SUNY Purchase Grading Guidelines

(A note that these are from the new faculty packet I received in the Fall of 2019. I don’t know if these guidelines are technically deprecated, but I cannot find them on the SUNY Purchase website for the life uh me.)

The following general guidelines apply to grades from courses at the School of Art+Design. Faculty members define the standards and rubrics for each grading level as appropriate for the discipline.

C is the average grade to indicate standard expectations, and is the grade required to pass-through to a higher level within a discipline.

A (+/-)

Student work that goes far above and beyond standard expectations. Both talent and hard work are demonstrated through assignments and classroom participation. Grades in this category indicate excellence in the subject matter, demonstrated by only a small minority of students in the discipline.

B (+/-)

Student work goes above and beyond standard expectations. Hard work and passion are given expectations, demonstrated through assignments and classroom participation. Grades in this category indicate strong aptitudes for the subject matter, demonstrated by a minority of students in the discipline.

C (+)

Student work meets and exceeds standard expectations. Hard work is required to attain this grade, and full participation in classroom activities as well as full completion of all assigned work, on time and up to faculty-defined standards, are also required. A majority of students in the discipline will receive this grade.

C (-)

Student work generally meets expectations, but other factors (such as hard work, participation, attendance, attainment of faculty-defined standards, and timely completion of work, etc.) are not up to expectations. This grade, or lower, will prevent a student from progressing to the next level in this discipline.

D

Student work does not meet minimum expectations. Even though attendance, participation, and other factors may be satisfactory, student progress within the subject matter is not at an average level. While grades of this level will count towards graduation outside of a major area, they do not count towards required credits in a major, and prevent a student from progressing further within a discipline.

F

Failure to meet expectations. This can include, but is not limited to, quality of work, progress within the discipline, participation, attendance, etc. Three or more class absences not approved by the faculty member will result in an automatic failing grade. Check policies and procedures outlined in the course syllabus for faculty-defined grading rubrics and standards.

INC (Incomplete)

Special Note: This grade is reserved for those cases when a student cannot, for reasons beyond his/her control (accident or extreme illness), complete the course obligations. It should not be assigned when the student simply wants more time to complete the course work, which everyone else completed in the requisite timeframe.
A student must petition the faculty for an incomplete. The work must be completed within four weeks of the end of the semester (fall, spring and summer) or the INC automatically converts to an F. A student on academic probation may NOT elect to receive an incomplete for any course.

W(Withdrawal)

Chosen by the student up to the ninth week of the semester (Please check withdrawal deadline for a given semester.)

WF (Withdrawal Failure, assigned by faculty)

Signifies non-attendance and failure to petition for a grade of W. This grade is factored as an “F” in determining a student’s GPA. Last date of attendance is now required for students who earn a WF. The date should be entered in the Last Attend Date field to the right of the final grade dropdown menu for
each student.

XF

Identifies students who have never attended class. In the case of online/hybrid courses, this grade should be granted if the student never submitted an assignment or participated in discussions. An XF counts as an F in GPA calculations.

Senior Projects Only

The mid-year grade (for two-semester projects) must be the following list, there are not letter grades:

SP (satisfactory progress)
NP (no progress, student must repeat)
UP (unsatisfactory progress)