As a result of the labour disruption, students in most scenarios (there are a few exceptions outlined below) may choose assessed grades, along with other academic remediation options. Students may request to opt for assessed grades by filling out the Assessed Grade form on the “My Courses” section of my.yorku.ca.
Please review the following frequently asked questions to learn more about the assessed grade option, including information about eligibility and the Assessed Grade form. For more information about additional academic remediation options, please review the “Students FAQs” section of the Labour Update website.
Students whose courses were suspended or did not continue to meet during the disruption, and students who chose not to participate in active courses, are entitled to complete the course after the disruption is over.
What are assessed grades and am I eligible for this option?
Assessed grades are final grades based on work completed that comprises a defined proportion of the assignments in a course syllabus. Students may choose to opt for an assessed grade if they have completed a minimum of 70 percent of the coursework from the original course syllabus. Students do not need approval from their course director to choose the assessed grade option as long as 70 percent of the coursework has been completed. The assessed grade option can be chosen if coursework has been submitted but the grade is not yet known or received by students. Assessed grades will appear as normal on transcripts.
Students can decide whether they want to opt for the assessed grade option. Students always have the choice to complete all of the original assignments.
Please note that the assessed grade option is not available for students enrolled in the following:
- Graduate programs
- Osgoode Hall Law School JD program
- Lassonde School of Engineering: B Eng, B Sc, and the BA in Computer Science and Computer Security
- Schulich School of Business: 3rd and 4th level Accounting Classes
- B Com: ADMS courses identified as necessary for accreditation in addition to ADMS courses which will have not achieved 70 percent of assessments by the end of classes
The online Assessed Grade form will filter out ineligible courses.
How do I use the the Assessed Grade form?
An Assessed Grade online form will be made available on Monday, April 2, 2018. The purpose of the form is to indicate your choice to opt for an assessed grade. If your course director has already provided an alternative way to request assessed grades there is no need to also request this through the form. Please note that students need to submit this form individually for each course for which they are choosing the assessed grade option.
Please be aware that your submission of this form is not a guarantee that you are eligible to opt for an assessed grade. Students are responsible for confirming their eligibility to opt for assessed grades. Students can choose to opt for an assessed grade if they have completed or submitted 70 percent of coursework from the syllabus: if you are unsure if you have completed or submitted 70 percent of coursework, please check your syllabus.
To access the Assessed Grade form, navigate to my.yorku.ca. Log in to view the “My Courses” section to see your course status. If your program or courses are not eligible, the option will not appear. Click on each eligible course to be directed to the Assessed Grade form. Complete and submit a form for each eligible course for which you would like to choose an assessed grade.
Once you submit the form, you will receive an email notification confirming your submission and providing access to your Assessed Grade status page, where you can review the status of your submissions. An email will also go to your course director (if you provided their email address) and they will be able to view your assessed grade request. Course directors will then ensure you have met the minimum thresholds and confirm your eligibility. If not, they may suggest an alternate remediation option. If your course directors are not available due to the labour disruption, the requests will be available to Deans’ offices and other administrators to address students with exceptional circumstances. Note that for those courses, final grades will not be submitted until after the end of the labour disruption.
Please note that you can submit an Assessed Grade form only once per course; you cannot make edits to forms once they have been submitted.
When do I have to submit the Assessed Grade form?
Students participating in continuing courses must exercise this option by the deadline of Monday, April 9.
Other students must exercise this option by the first day of final examinations in the revised schedule after the disruption ends (date to be determined).
What if I have not met the 70 percent threshold but have completed or submitted 60 percent of coursework?
If students have completed or submitted 60 percent of the coursework, course instructors are permitted to make changes to the number, kind, and weight of assignments (including tests and examinations) to help students meet the 70 percent threshold, provided that this will not disadvantage students. Instructors can make no more than a 10 percent change to the collective weight of assignments. Course directors will determine if minor adjustments to the value of graded components can be made so that the 60 percent can be raised to meet the 70 percent threshold. Course directors will communicate the re-weighted assignment scenarios to students.
Participation grades can be applied in order the meet the 70 per cent threshold.
Students can decide whether they want to opt for the assessed grade option. Students always have the choice to complete all of the original assignments.
I have not completed 70 percent of the coursework on the original course syllabus, but due to exceptional circumstances would like to request assessed grades. Am I eligible for the assessed grade option?
Students in exceptional circumstances may request assessed grades on the basis of work that falls below the 70 per cent threshold. Such requests are dealt with on a case-by-case basis by individual course instructors in the first instance. Students with exceptional circumstances who want to opt for an assessed grade should submit the Assessed Grades Request form on the “My Courses” section of my.yorku.ca.
Examples of exceptional circumstances include but are not limited to:
- Students who have applied to graduate in June 2018
- International and exchange students facing the expiration of visas
- Students who have an offer of admission to another institution commencing in the summer
- Students who have firm travel plans that do not allow them to commit to an extended term date
- Students who have employment which does not allow them to commit to an extended term date
- Students who are participating in an exchange program that commences in summer
- Students whose housing/living arrangements expire at the end of April
There may be other extenuating circumstances that can be provided on the form.
Can I revoke the assessed grade option?
Students who opt for an assessed grade by the deadlines specified above, but later decide to sit the final examination or submit the final assignment, will be deemed to have revoked (invalidated) the assessed grade.
Students can choose to write the final exam if that was part of the original grading scheme for the course included in the syllabus. If students decide to complete the course according the original grading scheme, they may not retroactively choose an assessed grade past the deadline and after writing the final exam.
Is the decision to revise the grading scheme to meet 70 percent completion made by the student or the instructor?
Instructors have the discretion whether to re-weight assignments, and how it should be done in order to preserve the academic integrity of the course. In some cases the nature of the course and the timing of the tests / assignments within the term will mean that it is not feasible to revise the grading scheme and conclude the course with only 60 percent of it completed.
I did poorly on the assignment that my professor has decided to re-weight. What are my options?
If a revised grading scheme is made available for courses where 60 percent of the work has been completed, a student may opt for an assessed grade using that revised scheme. If the assessed grade based on the revised scheme is not favourable, the student may complete the course on the basis of the original syllabus.
If I have a final worth 50 percent, will I be eligible for re-weighting of my assignments?
No. Re-weighting of assignments is only an option for courses where 60 percent of the coursework has been completed prior to the last day of classes (for courses that continued during the disruption).
Can I opt to write a final exam even if my course instructor has indicated that the class doesn’t have to?
Yes, you can choose to write the final exam if that was part of the original grading scheme for the course included in the syllabus. If you decide to complete the course according the original grading scheme, you may not retroactively choose an assessed grade past the deadline and after writing the final exam.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the assessed grade option and my course status?
If you have questions about the assessed grade option or your eligibility to opt for an assessed grade, please contact your Faculty representative listed below. As this is a course-specific issue, Registrarial Services will be unable to assist with inquiries about the assessed grade option.
