Grading System

The following are guidelines used by faculty members to establish course grading criteria.

Grade A – Superior Work

• The student masters the objectives of the course, is able to apply the learning, and is able to integrate learning with other knowledge.
• The student consistently distinguishes himself/herself in assignments, examinations, laboratory and participation.  The student demonstrates independent thinking in class assignments and discussions.
• Work is consistently submitted on time and in the expected form and format.
• The student consistently displays superior skills, ability, and performance in his/her development of required hand and/or motor skills.
• The student complies with school attendance requirements.

Grade B – Above Average Work

• The student shows consistent mastery of the course content and objectives and is usually able to apply learning to new situations and integrate with other knowledge.
• Work is consistently submitted on time and in the expected form and format.
• The student consistently displays above average skills, ability, and performance in his/her development of required hand and/or motor skills.
• The student complies with school attendance requirements.

Grade C – Average Work Allowing Progress

• The student shows reasonable comprehension of the course material and has an average mastery of the content which would indicate the student is capable of progressing to other coursework.
• The student consistently earns average scores in tests, homework, projects, and class participation.
• Work is consistently submitted on time and adequately meets expectations of form and format.
• The student consistently displays average skills, ability, and performance in his/her development of required hand and/or motor skills.
• The student complies with school attendance requirements.

Grade D – Less than Acceptable

• The student demonstrates minimally acceptable comprehension of the course material and the competence demonstrated is insufficient to indicate the student is capable of progressing to other coursework.
• Work is of inconsistent quality, often fails to meet expected form and format and is frequently late.
• The student consistently displays below average skills, ability, and performance in his/her development of required hand and/or motor skills.
• The student complies with school attendance requirements.

Grade F – Failing Grade

• The student demonstrates an unacceptable low or no mastery of the course objectives or content.
• The student earns failing scores on tests, homework, projects, and class participation.
• Work is of inconsistent quality, often fails to meet expected form and format and is frequently late or not submitted.
• The student fails to display minimally acceptable skills, ability, and performance in his/her development of required hand and/or motor skills.
• The student fails to comply with the school attendance requirements.

Academic Assistance

Any student who wishes to have extra academic assistance is encouraged to make an appointment with his/her faculty member(s) or the Student and Career Support Services Coordinator. To review the explanation of the grading system used at Platt College, click Summary of Letter Grade System.

Reporting quality of student performance in any academic course is the responsibility of the faculty member. Each faculty member shall specify his/her grading process – the basis for achieving specified letter grades for the course –and distribute and explain these bases in writing to each student at the beginning of the quarter. The Platt College cumulative GPA calculation is taken to three decimal places.

The following grading system is used at Platt College:

For general education and cognate classes, the course evaluation is based on the following grade scale:

A             90-100
B             80-89
C             70-79
D             60-69
F             59 and below

Cognate courses at Platt College are defined as courses offered in the science discipline. The purpose of cognate courses is to provide a student with foundational knowledge required for healthcare degrees.  Cognate classes at Platt College include:

•  BIOL 112, BIOL 206, BIOL 223, BIOL 224, BIOL 300, and CHEM 121

For nursing classes (only classes with a NSG prefix), the course evaluation is based on the following grade scale:

A             90-100
B             80-89
C             75-79
D             68-74
F             67 and below

Clinical Practicum Experiences

P             Pass
F             Fail

A grade of 75 or above must be achieved in every nursing course in order to progress in the nursing program.  Any grade below 75 will not be rounded up.  For specific information about the grading system, please refer to the College catalog.  Letter grades of “D” or “F” in any nursing or cognate courses will constitute a course failure and the student will be required to repeat the course to achieve a passing grade at his/her own expense.   

A grade of "W" withdraw is issued if the student withdrawals from the course on or before Sunday 11:59 PM MST during the 10th week of the quarter. If a student is temporarily suspended from the program, regardless of the reason, s/he will receive a grade of "W" in the courses s/he is currently enrolled regardless of the week.

Make-up Work

Due dates for every assignment are provided on the course syllabus and course schedule (and posted in Canvas). Unless otherwise stated, assignments are due on those days.

Occasionally a need for make-up work is applicable. Each course syllabi outlines the make-up work policy in accordance with illness, including COVID, emergencies, etc.

Students may be allowed to make-up missed class and lab work because of an illness or an emergency depending upon the course syllabus. If students know ahead of time they will have to miss a class, then it is extremely important they notify faculty in order to receive assignments in advance so as not to waste valuable learning opportunities.

Definition of a Unit of Credit

Platt College measures student progress in quarter credit hours. Credit hours are comprised of contact hours. Each contact hour is 50 minutes of instruction in a 60 minute period of time. A credit hour is defined as an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement for academic activities as comprised of the following units: didactic learning environment; supervised laboratory setting of instruction; externship; and/or out-of-class work/preparation.  The following are the measures of these units for establishing credit hour awards:

One quarter credit hour equals 30 units comprised of the following academic activities:

• one clock hour in a didactic learning environment = 2 units
• one clock hour in a supervised laboratory setting of instruction = 1.5 units
• one hour of externship = 1 unit
• one hour of out-of-class and/or preparation for the didactic learning environment or supervised laboratory setting of instruction that are designed to measure the student's achieved competency relative to the required subject matter objectives =0.5 unit

Glossary of Credit Hour Terms

• A didactic learning environment is one which is led by a qualified faculty member for the intention of teaching and learning and can be in a classroom or laboratory setting of instruction.
• A supervised laboratory setting of instruction is one where students engage in discussion and/or the practical application of information presented in the didactic portion of the program or discovered through the out-of-class work/preparation under the supervision of a qualified faculty member.
• Out-of-class work/preparation is that which students engage in as a means to prepare for the didactic learning environment or supervised laboratory setting of instruction and must be articulated through a course syllabus. 
• An externship is a component of a program that is offered in a bona fide occupational setting for which education is provided, the externship component may occur throughout the course of a program or as a capstone requirement.

Letter Grade	Rating Descriptions	Quality Points Per Credit
A	Superior	4.0
B	Above Average	3.0
C	Average	2.0
D	*Minimally Acceptable	1.0
F	*Failure	0
P	Pass	4.0
W then R	Withdraw Only issued if the student withdrawals from the course on or before Sunday 11:59 PM MST during the 10th week of the quarter.	0
R	Repeat	0
TC	Transfer Credit	0

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