Navigating the Grading System at Green River College

Green River College (GRC) offers a variety of academic programs and courses to cater to a diverse student body. From those seeking to improve their English language skills to those aiming for a four-year university, GRC provides pathways to achieve various educational goals. Understanding the college's grading system is crucial for students to monitor their academic progress and ensure successful completion of their chosen program of study. Every student who enrolls at Green River becomes a partner with the college and the State of Washington with shared responsibilities for progress and completion of their program of study. The college monitors student progress and academic performance and intervenes when academic standards are not being met. The college has adopted the Academic Standards and Progress Policy to support student success.

Diverse Learning Environments

Green River College provides flexible learning options to accommodate different student needs and preferences. These options include:

In-Person: Traditional classroom setting with scheduled meeting times on campus.
Online: Asynchronous courses with no set meeting times, where all lectures, activities, and assignments are completed online.
Virtual: Face-to-face instruction using web-conferencing technology like Zoom at a particular time, along with homework and studying.

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Hybrid: A combination of in-person and online components, with some class time in a classroom with an instructor at a particular time and some coursework completed online without a set time to meet.
Virtual Hybrid: A mix of virtual face-to-face instruction at a particular time and online coursework completed without a set time to meet.

Students can also self-enroll in our optional “How to be a Successful Student” course in Canvas to support their success in eLearning courses.

Dual Enrollment Programs

GRC also partners with local high schools to offer dual enrollment programs, allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school.

College in the High School (CHS): High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can enroll in Green River College classes at their high school, earning college credit which applies towards an associates degree and a high school diploma. Students must meet all prerequisites before enrolling in the CHS course.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit: Formerly known as Tech Prep, this program allows students to prepare for college and a career while still in high school.

Running Start, a program created by the Washington State Legislature, provides an opportunity for academically qualified high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit at a significantly reduced cost (courses numbered 100 or higher). Qualifying students must show eligibility for ENGL& 101 and be enrolled through a public high school/district. Students who are home schooled or attend a private school are therefore required to contact their public high school/district for enrollment instructions. Running Start students are required to pay for textbooks, supplies, and fees. The decision to begin college early is an important one. Students are encouraged to discuss the decision carefully with parents or guardians and high school counselors.

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Programs for Specific Student Populations

GRC also offers specialized programs to support specific student populations:

ELL Classes: Designed for students who want to improve their English language fluency, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and basic computer literacy skills. Classes provide life skills, general job skills, and preparation for academic classes.
High School Equivalency Test Preparation: Green River offers high school equivalency test preparation classes to assist students in preparing for the GED® tests. Classes are available for students who are 16 years of age or older. Students under the age of 19 must have the appropriate signed release forms from their high school to enroll in high school equivalency classes and to take the GED®. colleges and universities. More than half of the GED® test-takers intend to go on to college or post-secondary training. Green River is a test site for the GED® test.
Intensive English Program: The Intensive English Program helps prepare international students to study at American colleges and universities.
Master Achiever Center (MAC): The Master Achiever Center (MAC) serves as an advising and transitions center for Transitional Studies, GED®, High School +, English Language Learning (ELL), and Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) students.

Credit Options

GRC recognizes prior learning and offers various ways for students to earn college credit:

