A student, learning coach, or parent who believes that a grade has been assigned in an unreasonable, discriminatory, arbitrary, or capricious manner or that is the result of a clerical mistake may, after attempting to request a review and correction by the teacher of record, contest the grade using the following procedure. The complainant may bypass a review by the instructor of record when the reason for the appeal is based on a claim that the grade was assigned in an unreasonable or discriminatory manner.
Appeal Process
- Appeals must be initiated within 10 business days of receiving the grade. Failure to timely present the grievance in accordance with this procedure shall be deemed to be a waiver of the grievance process.
- Appeals may be filed orally or in writing (via email), must be filed with the director of learning or assistant superintendent, and must cite one of the reasons listed above as a basis for the grievance.
- The administrator receiving the grievance shall initiate an investigation upon receipt of a grievance filed in accordance with the procedure listed above. The administrator shall review grading criteria, the grade book, and the student’s graded assignments and tests. The administrator should consult with the teacher of record and the student during this process. If the teacher of record or student is unable to respond to the administrator within two business days, the administrator may proceed with reaching a decision without consulting these sources. Based on the findings, the administrator shall render a decision, informing the teacher of record, the student, learning coach, and parent. The administrator shall also document the reasons for his/her decision and provide this documentation to the assistant superintendent (if not the decision maker) and NDCDE director. If the grade being contested is the final grade and the administrator has decided to change it, s/he shall submit a ticket to the NDCDE help desk to change the grade in Genius and update the completion certificate. The administrator should send the updated completion certificate to the student, learning coach, and parent.
- If the administrator uncovers an issue with the course as a result of this review, such as unclear instructions or inappropriate point values associated with assignments, s/he should notify the instructor of record and the LMS/Curriculum department to initiate a course update.
Final Determination
The administrator’s decision to affirm or alter a grade shall be final and binding. The administrator's decision is based on his/her professional judgment and has no impact on the teacher of record's licensure.
Guidelines Guiding Decision-Making
To help reach a decision under this policy, and depending on the nature of the grading grievance, an administrator may need to perform the following analysis:
The administrator receiving the grievance shall initiate an investigation upon receipt of a grievance filed in accordance with the procedure listed above. The administrator shall review grading criteria, the grade book, and the student’s graded assignments and tests. The administrator should consult with the teacher of record and the student during this process. If the teacher of record or student is unable to respond to the administrator within two business days, the administrator may proceed with reaching a decision without consulting these sources. Based on the findings, the administrator shall render a decision, informing the teacher of record, the student, learning coach, and parent. The administrator shall also document the reasons for his/her decision and provide this documentation to the assistant superintendent (if not the decision maker) and NDCDE director. If the grade being contested is the final grade and the administrator has decided to change it, s/he shall submit a ticket to the NDCDE help desk to change the grade in Genius and update the completion certificate. The administrator should send the updated completion certificate to the student, learning coach, and parent.
Guidelines Guiding Decision-Making
To help reach a decision under this policy, and depending on the nature of the grading grievance, an administrator may need to perform the following analysis:
- Ensure that the course contains clear assignment directions and grading guidelines, such as rubrics or standards for determining grades on each major assignment.
- Determine if the point values associated with the course assignments were appropriate based on the nature of the assignments.
- Review if the grading was done within a reasonable timeframe or if any delays may have impacted the fairness of the evaluation.
- Review the reports associated with plagiarism detection to ensure no false positives or other inaccuracies that may have resulted in a reduction in the student's grade.
- Examine the clarity and specificity of feedback provided to the student.
- Review the gradebook to ensure it was set up correctly and calculating grades appropriately.
- Compare the scores and feedback of the student contesting his/her grade with those of other students to ensure consistency.