Academic Senate announces that current students, regardless of academic standing, and Spring Quarter graduates can switch grading modes for Spring Quarter classes
The Academic Senate announced on June 30 that students, including those who graduated during Spring Quarter, will have their retroactive grade change petitions approved — with some exceptions — for classes taken during Spring Quarter. The petitions allow students to switch their course grading mode from Pass/No Pass (P/NP) to letter grading or vice versa.
The change only applies to undergraduates. All classes taken during previous quarters are subject to the regular policies around retroactive grade changes, according to an email from Kristen Lagattuta, chair of the Academic Senate, Jens Hilcher, chair of the Grade Changes Committee and Erin Crom, the university registrar, that was sent to all UC Davis undergraduate students.
The exception to normal grading mode policies follows the Academic Senate’s decision to let students switch grading modes until the last day of instruction. Usually, students must make that decision by the 25th day of instruction. Senate’s decision to let students switch grading modes until the last day of instruction.
“In recognition of the multiple stressors on academic performance during Spring 2020, which became especially magnified during the end of the quarter, the Academic Senate is allowing greater flexibilities for retroactive grade mode changes for courses taken Spring 2020,” Lagattuta, Hilcher and Crom wrote.
Students who were in good academic standing during Spring Quarter can submit a retroactive grading petition to switch from letter grading to P/NP grading and will be granted approval.
Students who were not in good academic standing during Spring Quarter have different requirements to meet, depending on which grading mode they are switching to.
Switching from P/NP to letter grading is ordinarily not allowed for such students, but the Academic Senate previously mandated that they could take classes P/NP during Spring Quarter should they receive permission from their dean’s office. Students not in good standing who received that permission can submit a retroactive grade change petition without additional requirements.
Students not in good standing who wanted to switch from letter grading to P/NP, however, need to get the permission of their college dean before submitting a petition.
Repeated courses, courses where a student has a “Y” and courses only available P/NP are not eligible for grading mode changes.
The deadline to submit petitions is Sept. 30 for Spring 2020 graduates, while other undergraduates have three quarters to submit the petition and must do so before they graduate.
Instructions for petitions and impacts of switching to a Pass/No Pass grading mode can be found on the UC Davis COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions page.
Written by: Janelle Marie Salanga — campus@theaggie.org
