Academic Standards Policy and Procedure

Academic Standards Policy

Clark College is committed to the academic success of its students. The primary purpose of the Academic Standards Policy is to quickly identify and alert students with low academic achievement and provide those students with resources and assistance to improve their academic performance.

This policy applies to all students. Some individual college programs/funding sources may have additional requirements. Students in these programs should contact the appropriate program advisor for information regarding these requirements or check with an academic advisor if they have questions.

Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better to remain in good academic standing. The following will be imposed progressively for students who do not remain in good academic standing.

Academic Standards Procedure

Academic Concern

The first time the term GPA falls below 2.0, the student will be placed on Academic Concern Status.

The college will send an e-mail to the students' preferred email account in ctcLink. This email will offer information about the Academic Standards process and explains what happens at each stage.
Students will receive a list of college resources and a recommendation to take advantage of services.
Students will also be offered an appointment with the Student Communication & Retention Manager, and connected to a Student Success Coach.
We will request that a student attend a Student Success Workshop, however it is not required at this stage.

Academic Intervention

The second time the term GPA falls below 2.0, students will be placed on Academic Intervention Status.

Students must attend a Student Success Workshop by the end of the following quarter. It should be a workshop geared towards academic success such as Procrastination, Time Management, Test Anxiety and Note Taking Skills plus more. The schedule will list multiple options. See the Student Success Workshop schedule .

Student Success Workshop Schedule
Students must complete an appointment with the Student Communication & Retention Manager or a Student Success Coach that outlines steps for improving academic performance.
Students may lose the ability to carry a full course load.
If students do not attend the workshop by the designated date, they will be blocked from registering for classes.

One (1) Term Academic Dismissal

If students have previously been placed on Academic Concern and Academic Intervention statuses, and both their term and cumulative GPAs are below 2.0, they will be placed on a One-Term Academic Dismissal Status.

Students will be blocked from registering for classes while on One-Term Academic Dismissal status.
Students may appeal One-Term Academic Dismissal.
- Students may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee for immediate reinstatement. They must complete the appeal form to file an appeal. The committee only reviews what the student submits, please be thorough and provide documentation when possible.
  
  Appeal Form
- The college will send an e-mail to students’ preferred email account that outlines the appeal process. The Appeal Form for One-Term Dismissal is available online.
If students do not appeal, or if their appeal is denied, they will be administratively dropped from classes and paid tuition will be refunded.

Students will receive an e-mail about how to return from One-Term Academic Dismissal. They must complete a Request to Return to College Form no later than three weeks before the first day of classes for the term in which they plan to return. The committee cannot guarantee the review before the term if it is submitted later than that.

Request to Return to College Form
Upon returning from One-Term Academic Dismissal, students must earn a term GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to be approved to register for the subsequent term. If they do not earn a term GPA of 2.0 or higher upon return from One-Term Academic Dismissal, they can be placed on up to a Four-Term Academic Dismissal.

Four (4) Term Academic Dismissal

If students have previously been placed on Academic Concern, Academic Intervention, and then One-Term Academic Dismissal statuses, and both their term and cumulative GPAs remain below 2.0, they can be placed on up to a Four-Term Academic Dismissal.

Students will be blocked from registering for classes while on Four-Term Academic Dismissal Status.
There is no appeal process for Four-Term Academic Dismissal.
Students will be administratively dropped from registered classes and paid tuition will be refunded.

Students will receive an e-mail about how to return from Four-Term Academic Dismissal. They must complete a Request to Return to College Form no later than six weeks before the first day of classes for the term in which they plan to return.

Request to Return to College Form
Upon returning from Four-Term Academic Dismissal, students must earn a term GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to be approved to register for the subsequent term. If they do not earn a term GPA of 2.0 or higher upon return from Four-Term Academic Dismissal, they will be placed on One-Term Academic Dismissal Status.

Academic Standards for Professional/Technical Programs

Students in certain professional/technical programs must receive grades of "C" or better in program core courses to advance in the program class sequences. Students should refer to the department description in Section C of the catalog for further information.