Appendix XIV

Appendix XIV

Course Repetition

 

General Guidelines for Repetition of Credit Courses

Pursuant to Title 5, students are permitted three enrollment attempts to achieve a standard (passing) grade. Students may be permitted, under special circumstances, to repeat non-repeatable credit courses in which standard (passing) grades have been awarded. Students may also repeat credit courses that are designated as repeatable in the colleges’ catalogs provided that the maximum number of allowed enrollments per course or set of courses is not exceeded. 
 
All enrollment attempts that result in an evaluative or non-evaluative grade on a student’s permanent record are counted for purposes of this administrative procedure and pursuant to Title 5, Section 55023. Evaluative symbols are defined as standard passing grades of A, B, C, or P/CR, SP, CRE; and substandard grades of D, F, and NP. Non-evaluative symbols are defined as I, IP, RD, W, MW, and EW.
 
Courses that are repeated shall be recorded on the student’s permanent academic record using an appropriate symbol. 
 
Annotating the permanent academic record shall be done in a manner that all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic history.
 
Nothing herein shall conflict with Education Code, Section 76224, pertaining to the finality of grades assigned by instructors, or with Title 5 or District procedures relating to retention and destruction of records.
 

Course Repetition Allowed Under Special Circumstances

I. Apportionment may be claimed for a maximum of three enrollment attempts to achieve a standard (passing) grade. The District may claim apportionment for one additional enrollment attempt under the following circumstances:
 
A. Approved repetition due to significant lapse of time defined in this section.
Students may petition only one time to repeat a course in which a standard (passing) grade has already been awarded providing that the following conditions have been met:
 
  1. The course was successfully completed more than three years prior, and:
a) the District has established a recency prerequisite for the course or;
 
b) another institution of higher education to which the student seeks to transfer has established a recency requirement which the student will not be able to satisfy without repeating the course in question.
 
  1. A student may petition to repeat a course where less than 3 years has elapsed if documents show that repetition is necessary for the student's transfer to the institution of higher education.
If it is determined that a student needs to repeat a repeatable active participatory course in physical education/kinesiology or visual or performing arts, or an active participatory experience course that is related in content (defined as a "family of courses") due to a significant lapse of time, that repetition shall count toward the maximum number of enrollments that are allowed, except if the student has already exhausted the allowable course limitation, one additional repetition can be permitted due to lapse of time.
 
An active participatory course is one in which "individual study or group assignments are the basic means by which learning objectives are obtained." (55000(a)).
 
When a course is repeated pursuant to this section, both grades and credits will be included in the calculations of the grade point average.
 
The attendance of a student repeating a course due to lapse of time may be claimed only one time for apportionment funding.
 
B. Approved repetition due to extenuating circumstances as defined in this section if the course is not designated as repeatable.
 
Students may petition to repeat a course that is not designated as a repeatable course based on a finding that the student’s previous grade (whether substandard or passing) was, at least in part, the result of emergency, or extraordinary circumstances. Emergency conditions or extraordinary conditions are those meeting the requirements of Title 5 Section 58146, subdivision (b). Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illness, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
 
Petitions for course repetition under this section must be approved in writing by the appropriate designated administrator.
 
When a course is repeated pursuant to this section, the previous grade and credit will be excluded from the calculations of the grade point average, provided that no more than two substandard grades are excluded by course repetition.
 
The attendance of a student repeating a credit course by approved petition pursuant to this section may be claimed for apportionment funding for a maximum of one time.
 
II. The District may claim apportionment for students' enrollments without limitation under the following circumstances and if all other requirements are met:
 
A. Approved attendance for legally mandated training as defined in this section.
 
  1. Students are allowed to repeat a course when repetition is necessary to enable that student to meet a legal mandated training requirement as a condition of continued volunteer or paid employment.
  2. Students may repeat such courses any number of times, even if they received a grade of C/P or better; however, the grade received by the student each time will be included in calculations of the student's grade point average.
  3. Students will be required to certify the legally mandated training requirement for their continued volunteer or paid employment status.
  4. The term "legally mandated" is interpreted to mean "required by statute or regulation" and excludes administrative policy or practice.
  5. Legally mandated training courses will conform to all attendance accounting, course approval, and other requirements imposed by applicable provisions of law.
B. Approved attendance of a student with a disability in credit special classes as a disability accommodation as defined in this section.
 
