Undergraduate PASS/FAIL Policy Guide, Spring 2020 

March 31, 2020

This policy is designed to support undergraduate student success and well-being by providing PASS/FAIL options, with students able to choose a PASS/FAIL grade until Monday, May 4, 2020.

This spring 2020 policy applies to undergraduate courses in all colleges and schools at Montclair State University except for required courses in the School of Nursing or other courses in programs linked to accreditation or licensure.

• Graduate courses for students in combined Bachelor’s/Master’s programs or 4+1 graduate programs at Montclair State are not eligible for the PASS/FAIL option.
• Undergraduate students taking graduate courses for undergraduate credits, not in a combined or 4+1 program, can elect PASS/FAIL for graduate courses since they count only in the undergraduate degree program.
• Departments, schools, or colleges may not develop individual PASS/FAIL policies for any courses that do not conform to this policy without permission of the Provost/VPAA.

Details of the policy are outlined below:

• It is the student’s decision whether to opt into the PASS/FAIL grade option or to receive a traditional letter grade for any course in which they are enrolled. The original grade mode selected will remain unless a  student opts for the PASS/FAIL grading option.
• Students can make that choice for any or all of their courses. This, of course,  applies only to courses still operational and not to those ended and graded earlier in the semester.
• Students who choose the PASS/FAIL option for any class must complete the process through Self Service Banner (SSB) from the NEST homepage where they will check off a box for any courses they wish to change to PASS/FAIL. Once on the site, they will see all their spring 2020 classes listed. They will check only those classes they wish to change to PASS/FAIL. They will also indicate whether each course they are taking PASS/FAIL fulfills a General Education (GenEd) or Major requirement. [Addendum: Starting Monday, April 6, students can choose PASS/FAIL by going to NEST, clicking on “Register for Classes,” and selecting the “Spring 2020 PASS/FAIL request” under Registrar’s Office Tools. This step-by-step guide will walk students through the process of making their selection.]
• Students may change their decisions regarding their grading option until Monday, May 4, 2020 using the same process stated above.
• IMPORTANT:  Students should review their decision to select a PASS/FAIL grade option with an advisor.  
• Faculty members should carefully review their syllabi for appropriate revisions, considering the current circumstances of instruction. Students must be fully and promptly informed of any changes.
• Faculty and instructors will continue to grade materials and keep their gradebooks up to date and inform students of their status so they can make informed decisions.
• Students remain responsible to complete graded assignments in the course according to the timelines and due dates on the syllabus regardless of the letter grade or PASS/FAIL option.
• The cutoff for passing a class is a grade of D; i.e. a student with a D will pass – whether PASS/FAIL or traditionally graded. In some departments where accreditation standards must be enforced, the PASS/FAIL cutoff may be slightly higher. (See list below.)
• Each student’s choice will be entered into the final grading roster for each class. In the drop-down box in BANNER, faculty will be able to see whether a student chose PASS/FAIL for that course.
• University majors, minors and programs that have GPA requirements for entry will be asked to consider PASS grades favorably for admission to these programs.
• Because of its technical design, the Degreeworks audit system excludes PASS grades from counting toward meeting major, minor and general education requirements. Instead, the Degreeworks Audit identifies PASS grades as “credits not applicable.” PASS graded courses for spring 2020 will therefore be assigned or adjusted by the Registrar to appear in their proper block (GenEd or major/minor category) for an audit. These adjustments will be made with priority given to graduating seniors. The Registrar will mark the appropriate requirements as having been met.
• Students currently retaking a previously failed class require special consideration. If the class is graded PASS, it carries no credit points in the GPA calculation. When the retaken course is passed, the previously earned grade(s) will be nullified. This process is not automatic and will need to occur on an individual basis.
• Appeals to grades for the spring 2020 semester will be addressed on a case-by-case basis throughout summer 2020, using the existing appeals process.
• Faculty are especially encouraged to maintain the records of their students’ performance in a timely manner and keep students informed of their status.
• Transcript notations regarding PASS/FAIL grading for the spring 2020 semester will  be inserted by the registrar on official transcripts.
• The policy to qualify for the Dean’s list remains unchanged.
• The policy on withdrawals remains unchanged.

Please Note: This policy applies to the spring 2020 semester.

Exceptions to PASS/FAIL Grading for SPRING 2020

These courses must have traditional letter grades for accreditation, licensure, or certification reasons and cannot be taken PASS/FAIL. Minimum passing grades for each course are listed below.

CART – College of the Arts

• ARED 401 – For accreditation and licensure purposes the minimum passing grade is B-.

CEHS – College of Education and Human Services

• ECEL 410 Clinical I, 412 Seminar I – For accreditation and licensure purposes the minimum passing grade is B-.
• ECEL 414 Clinical II, 421 Seminar II – For accreditation and licensure purposes the minimum passing grade is B-.
• SASE 450 Clinical Practice I, 451 Seminar in Inclusive Pedagogies – For accreditation and licensure purposes the minimum passing grade is B-.
• SASE 453 Clinical Practice II, 452 Advanced Seminar in Inclusive Pedagogies – For accreditation and licensure purposes the minimum passing grade is B-.

CHSS — College of Humanities and Social Sciences

• None

CSAM – College of Science and Mathematics

• None

FSBus – Feliciano School of Business

• None

NURS – School of Nursing – Applies ONLY to Nursing students enrolled in these classes

• MATH 109 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C-.
• NUFD 182 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C-.
• PSYC 101 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C-.
• BIOL 244 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C.
• BIOL 245 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C.
• CHEM 114 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C.
• BIOL 255 – For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C.
• For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C for all courses with the prefix NURS that do not include a laboratory, simulation, or clinical component.
• For accreditation purposes the minimum passing grade is C+ for all courses with the prefix NURS that include a laboratory, simulation, or clinical component.

TGS – The Graduate School

• No courses are eligible for PASS/FAIL options.

Questions

If you have questions, reach out to your dean’s office.

Last Modified: Monday, April 6, 2020 9:47 am