the college catalog that was printed for the academic year that the student began that specific degree/certificate program at Shoreline, provided that the catalog used is not more than 10 years old at the time of the student’s graduation.     However, for programs that have selective admission (e.g., Dental Hygiene, Health Care Information,     Nursing and Automotive), students must satisfy both the prerequisite and program requirements in effect at the time they first attended Shoreline Community College, provided that was within the past 10 years.

2. Achieve a minimum 2.0 grade-point average for all Shoreline Community College course work and all courses accepted in transfer from other colleges which are used to satisfy degree requirements. The grades from these transfer credits will not be averaged with the Shoreline Community College GPA, and therefore, transfer credits must also average 2.0. An exception is that the Certificate of General Studies has an overall grade-point average requirement of 1.75.

3. Earn from Shoreline at least 25 of the credits being applied toward the degree or certificate.

4. Submit an official transcript to the Shoreline Admissions Office for each college from which transfer credit is to be applied to the Shoreline degree.

5. For a degree, earn at least 60 credits (63 for the AAS Option A Degree) with numerical grades rather than “P” (Pass) grades.

6. Be in attendance at Shoreline at the time final credits toward graduation are earned. However, students who are short no more than 10 credits toward a degree or certificate after leaving Shoreline Community College may be able to arrange, on a case-by-case basis, to transfer those credits back to Shoreline from another accredited institution. Contact the credentials evaluator in Records at (206) 546-5841 for more information.

7. Satisfy all general and specific requirements of the college, including fulfillment of financial obligations and removal of any financial holds on the student’s records.

8. File an application for a degree or certificate in the Registrar’s Office.

   Students who are eligible for a degree may submit a graduation application during their last quarter or the quarter preceding. Degrees will be awarded on a quarterly basis.

GRADUATION CEREMONY (COMMENCEMENT)
Students who have graduated during the previous fall and winter quarters will be invited to participate in the annual spring graduation ceremony, along with all applicants for spring and summer quarter graduation. In order to be included in the ceremony, graduation applications for spring and summer must be received by the second week of April. For more information on how to apply for graduation and to participate in the annual spring graduation ceremony, call (206) 546-4523.