Grading Policy

Community Colleges of Spokane grading system provides a permanent record of grade evaluations that reflect, in various ways, successful course and program completion. The colleges operate on a quarter system. The quarter hour of credit is the unit of instruction.

Grade Legend

Grades at CCS are reported in numerical fractions to the nearest tenth. Letter grade equivalents are as follows:

Numeric GradeLetter Grade Equivalent
3.8 - 4.0A (superior achievement)
3.5 - 3.7A-
3.2 - 3.4B+
2.9 - 3.1B (above average achievement)
2.6 - 2.8B-
2.3 - 2.5C+
2.0 - 2.2C (average achievement)
1.6 - 1.9C-
1.3 - 1.5D+
1.0 - 1.2D (minimum achievement)
0.0F (failure)

Grade Symbols

Explanation follows symbol.

FFail
IIncomplete
NAudit
PPass
WOfficial Withdrawal
ZSpecial Withdrawal
* (or blank)Non-graded Section/Missing Grade

Conditions for which they are assigned:

F Fail - Less than 1.0 grade points/0.0 credit calculated in GPA. Courses designated with a pass/fail option must be approved by the College Curriculum Committee prior to the beginning of a course.
I Incomplete - 0.0 grade points; no credit. Incomplete grades ā€œIā€ may be issued only to those students whose work to date is passing but not completed at the end of the quarter. All "I" grades issued by an instructor must be accompanied by an "Incomplete Contract."

All incompletes must be made up prior to the official end of the next quarter with the following exceptions: (1) "I" grades earned spring quarter must be made up prior to the official end of fall quarter, and (2) "I" grades issued to students in the career and technical division of the college are to be made up according to a special schedule developed by the Department Chair and the Chief Academic Officer, and (3) an incomplete that is not made up will default to the decimal grade listed on the Incomplete Contract.
N Audit - Special registration. 0.0 grade points; no credit.
P Pass - 0.0 grade points; credit not calculated in GPA. A passing grade may be issued in certain pre-designated courses or experience-related evaluations for credit rather than the regular grading system. Courses designated with a pass/fail option must be approved by the College Curriculum Committee prior to the beginning of a course.
W Official Withdrawal - 0.0 grade points; no credit. All official withdrawals "W" prior to the seventh week of the quarter are the sole responsibility and prerogative of the student and must be initiated and completed by the student. The official withdrawal date for summer quarter will be prorated accordingly. To prevent a "W" grade showing on the student transcript, the student must drop the class or withdraw completely by the tenth day of the normal quarter, eighth day for summer quarter. Short courses will be prorated accordingly.

Exceptions to the refund policy will be considered only if, in the judgment of the college, an extreme hardship has been caused by illness, hospitalization, or military transfer. A student must submit an appeal for an exception to the refund policy with a completed Withdrawal Exception Request form, an official withdrawal form if you are still registered in classes, and written documentation supporting your appeal to the registrar.
Z Special Withdrawal - 0.0 grade points; no credit. All withdrawals of this type must be designated by the instructor on the regular grade sheet at the end of the quarter.
  1. After consultation with the student prior to the end of the quarter, the faculty member may agree to grant a special withdrawal on the last day of the quarter. The decision to grant the special withdrawal is to be based on what is best for the student in light of his or her educational objectives.
  2. In the event that a student enrolls for a class and stops attending, a special withdrawal may be granted only by the instructor on the last day of the quarter.
  3. Students meeting attendance requirements of the instructor but doing failing work may be given a special withdrawal by the instructor. This must be changed by the instructor to a regular academic grade reflecting proper achievement level if requested by the student prior to the official end of the next quarter.
The faculty member is under no obligation to agree to grant a special "Z" withdrawal.

Only faculty may change a "Z" grade to a decimal grade by submitting an online grade change form to the Transcript Office at SCC and the Registrar's Office at SFCC
* (or blank) Non-graded Section/Missing Grade - The non-graded section of a lecture/lab course OR no grade received from faculty.
 

Other Indicators

Repeat - Most courses are not repeatable for credit. If a student repeats a course, the highest grade earned is used for computing credits attempted, credits earned and grade point average. Repeats are noted as "Grading Basis: Repeated."
Repeat for Credit - Some courses are approved to repeat up to a maximum number of occurrences or credits. Courses repeated for credit may be noted as "Authorized Repeat."