5035 Student Grievances Procedure

Procedure

Policy Name:   Grade Grievance – Academic Integrity and Non-Integrity 

Policy Number:   5035 

Applicable Code/Law: 

Section One: Purpose and Scope  

The purpose of this procedure is to establish a fair, consistent, and transparent process for resolving student concerns regarding final course grades. This policy distinguishes between grade grievances resulting from academic integrity violations (e.g., cheating or plagiarism) and grade grievances arising from other issues, such as grading errors or deviations from stated course policies.  

This procedure  promotes due process, clear documentation, and equitable treatment for all students and instructors.  

This procedure applies to all students seeking to appeal a final course grade.  
It does not apply to:  

  • Allegations of discrimination or harassment (see Title IX or EEO policies).  
  • Complaints unrelated to grading (see Student Complaint Policy).  
  • Grades resulting from reported academic misconduct--grade disputes resulting from reported academic dishonesty are managed through the separate student conduct process.  

Section Two:  Definitions  

2.1 Grade Grievance: A dispute about a final grade not involving academic dishonesty, including calculation errors, inconsistent application of grading criteria, or deviations from the course syllabus.  

2.2 Academic Integrity Violation: Any act of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or falsifying academic records, as defined in the College’s Student Conduct Code.  See Section 5.  

2.3 Instructional Quarter: The academic term during which the grade was issued.  

2.4 Business Day: Any day the College is open for regular operations, excluding weekends and holidays.  

2.5 Instructional days are days when classes are officially in session and instruction is delivered to students. Exclude holidays and scheduled academic breaks.   

Section Three:  Principles  

3.1 Final grades are presumed correct unless the student provides clear evidence of  error or unfair treatment.  

3.2 Students must first attempt to resolve concerns informally with the instructor.  

3.3 All appeals must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation.  

Section Four: Documentation Requirements  

All grade grievances must include:  

  1. Student name, ID number, and contact information.  
  2. Course name, number, instructor, and term.  
  3. Clear grounds for the grievance (e.g. error, deviation from syllabus, or integrity dispute).  
  4. Supporting evidence (e.g. graded work, syllabus excerpts, communications).  
  5. If needed, the faculty contacts eLearning to give student permission to view the course in Read Only. If the instructor is not amenable, the Dean/VPAA gives approval for eLearning to retrieve the artifacts.   
  6. Requested resolution or remedy.  

Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed until all required documentation is received.  

Section Five: Final Authority  

  • Non-Integrity Grade Grievances: Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA).  
  • Academic Integrity Grievances: Vice President for Student Affairs (conduct findings) and Vice President for Academic Affairs (grade adjustments).  

Section Six: Policy Review  

The College shall review this policy at least once every five years or upon changes.

Section Seven: Grade Grievance Procedure  

Step A – Meeting with Instructor  

A student with a complaint about a grade or academic evaluation should seek out the involved faculty member(s), state the nature of the grievance, and make a serious attempt to resolve the issue. If students have questions about the process, they should reach out to the subject matter dean.  

  • The student must contact the instructor within  20 instructional days of the final course grade posting to discuss the concern.  The instructor will work with the student to resolve the issue within  10 instructional days.  
  • If the issue is resolved, the process ends.  
  • The faculty member documents the resolution in an email to the student.    
  • If the issue cannot be resolved or the instructor is unresponsive, the student moves to Step B.  

If all parties are available in summer quarter, the grade grievance may proceed during that time under the same timelines and procedures outlined in this policy, with the instructor serving as the initial point of review.  

If a student initiates a grade grievance and the assigned instructor is unavailable — including circumstances where the instructor is no longer employed by the College, is off-contract and not reasonably reachable, or is otherwise unable to participate — the Division Dean (or designee) will assume responsibility for reviewing the relevant course materials and evaluating the basis of the grievance.  

Step B – Appeal to the Dean  

  • The student submits a Grade Appeal Form to the Dean within  10 instructional days after there is no resolution in Step 1.   
  • Documentation must include course syllabus, graded work, communications, and a clear description of the grievance and desired remedy.  
  • The Dean reviews materials and contacts the student (if the student is available).   The Dean may additionally consult with both parties as needed.  

Step C – Dean’s Decision  

  • The Dean issues a written decision to both the student and the instructor within  10 business days of receiving the appeal.  

Step D – Appeal to Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA)  

  • If dissatisfied, the student may submit a written appeal to the VPAA within  10 business days of the Dean’s decision.  
  • The VPAA may convene the Committee for Resolution of Academic Grievance (CRAG) (composed of 1 administrator, 2 faculty, and 2 student representatives) to provide a final decision.  The VPAA will schedule a session of the CRAG to occur no sooner than ten instructional (class) days and no later than twenty instructional days from the date of receipt of the CRAG session request from the aggrieved student.  
  • The VPAA communicates the final decision to both the student and instructor.  

Section  Eight:  Academic Integrity (Cheating/Plagiarism) Grade Grievance Procedure  

Academic Dishonesty Incident Reporting  

Student Conduct Policy  

Step A – Instructor Finding  

  • When a final course grade results from a finding of academic dishonesty, Instructor will notify the student and offer to meet with the student (online or in person) with the student to discuss the concern. The instructor will present the evidence of academic dishonesty and ask the student to offer their thoughts. If instructor still believes misconduct occurred, they can assign responsibility and inform the student of the intended consequences per their syllabus.  
  • If the student chooses not to meet with the professor, the original consequence imposed by the instructor will hold.  
  • If the allegations are determined by the instructor to be true and the student agrees with the intended sanction(s), the instructor will complete an  Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form noting that the matter was resolved within the course and request not to proceed with student conduct process.  
  • If the allegations are determined by the instructor to be true and the student disagrees with the determination and/or the intended consequences, the instructor will complete an Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form to request that the matter be adjudicated through the student conduct process. The student will receive notification from the student conduct process when a meeting has been scheduled. For more information please see: Student Rights and Reporting Resources | Shoreline Community College  

Step B – Case Adjudication  

Step C – Grade Adjustment  

  • If the student is found responsible, the grade remains as assigned.  
  • If the student is found not responsible, the instructor (or Dean, if the instructor is unavailable) recalculates the grade excluding the penalty for academic dishonesty.  
  • The Vice President of Academic Affairs serves as the final authority for grade recalculations following conduct determinations.  

Approvals 

Procedures Adopted: 6/11/1976
Procedures Revised: 5/11/2017 Reviewed and Approved by Executive Team: 07/07/2026