NEW UPDATE regarding Pass/No Credit and Grade Forgiveness

As of Fall 2020, the temporary rule regarding Pass/No Credit was updated to reflect that all courses 1000-level and below would be offered on a Pass/No Credit basis only.

Also, the grading standard for Fall 2020 Pass/No Credit was updated so that a letter grade of A+ through C equates to a Pass

As a consequence, undergraduate students who received a Pass in a Fall 2020 Pass/No Credit course have the ability to request that the Pass replace a letter grade below a C in a previous attempt of the same course, so long as they do so in accordance with the Grade Forgiveness Policy. The Grade Forgiveness Policy applies to undergraduates only.

For questions about requesting grade forgiveness, please contact studentrecords@cca.edu.

New Grade Forgiveness Policy and Updated C Grade Requirement Policy for Undergraduates

CCA has a new Grade Forgiveness Policy for undergraduates in the Student Handbook. To accompany this new policy, the information on the C Grade Requirement within Undergraduate Degree Requirements has been updated. The option to request Grade Forgiveness is open to undergraduates only and will become available in Workday towards the end of the fall 2020 semester; more information is coming later this fall!

Note: for fall 2020 only, scroll down to "Pass/No Credit grading of all courses at the 1000-level and below" for confirmation that standards for Pass/No Credit grading for fall 2020 are consistent with the C Grade Requirement. For spring 2020 only, see Pass/No Credit Grading Policies for Spring 2020 for modified grading standards related to conversion to Pass/No Credit grading.

Students can contact studentrecords@cca.edu for general information about academic policies, and undergraduate students can consult with academic advisors about how grading policies apply to them. Please note that the Grade Forgiveness Policy applies to undergraduates only.

New Attendance and Engagement Policy

CCA's Student Handbook has a new, College-wide Attendance and Engagement Policy that addresses online, in-person, and hybrid instruction as well as synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (not real-time) delivery. Students should always refer to the course-specific policy found in the syllabus of each class for details of how their instructors will measure attendance and engagement.

Students can contact studentrecords@cca.edu for general information about academic policies.

No dismissals after fall 2020 based solely on GPA or grades

The following is not a policy update but a revised plan for implementing policy regarding undergraduate and graduate academic standing. The Academic Review Committee acknowledges that students will undergo a period of adjustment to an entirely online semester. CCA will continue to offer a rigorous curriculum, and we want students to feel confident as they venture into fall. As a consequence:

• There will be no academic dismissal decisions after fall 2020 semester based solely on GPA or insufficient grades.
• Academic probation for undergraduate and graduate students and academic suspension for graduate students are still possible outcomes for fall 2020.
• Dismissal based on a combination of academic + disciplinary factors (insufficient GPA while on disciplinary probation, repeated or severe violation of the academic integrity code) is still a possible consequences for fall 2020.
• Excessive major-field repeats will continue to be monitored in order to intervene and possibly redirect students to programs with which they are more likely to achieve success. 
• Note: Other policies related to satisfactory academic progress, such as those overseen by the Financial Aid office and Student Records office (for Veterans Benefits) fall outside the purview of the Academic Review Committee, and so they are not impacted by this revised plan.

We want every student to have the best chance at long-term success, and so we encourage undergraduate students to consult with academic advisors, graduate students to seek guidance from program managers and chairs, and all students to maintain contact with their instructors so that they can monitor their progress throughout this semester and into spring.

UPDATE: Pass/No Credit for all courses 1000-level and below

All courses 1000-level and below will be graded on a Pass/No Credit basis for fall 2020.

The first-year courses listed below were previously identified as Pass/No Credit for fall. This grading provision now includes all 1000-level courses dispersed throughout the major programs. All other courses will adhere to their usual grading modality and the College's existing grading policies.

No request to convert to Pass/No Credit grading is needed. Letter-grading will not be an option; all students enrolled in these courses will be graded on a Pass/No Credit basis regardless of class level.

Grading standards for fall 2020 Pass/No Credit are different than for spring 2020 Pass/No Credit. For fall 2020,

• a letter grade of A+ through C equates to a Pass
• a letter grade of C- through F equates to a No Credit

A grade of P receives the course’s designated units of course credit (e.g. 3 units). A grade of NC receives 0 units of course credit. P/NC grades are not factored into the GPA. A student taking all P/NC coursework will have a 0.0 GPA following the fall term.

For courses that are cross-listed across multiple levels (e.g., WRLIT-1100-2: First Year Writer's Workshop & LITPA-2000-23: First Year Writer's Workshop) only the 1000-level course (or below) will be graded on a Pass/No Credit basis. In Workday, cross-listed courses are referred to as "co-located." Students will have an opportunity to switch co-located sections during Add/Drop if they would prefer the 1000-level, Pass/No Credit version; they may wish to remain in the 2000-level, letter-graded version if they wish to fulfill a specific requirement.

As in spring 2020 semester, existing policies for assigning incomplete grades will remain in place.

This update to grading basis is for fall 2020 semester only.

Whom to contact:

• Students with questions about grading policies or grading basis can contact the Student Records office.
• Undergraduates with questions about 1000-level vs 2000-level requirements can contact their academic advisor.

Previously announced first-year Pass/No Credit courses for fall 2020:

First Year Core Studio

• FYCST-1000: Drawing 1
• FYCST-1040: 2D
• FYCST-1080: 3D
• FYCST-1120: 4D

Critical Studies

• CRTSD-1500: Foundations in Critical Studies

Visual Studies

• VISST-1040: Introduction to the Arts
• VISST-1080: Introduction to Modern Arts

Writing + Literature

• WRLIT-0960: English for Multilingual Artists & Designers
• WRLIT-0980: Critique for Multilingual Artists and Designers
• WRLIT-1010: Writing 1 [Multilingual Learner]
• WRLIT-1030: Writing 1

Fall 2020 add/drop period extended

The last day of online add/drop for fall 2020 has been extended from Wednesday, September 9 to Friday, September 11 at 11pm. This extension allows students to have a bit more time to experience classes, communicate with faculty, and access required learning technologies before making final registration decisions. Please note that online add/drops must be completed by 11pm on September 11 to avoid a down-time for Workday that will carry into Saturday, September 12. September 12 is the first day to withdraw from (rather than drop) fall 2020 classes.

Important update: fall 2020 semester will be online

On July 20, CCA announced the difficult decision to conduct an online fall 2020 semester. Academic programs will adjust course schedules by end of July, with student schedules adjusted thereafter. Additional information is forthcoming. Divisional follow-up meetings to Chairs Check-ins are anticipated.