TDCJ Academic Regulations

GRADES

The level of success of a student in their coursework is designated by letter grades based upon his attendance, classwork, and examinations.

Letter Definition Grade
A Excellent (90-100)
B Good (80-89)
C Fair (70-79)
D Poor (passing) (60-69) *
I Incomplete
F Failure (Below 60)
W Withdrew - Instructor or student-initiated drop

Instructors may give students an 'I' (Incomplete) when illness or other emergency prevents them from completing the course. Instructors should remove the incomplete grade during the next long semester unless they make special arrangements for an extension of time. Students must contact a TVCC Unit Enrollment Coordinator to determine the arrangements needed to remove the incomplete grade. (The 'I' is calculated in the grade point average as an 'F').

A student who officially withdraws on or before the designated withdrawal date, or is dropped from a course, shall receive a grade of 'W'.  

Students will not be allowed to appeal grades recorded on permanent records after one year from the date the grade was recorded.

*A grade of 'D' may not transfer to some colleges/universities. The policy on the transfer of "D's" varies and is at the receiving college/university's discretion.

GRADE POINTS

For convenience in averaging grades for various purposes, and in order to encourage students to improve the quality of their work, grade points are assigned to each letter grade as follows:

Grade 'A'   — 4 grade points for each semester hour.              Grade 'F' —  0 grade point for each semester hour.            
Grade 'B'  — 3 grade points for each semester hour.              Other grades —  No grade points.
Grade 'C'  — 2 grade points for each semester hour.
Grade 'D' —  1 grade point for each semester hour.                 

TVCC computes a student’s average grade points by dividing the total number of semester hour grade points, as calculated above, by the total number of semester hours for which grades have been received.  When a student repeats a course, TVCC will use the last grade of record to determine the GPA for graduation.

SCHOLASTIC PROBATION

When a student’s academic record indicates they are not making satisfactory progress, TVCC considers the student to be scholastically deficient and places them on scholastic probation. Scholastic probation is conditional permission for the student to continue taking classes in college. When a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0, TVCC will place them on probation.

TVCC may require students on probation to reduce the number of semester hours for which they enroll. They may also require students to register for appropriate developmental courses. Students on probation must consult a TVCC Unit Enrollment Coordinator before registering for the next semester.

SCHOLASTIC SUSPENSION

Students on scholastic probation who fail to meet the requirements for removal from probation may be scholastically suspended from the program in which they are enrolled for the semester following the scholastic suspension date.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND CHEATING

Academic dishonesty, which constitutes a violation of these rules and regulations, is punishable as prescribed by TVCC Board policies. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion.

"Cheating" includes:

  • Copying from another student's test paper;
  • Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test;
  • Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator;
  • Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered test;
  • The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the unadministered test;
  • Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, to take a test; or
  • Bringing another person to obtain an unadministered test or information about an unadministered test.

"Plagiarism" is defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another's work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one's own written work.

​“Collusion” is defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for the fulfillment of course requirements.

The student who engages in cheating, plagiarism, or collusion may receive a failing grade on the assignment or a failing grade in the course. If the accused student disputes the facts upon which the charges are based, the student may appeal to the Director of Correctional Education.

ADMINISTRATIVE DROP 

Trinity Valley Community College is committed to student success and maintaining accurate enrollment records as required by both state and federal agencies. Students who do not attend in person or complete and submit the Student Success Agreement on or before the census date will be administratively dropped from the course.  Instructors will use the following methods to determine a student's attendance at census.   Face to Face course (not utilizing canvas): Attendance in face-to-face courses will be based on in-class attendance on or before census.  Canvas course (regardless of modality): Attendance in courses that require Canvas participation will be determined by completion of the Student Success Agreement on or before census. Students who are administratively dropped from a course will be given a 100% refund for the course and will have no effect on their GPA or 6-limit withdrawal count.  Students documented as not attending a course upon the census date are assumed (for financial aid purposes) to have not begun attendance for that course, which may negatively affect financial aid disbursements.  

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE POLICY

Once students enroll in a college workforce or academic course, they are expected to attend each scheduled class meeting and complete the entire course (College/RPD Policy). There may be no excused absences for religious programming or extracurricular activities. Offenders who refuse to report to class shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Responsibility for class attendance rests with the student. TVCC expects regular and punctual attendance in all classes. When a student has a legitimate reason for being absent, the instructor can permit the student to make up work missed and may require an explanation of the absence.

The college reserves the right to evaluate individual cases of nonattendance. In general, students are graded on the basis of intellectual effort and performance. In many cases, class participation is a significant measure of performance, and nonattendance can adversely affect a student’s grade.  Therefore, students may be dropped from any course after they have accumulated three absences. Instructors must follow the procedures outlined below in dropping for excessive absences.

LIMITATION TO THE NUMBER OF WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES

THECB established a rule to address a law enacted by the legislature regarding the number of withdrawals (W's) students may have during their academic career (THECB Rules: Chapter 4, Subchapter A, 4.10). The law states that any student whose first semester in college is the fall 2007 semester or later may not have more than six unexcused withdrawals (W's) during their academic career. This rule applies to a student's academic record from all higher education institutions they may attend. If students have six unexcused withdrawals, they will no longer be allowed to withdraw from a course without receiving a grade in the course (which will be an "F") on the TVCC transcript. The faculty member of record and the Director of Correctional Education will determine whether they excuse a withdrawal or not.

PROCEDURES TO DROP STUDENTS FOR EXCESSIVE ABSENCES

  1. TVCC may drop students upon the recommendation of the instructor after they have accumulated three absences. Instructors must complete a drop form and gain the Director's approval.
  2. TVCC shall determine the reason(s) for the absences and inform the instructor of any extenuating circumstances that might alter the drop proceedings, i.e., illness, medical, bench warrant, paroled, etc. TVCC will complete this review of the circumstances from the date the drop is requested.
  3. If it is determined that TVCC should drop the student, the Director shall initiate final drop procedures by completing the appropriate drop forms and submitting them to the appropriate on-site college personnel, who will then present the forms to the TVCC Administrative Office.
  4. Personnel from the Correctional Education department shall notify the instructor of the drop. An official TVCC signature should accompany the drop notification, which will expedite the situation's resolution and allow the instructor to be notified as quickly as possible.
  5. A student who is dropped because of excessive absences shall receive a grade of 'W'.
  6. Instructors must check roll each class meeting.

ADDITIONAL TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY

CLASS ATTENDANCE

A student who enrolls in a course and misses three class meetings without notifying the college instructor may be:

  • Dropped from that course,
  • Suspended from enrollment during the following academic semester, 
  • Suspended from enrollment during the following six-month workforce training cycle.

The student will be allowed to continue with any courses in which he is simultaneously enrolled and attending.  A student who is dropped from one or more academic courses in a semester for a reason other than release, bench warrant, unit transfer, medical, or administrative request, when paid by the RPD, will be suspended from enrollment during the following academic year.  Students who submit an I-25 for partial or full payment of college tuition will be immediately withdrawn from all coursework in which they are currently enrolled if insufficient funds exist in their trust account. Eligibility for the next semester will not be affected if the student drops a course for which he paid with personal funds or Hazlewood benefits.