Advanced Placement (AP) Program: Green River grants credit in a variety of subject areas for students who have obtained a particular score on their College Board Advanced Placement examinations. These exams are given by the Educational Testing Service at locations around the country. Students must submit an official copy of AP scores. Below is the list of division policies on granting placement or credit for AP examinations. Scores range from a high of five to a low of one; in most departments, credit and/or placement is awarded for scores of three or higher. Physics C (Elect. Physics C (Elect. The Mathematics Division can award Advanced Placement credits. If students are placed by the Mathematics Division at a level higher than the College Board Placement, they may receive additional credits. Note: When numbers 900 or above are assigned, it indicates there is no specific Green River course equivalent for all or part of the exam. If a student’s first mathematics course is MATH& 152, they will earn credit for MATH& 151. If a student’s first mathematics course is MATH& 153, they will earn credit for both MATH& 151 and MATH 152.
Articulation Agreements: Green River recognizes a quality education takes place in other learning institutions. In realization of this, Green River has signed articulation agreements with area high schools, as well as other institutions of higher learning. Green River has been working with several four-year institutions, both in the state of Washington and bordering states such as California, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. These agreements are designed to provide a smooth transition from Green River into specific college departments. The agreement between Green River and the other colleges identifies specific courses, if taken, will be allowed for automatic credit at the other institution. In doing so, Green River is enabling students to, for the most part, transfer directly into their majors. Green River recognizes a quality education takes place in area high schools and has signed articulation agreements with many schools to grant college credit to students earning a grade of a C (2.0) or higher in their high school career/technical courses. To qualify, students must meet specific requirements established by the college and high school instructors and apply for credit through their high school and pay associated fees. Further agreements between high schools and additional career/technical programs are being developed. Articulation agreements between area school districts and Green River College have been developed.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program: The International Baccalaureate Program is a rigorous pre-college course of study for highly motivated high school students. The comprehensive curriculum is designed to prepare students for a liberal arts education at the college level. It is called “international” because it is available to students in several countries, not because it is in any way an international experience. Green River has begun accepting International baccalaureate credit. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor for transfer of credit information. Note: When numbers 900 or above are assigned, it indicates there is no specific Green River course equivalent for all or part of exam. Credit is awarded by category rather than course specific. The easiest way to ensure Green River receives your IB transcript is to name Green River as a recipient when you sign up for your IB program exam(s). If you do not name Green River as a recipient when you take your exam, contact the IB Organization to request an official IB transcript be sent directly to the Green River Enrollment Services. When you are admitted to the college, you may be eligible for Green River course credit; if so, the courses and credits awarded will be accessible on your degree audit.
Military Credit: Some credits for military personnel’s military school and experiences are granted according to the publications of the American Council on Education. Please note Green River will accept military basic training experience to satisfy one-credit of physical education activity, providing basic training was completed within the last ten years.
Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL): Green River College offers students the opportunity to earn credit for prior non-traditional education and/or work experience. Students who wish to receive credit(s) for prior learning must complete the Academic Credit for Prior Learning Request form in coordination with an assigned faculty member and pay regular tuition based on the number of credits requested. Students will be assessed through credit by testing, course challenge or prior experiential learning/extra-institutional learning assessment which will determine the courses to which the students have met the learning outcomes. Students will work with an assigned faculty member to evaluate their Academic Credit for Prior Learning in relation to the competencies of the program and will be awarded credit for demonstrated learning outcomes that are appropriate to the course. Grades and credits will be assigned to ACPL awards and will be posted to the student’s transcript.

Admission for Students Under 18

Students under the age of 18 who have not earned a diploma, or the equivalent, from an accredited high school may be admitted only upon appropriate release from their high school, to include summer quarter. Home schooled and Running Start students are also subject to the special admission requirements outlined below. Students will be required to submit a High School Release Form or Running Start Enrollment Verification Form signed by the appropriate high school official when they apply for admission. Students under the age of 16 normally will not be admitted. The student must be referred to Green River by an academic institution or educator. This referral must include a release form from the student’s school district of residence, signed by the counselor (referring agency) and the student’s parent or guardian. An evaluation of the student’s maturity/college readiness must be conducted. This can be accomplished through a personal interview between the student, the Director of Career and Advising, the dean of the appropriate academic division or the instructor of record for the course(s) to be taken.

Numerical Grading System

Under Green River’s numerical grading system, instructors may report grades of 0.0 or between 1.0 to 4.0 in 0.1 increments, or report grading symbols (I,S,P).

Grading Symbols and Their Meanings

SID: An individualized Student ID number assigned by Green River.
P: Indicates the student petitioned the Registrar for a P/NC grade (prior to the end of the eighth week of the quarter) and earned a decimal grade equal to or greater than 1.5.
S: Indicates student is making satisfactory progress but has not completed all the competencies for a given level of instruction.
W: Indicates the student initiated an official withdraw from class.
N: Indicates the student enrolled for information only (no credit given) and attended class regularly.

Pass/No-Credit (P/NC) Grading Policy

This petition is a contract and is not rescindable. degree.

Satisfactory (S) Grade Policy

The “S” grade may be used only for Basic and ESOL classes numbered under 100. grade. Courses with “S” grade designators cannot be applied toward any degree or certificate program.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course for which they have earned credit when such a repeat is necessary to satisfy a distribution requirement or improving a previously-earned grade. If deemed necessary to repeat, students may only do so twice (this is defined as the original enrollment, plus two repeats). restrictive policies regarding repetition of classes.

Incomplete Grades

An instructor may record a student’s work as incomplete when the student has been delayed in completing the required work. “I” grades do not affect GPA. Student has four quarters (or less, if instructor indicates) to finish the Incomplete agreement with the instructor. Coursework may be completed according to an agreement between the instructor and student. Any student seeking to establish an Incomplete agreement must contact the instructor for…

Change of Grade Policy

Change of Grade forms are to be completed by the instructor of record. a change of grade. (P/NC), or audit (“N”). only be accepted from faculty, staff and administrators. (fall, winter, spring) or the end of the fifth quarter (summer). the student's cumulative grade point average. over a 2.0. for the class. and will reside with the instructor of record. during the grading period. the instructor submits a change of grade to the Office of the Registrar. (via college intranet, instructor briefcase, or STAR). days upon completion of the quarter.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

Grade point averages (GPA) are used to measure the quality of academic work and are computed on a 4.0 scale. The chart below lists letter grades and their correspondence to grade point. Since grading standards differ among colleges, grades received from other colleges are not used in calculating GPA. Transfer grades may be used to determine eligibility for admission to certain programs.

