Grading System

Letter grades may be accompanied by a plus or minus to be calculated into a student's grade point average (GPA) as follows:

Grading System

Letter Grade	GPA
A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.3
C	2.0
C-	1.7
D+	1.3
D	1.0
F	0.0
CR	0.0
DFD	0.0
I/INC	0.0
NC	0.0
NG	0.0
PI	0.0
W	0.0
AU	0.0
ARQ	0.0

Incomplete Grades

A grade of incomplete (I) will be awarded when circumstances beyond a student’s control impede the student from completing the requirements of the course prior to the date grades are due. A grade of Incomplete may not be awarded simply because a student has failed to complete the requirements for the course, or to provide time to complete additional work beyond those requirements in order to improve the student’s final grade. It is the responsibility of the individual instructor, in consultation with the student, to decide whether the student has a legitimate reason for not completing the work on time.

When assigning a grade of incomplete, the instructor will submit an electronic form outlining the work required to resolve the incomplete, and assign a deadline within a maximum of one year by which the work must be completed. Once reviewed and approved by the department chair, the student will be sent an electronic copy of the requirements to their Lewis & Clark email address. It is the student’s responsibility to complete all required work by the deadline. If the incomplete is not resolved by the deadline, it will become a permanent incomplete (PI).

Graduating students receiving an incomplete in their final semester have a maximum of 30 days to resolve the incomplete or it becomes a permanent incomplete. If they do not resolve the grade, they must consult the registrar's office to establish a revised graduation date and will be put on a leave of absence until the incomplete is cleared. If the incomplete is not made up in time for the revised graduation date, the student will be removed from the list of potential graduates. The student will not be reinstated to the list until the grade change has been submitted to the registrar's office.

In extraordinary circumstances, a student may petition for an extension of the incomplete deadline. It is the student's responsibility to initiate the request for extension in advance of the established deadline. To be granted, the request must receive approval from the instructor, the department chair, and the dean of the graduate school.

If a student receives incomplete grades for all of the courses in which they are enrolled in a given term, they will have received 0 credits for that term and are responsible for understanding how this would impact their eligibility for financial aid.

Below are program-specific requirements related to the total allowable numbers of incomplete grades and the relationship between incomplete grades and program transition points:

• School Counseling: Students must resolve all incomplete grades before enrolling in SCED 516 School Counseling Internship.
• Educational Administration: Students may not have more than 4 semester hours of incomplete credit at any one time to remain in good academic standing.
• Doctor of Education in Leadership: Students may not have an incomplete grade in more than one course to remain in good academic standing. All incomplete grades must be resolved before the student can register for EDLL 750 Doctoral Dissertation.
• Student Affairs Administration: No more than 50% of a student’s grades may be incomplete at any given time to remain in good academic standing.
• Professional Mental Health Counseling: Students must resolve all incomplete grades in courses required for their program before registering for MHC 580 Practicum in Counseling or MHC 582 Mental Health Internship: Adult Emphasis / MHC 583 Mental Health Internship: Emphasis on Child and Family Problems.
• Professional Mental Health Counseling—Addictions: Students must resolve all incomplete grades in courses required for their program before registering for MHCA 580 Practicum in Professional Mental Health and Addiction Counseling or MHCA 582 Internship in Professional Mental Health and Addiction Counseling.
• Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy: Students must resolve all incomplete grades in courses required for their program before registering for MCFT 580 Practicum in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy or MCFT 582 Internship in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy.
• School Psychology: Students must resolve all incomplete grades in courses required for their program before registering for SPSY 582 Internship in School Psychology.
• Teacher Education (MAT, MEd, and Endorsement programs): Students must work with their advisors to establish a deadline for resolving any incomplete grades in order to continue in the program or begin their practicum placement.
• Art Therapy: Students must resolve all incomplete grades before registering in AT 570 Art Therapy Candidacy.
• Certificates (Eating Disorders, Ecotherapies, Teacher Leadership for Equity and Social Justice, and Teaching of Writing): No more than 50% of a student’s grades may be incomplete at any given time to remain in good academic standing.

Deferred Grades

The grade of deferred (DFD) is a temporary placeholder for a permanent grade. This designation is used to indicate on the transcript that a student has completed the first portion or semester of a course that continues into at least another semester. When the full course or sequence is completed, the student receives a grade to replace the DFD placeholder on the transcript.

Credit/No Credit Grades

Credit (CR) signifies that a student has earned the equivalent of a B- or higher for a course taken on a credit/no credit basis. Students who fail to complete the course at this level receive a designation of no credit (NC).

Under special circumstances, and only with the approval of the course instructor and the student’s advisor, courses normally offered only for a grade may be taken on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis. No more than 10 semester hours of coursework taken on a CR/NC basis may be applied toward the completion of a graduate degree, licensure, or endorsement. This limitation does not apply to required coursework that is offered only on a CR/NC basis.

Required Participation Grades

The grade of required participation (RQ) signifies that a student has participated in a defined activity that is required for graduation, but for which no credit is awarded; the designation is used only to verify the student's participation on the transcript. Convocation and the School Psychology Colloquium are awarded RQ grades.

Audit Grades

Lecture courses may be taken for no credit on a space-available basis. Students who audit a course will not receive academic credit. They must identify that they intend to audit the course prior to the end of the add/drop period of the term in which the course is being offered. Audit students are expected to attend classes consistent with the instructor's attendance policy. Audit students may participate in any or all course requirements and examination. The grade of AU will be recorded on the academic record. Audit grades, once granted, are final. The audit fee is the same as the regular tuition for the course.

Grade Changes

Once a grade is recorded, it is permanent. Unless an instructor and the department chair agree to approve a grade change or the grade is successfully appealed, no grade will be changed except to correct a clerical or computational error. In the event the instructor and the department chair agree to approve a grade change or an appeal is granted by the department chair or dean, a Change of Grade form explaining the reason(s) for the change must be submitted to the registrar's office by a member of the faculty. No grade may be changed after one year from the date of issuance.

Appealing a Course Grade

If a student has a concern about the final grade given in a course, the student should first attempt to resolve the issue with the instructor of the course. A student’s academic advisor may provide support in this process, clarifying issues and facilitating discussion. If the matter remains unresolved in discussions between the student and faculty member, the student may then elect to meet with the program director. If the student feels the matter has not been satisfactorily resolved at this level, they may submit a formal written appeal to the chair of the department. This appeal must be submitted within one month of the time at which the final grade is issued. The department chair will respond within three weeks of receiving the appeal.