Students with disabilities can repeat a special class for students with disabilities any number of times when an individualized determination verifies that such repetition is required as a disability-related accommodation. Such determination will generally be provided by a qualified instructor or academic counselor. The individualized determination must verify one of the following conditions:
 
  1. The success of the student in other general and/or special classes is dependent on additional repetitions of the specific special class in question.
  2. Additional repetitions of the special class in question are essential to completing the student's preparation for enrollment into other regular or special classes; or
  3. The student has a student education contract which involves a goal other than completion of the special class in question and repetition of the course will further achieve that goal.
The attendance of a student with a disability may be claimed for state apportionment each time the student repeats a special class as a disability-related accommodation which is justified by one of the circumstances noted above. When a grade is received pursuant to this section, the grade received each time will be included in the calculations of grade point average.
 
C. The attendance of a student repeating work experience education courses. Students are allowed to repeat a work experience education course if a college only offers one course in work experience education. Where only one work experience course is offered, students may be permitted to repeat this course any number of times as long as they do not exceed fourteen semester units of work experience education set forth in Title 5, Section 55040.” (5 Cal. Code Regs. §55253 (c).)
 
  1. Work experience education offered as a credit course: one semester unit of credit will be awarded for every 54 hours of work experience. Units of credit may be awarded in increments of .5 units
  2. A maximum of fourteen semester credit hours may be earned during one enrollment period in work experience education. Students may repeat a work experience education course subject to section 55040. Enrollment is defined as a single semester, term, or intersession.
D. The attendance of a student withdrawing as a result of extraordinary conditions pursuant to Title 5, Section 55024 (a)(10).
 
E. The attendance of a student receiving a military withdrawal pursuant to Title 5, Section 55024 (d)(1).
 
F. The attendance of a student repeating a course for significant change in industry or licensure standards pursuant to Title 5, Section 55040(b)(9).
 
The District may claim state apportionment for students’ enrollments in credit courses that are designated as repeatable (see AP 4227 Repeatable Courses) as provided by Title 5, Section 55041, for a maximum of four semesters.  This limitation applies even if a student receives a substandard grade during one or more of the enrollments in such a course or petitions for repetition due to special circumstances as provided in this AP.
 

Repetition of Variable Unit, Open Entry/Open Exit Courses

Students may enroll in a variable unit, open entry/open exit course as many times as necessary to complete one time the entire curriculum of the course as described in the course outline of record, but may not repeat any portion of the curriculum for the course unless:
 
  1. the course is required for legally mandated training;
  2. the course is a special class for students with disabilities which the student needs to repeat as a verified disability-related accommodation;
  3. repetition of the course to retake a portion of the curriculum is justified by verified extenuating circumstances; or
  4. the student wishes to repeat the course to alleviate substandard work recorded for a portion of the curriculum.
Students repeating a portion of a course pursuant to this section are subject to the repetition limitations applicable to repeatable courses.
 
When a course is repeated pursuant to this section, the previous grade and credit will be excluded from the calculations of grade point average.
 
The District will develop and implement a mechanism for the proper monitoring of course repetitions.
 

Course Repetition to Alleviate a Substandard Grade

A non-repeatable course in which a grade of C/P/CR or better is earned may not be repeated except as allowed under special circumstances. Students are permitted a total of three enrollment attempts to achieve a standard (passing) grade. This rule applies to courses taken at any regionally accredited college, in which the student received a substandard grade as defined above. Once a passing grade of C/P/CR or better is received, he or she may not repeat the course again under this section. However, repetition may be allowable under special circumstances as defined below. 
 
A student who has taken a course three times and received a substandard grade each time may petition to take the course again. The petition must state verifiable extenuating circumstances that affected the student’s past performance in the class and/or additional steps the student has taken to prepare to succeed in the petitioned course. Approved repetitions beyond the third attempt may not be claimed for apportionment. For purposes of this section, extenuating circumstances are verifiable cases of illness, accident, or other circumstances beyond the control of the student.
 
In order to identify acceptable equivalencies in course and grading scale, course comparability shall be determined chiefly by content, as defined in the catalog course description, and not by course title or units.
 
The first two substandard grades will be excluded from the student’s grade point average calculations if the student enrolls in and completes the class two or more times. The student’s permanent record shall be annotated in such a manner that all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic history.
 
If a student repeats a repeatable course in which a substandard grade has been recorded, the substandard grade and credit may be disregarded provided that no additional repetitions are permitted beyond those limits specified in 55041(c)(6). No more than two substandard grades may be alleviated pursuant to this section.
 
A student who receives a substandard grade in a course that was approved for repetition due to a significant lapse of time will be permitted to utilize the grade alleviation process described in this section when the course in question is not designated as repeatable.
 
In determining the transfer of a student’s credits, similar prior course repetition actions by other accredited colleges and universities shall be honored.
 
Apportionment may be claimed for a maximum of three enrollment attempts to achieve a standard (passing) grade.