Letter Grade	Text	Grade Points per Credit
A	Excellent	4.0
AB	Very Good	3.5
B	Good	3.0
BC	Above Average	2.5
C	Average	2.0
CD	Below Average	1.5
D	Poor	1.0
F	Unacceptable	0.0
WF	Unofficial Withdrawal	0.0
P	(a "C" grade or better for undergraduate courses)	No Effect
NC	(No credit, the letter grade of less than a "C")	No Effect
U	Unsatisfactory Audit	No Effect
S	Satisfactory Audit	No Effect
N	No Acceptable report for instructor-temporary grade	No Effect
I	Incomplete, temporary grade	No Effect
DR	Dropped Course	No Effect
W	Withdrew	No Effect

(^) examples (A) or (F)(^) grades that were academically forgiven. Successful grades will still meet course requirements, credits towards total to graduate but are not calculated into the overall cumulative GPA, nor is honors granted using these prior credits earned.No Effect

Standards-Based Grading and Reporting (SBGR)

A grade is the ultimate form of feedback to a student and it must be accurate. In our pursuit to ensure accuracy of grades, we have relied on research-based best practices and experts in the field.

With standards-based grading and reporting, student grades are directly linked to what students should know and be able to do (standards). SBGR gives students the practice they need, and more than one opportunity, to show success of standards.
In traditional grading, students are measured by the percentage of work completed, not mastery of standards. SBGR grading is based on mastery of standards. Each student’s work is measured against the standard, not other students or other characteristics such as work completion, cooperation, participation and effort. These characteristics are important in the world of work, which is why in SBGR we report it separately.
The letter grade or percent alone is not what motivates students.
5. We wanted to know how our grading system aligned to college admissions practices. This panel included admissions officers from seven colleges, including University of Washington, Western Washington University, Renton Technical College, Green River College, University of Puget Sound, Eastern Washington University and Seattle Colleges. Admissions officers told us they base admissions on their own calibration of each district’s grading system across the country because no school district shares a similar GPA calculation. FWPS fully embraces input from our parents and community to ensure excellence in educating each of our 23,000 scholars. We stand by the work of our grading system based on research best practices, experts in the field, and input from our community to ensure accurate grades for all scholars. class regularly. “N” does not affect GPA. of the eighth week of the quarter) and earned a decimal grade lower than 1.5. than 1.5. for a given level of instruction. Indicates the student initiated an official withdraw from class.

Extracurricular Activities

Green River College offers six sports, including Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, and Men’s and Women’s Track and Field. Gator Athletics is a proud member of the Northwest Athletic Conference, NWAC. The college is home to the Green River Jazz Voices and Green River Theatre Company. The college’s theater program offers a play or musical each quarter with a student cast. Admission to Jazz Voices is by audition and to participate in Green River Theatre a student must enroll in the DRMA 111 sequence. Options include lifting weights in the weight room, using cardio machines in the Fitness Center or joining a group fitness class.

Additional Programs and Resources

Project TEACH: Project TEACH is a pre-service teacher preparation program designed to provide future educators with seamless pathways to teaching careers. Programs include certificates and degree for those interested in early childhood education, para-education positions, and transfer to complete full teacher certification. Future elementary teachers can complete an Associate degree in elementary education. (253) 833-9111, ext.
KGRG Radio Station: KGRG provides Green River students the hands-on experience in an operational radio station as part of our Broadcast Media program. (253) 833-9111, ext.
The Current: The Current is the online and print resource published by and for students during the regular school year.
Study Abroad: Offers study abroad opportunities to GRC students, with classes taught by Green River or other Washington State Community College faculty. Classes satisfy general education requirements and count toward many AA-transfer degrees. No foreign language experience is necessary to participate! All academic students are eligible including Running Start, International, Traditional and Non-Traditional students. There is always at least one program offered per quarter. Annual programs include Japan (every Fall), Australia & New Zealand (every Winter), Costa Rica (every summer). Other locations rotate bi-annually, including but not limited to: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Spain, & Taiwan. Students may also choose to participate in other programs outside of those sponsored by GRC, and we can provide guidance on how to do so. (253) 833-9111, ext.

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