Grading Policies

In accordance with its mandated educational mission, TSTC shall measure student achievement of skills, knowledge, and competencies that can be directly associated with a validated task, inventories, or competency lists. Therefore, a close correlation between the evaluation, course objectives, and task inventories shall be present in the curriculum and instructional materials. 

Performance levels shall be defined by the instructional program and may include a variety of learning activities and assessments which shall determine a student’s level of achievement in the specific skills, knowledge, and competencies associated with each course. Learning activities and assessments may include, but are not limited to, individual and group projects, reports or presentations, hands-on demonstrations, participation in class discussions, exercises or lab assignments, homework assignments, simulations, quizzes, and tests. 

The criteria, standards, and levels of performance will be specified for each course within the instructional program. These should include proportionately what is found in industry and educational practice. Faculty members may consider student participation in specific learning activities when determining final grades, provided students are informed of the required activities at the beginning of the course. Regular attendance shall be necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it shall be the responsibility of the student to attend lecture and laboratory sessions in accordance with requirements of the course as established and communicated by the faculty member. 

Students who fail to meet performance requirements for the course within the allotted time frame shall not successfully pass the course. Student performance shall be regularly monitored, and students shall be notified when they fail to meet performance levels. Students shall be advised of options for improving performance. 

An early alert system is required and shall be utilized to provide information to students about their academic progress and to provide assistance for students to successfully complete their program of study. Each student shall be evaluated and notified of his/her grade for each course at the established mid-term point of each semester and notified of any grades below passing no later than the established mid-term point. Students shall be able to obtain the current status of their grades according to college procedure. 

Grading policies are indicated on each syllabus and will be reviewed at the beginning of each course by your instructor. The TSTC grading scale includes the rounding of a final average of 79.5 to 80 as a B. Overall you must maintain an 80% grade in order to successfully pass the course. There are no exceptions to this policy. See Remediation Policy for steps to be taken if you are not maintaining this grade.