Blackhawk Technical College Grading Policy and Procedures
Grades are awarded to students based on their academic performance in each course. All academic grades are letter grades unless otherwise specified in the class schedule. Grades issued for college coursework are recorded on a student’s permanent academic record and transcript, are used to calculate a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA), serve as the basis for a student’s Academic Standing, and may apply towards graduation. The grading scale is a scale of points possible and/or weighting of points that equate to a grade and what is acceptable for successful completion of the class.
Instructors are expected to use the Blackhawk grading system percentages provided in the Blackhawk WIDS Syllabus Template and communicate their grading policies at the beginning of each course.
Grades appearing on academic records are as follows:
A final grade of F represents a grade for a completed course where students have not met the course competencies.
The following are nongrade designations:
Nongrade designations are recorded in the Final Grading field, but do not impact a student’s GPA, Academic Standing or graduation requirements. Instructors are expected to use nongrade designations to indicate important administrative information that can be used to update Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and ensure proper enrollment and financial aid information is reported to government agencies.
Designation: NA
Nonattendance
Failure to actively participate in any course during the first 10% of a course’s actual hours of instruction is considered nonattending, or “NA.” If an instructor reports a student as nonattending, the student is removed from the course and notified of their removal via their Blackhawk student email. At this point, students are no longer considered registered in that course and cannot start attending unless approval from the instructor is received. If permitted, the student must reregister by contacting the Registration and Records Office and showing Instructor approval to be reinstated into the course.
Removal from a course due to NA may affect financial aid, student-athlete eligibility, and/or other compliance regulations.
Additional information can be found on the Attendance Policy page: https://catalog.blackhawk.edu/policies/attendance/
Designation: NB
No Basis
After the Nonattendance period closes (after first 10% of the course has taken place – see above for Nonattendance) and until the end of the term, a faculty member can indicate that a student has not been engaged, has stopped attending, and/or has not been completing graded course assessments by using No Basis, or “NB.” A Last Date of Attendance is required when NB is used.
The NB indicator communicates that insufficient student progress in coursework has occurred and there is not enough evidence of student work for an evaluation of a final grade to be given.
No credit is given for NB, nor is NB calculated in the GPA. When entered, students will see a “W” on their transcript for the course, be withdrawn from the class, and remain responsible for the cost of the course. This indicator may not be used as a substitute for an Incomplete (see Incomplete) and cannot be changed to a letter grade or Incomplete at a later time.
Removal from a course due to NB may affect financial aid, student-athlete eligibility, and/or other compliance regulations.
Designation: AW
Administrative Withdrawal
A faculty member or college administrator can recommend that a student be removed from a class using Administrative Withdrawal. Administrative Withdrawal must be approved by a Dean, Academic Chair, Registrar or Vice President of Student Services and will typically be granted only when students have extenuating circumstances and are unable to withdraw themselves from a course(s). Extenuating circumstances may include, but are not limited to, hospitalization, severe illness, personal or family emergency, or incarceration. If a student is able to withdraw themself from a course, they should be directed to withdraw themself from the course through the Registration card in MyBTC or by contacting the Registration and Records Office (registration@blackhawk.edu). When an Administrative Withdrawal is used, the student will see a “W” on their transcript for the course.
Designation: I
Incomplete Coursework
A temporary grade of Incomplete, or “I,” may be assigned at the instructor's discretion when student coursework is of passing quality and represents a significant portion of the requirements for a final grade but is incomplete due to extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances may include (but are not limited to) illness, serious personal problems, an accident, a death in the immediate family, a large and necessary increase in working hours or other situations of equal gravity. If such a situation occurs prior to the withdrawal deadline of the course, students should consider withdrawing from the class. Students failing a course will not be granted an Incomplete to avoid receiving a grade of "F."
It is the student's responsibility to maintain contact with the instructor and to turn in all required work within the designated time (not to exceed one semester, excluding summer, unless the Incomplete is granted due to activities related to military leave). Both parties must discuss the need for an Incomplete, the process for completion of course requirements and sign the Incomplete Form. The Incomplete Form serves as an agreement and will guide the course(s) to completion. If an Incomplete is granted at the end of the fall semester, students must complete it by the end of the spring semester. For spring or summer semesters, students must complete all requirements by the end of the following fall semester.
Any extensions beyond the maximum semester of allowed time must be initiated by the student for the instructor’s consideration. The instructor will complete and submit a Grade Change form to the Registration and Records Office when all required work is complete. If not completed in the designated time frame, a grade of "F" will automatically be awarded.
Additional information can be found on the Incomplete Policy page: https://catalog.blackhawk.edu/registration-and-records/incomplete-coursework/
Designation: AU
Auditing Classes
Students are required to request the permission of the division Dean to audit credit classes. The decision to audit must be made at the time of registration; students taking a class for audit may not change to credit, nor may students change from credit to audit after the class begins. Students are only permitted to register for an audit course one week prior to the start of each semester and if seats are still available in the course. If a student repeats a course, it must be for credit, and all course objectives must be met.
When auditing a class, students participate in the classwork, complete assignments and meet the instructor's attendance requirements. Students with disabilities are expected to have a special adaptation plan in place, which may waive some of the course requirements. Students will pay all the regular tuition and fees for audited courses. However, no credit will be granted for the course. An "AU" will appear on the student's transcript as a grade for the course. Tuition will be waived for students 60 and older; however, all other college and course fees will be charged.
Additional information can be found on the Audit Policy page: https://catalog.blackhawk.edu/registration-and-records/auditing-classes/