14 What About Failure to Progress?
The notice had surprised Dennis, even though he knew his grades had slipped. Dennis had started school out alright, even a little better than he’d expected. And that may have been his problem. Dennis had slacked off in his studies, enjoying campus life more while taking less of an interest in the classroom. At first, Dennis didn’t notice any big change in his classwork, although his grades had quickly slipped. But then, the last term or two, or maybe even three if he was willing to admit it, had pretty much been disasters. Dennis again looked disconsolately at the notice saying that he was on academic probation and would face dismissal next term if he didn’t shape up. He resolved to do so. Now, Dennis just needed a new study plan.
Progression
Instructional programs expect students to advance through program levels to graduation. Students also hope to advance. Yet schools have their own obligations, to government funding sources, accrediting agencies, and other constituents, to ensure that students gain the promised knowledge and skills, and advance to graduation. The government doesn’t fund schools for students to languish at their leisure. Schools at all levels thus hold students accountable to academic benchmarks and standards. States impose K-12 academic standards. The federal government, as a funding agency, and its authorized accrediting agencies hold colleges and universities to satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards. Schools generally cannot just let students remain at whatever level the student chooses or is able to reach. The rule is instead generally to move up or get out. And when a school says to shape up or get out, the student accused of failing to satisfactorily progress has a big problem.
Sanctions
Schools indeed impose restrictions and sanctions on students who fail to satisfactorily progress. Elementary and secondary schools employ a spectrum of progressive sanctions to warn, guide, and motivate students, and hold them accountable. In theory, the restrictions and sanctions both support and punish or motivate the student. Warnings sent home typically offer academic support. Warnings, though, progress to loss of recess, athletics, and club privileges to ensure a focus on studies and to motivate effort. Failures to progress due to perceived insubordination, lack of effort, and excessive tardiness or absences, including truancy, may result in in-school suspension, removing the offending student from the regular classroom to a special disciplinary study area. Of course, the school may also hold a student back to repeat a school year, itself an embarrassment and potential motivator. In the worst K-12 cases, sanctions progress to school expulsion and transfer to an alternative disciplinary program, also known as boot camp or reform school. In higher education, where education is no longer mandatory, the sanctions progress quickly from warning to probation, suspension, and expulsion. So, take your academic progress seriously. Don’t tempt fate. Make changes, and get help with the first sign of failure to satisfactorily progress.
Standards
At the K-12 level, states impose various subject-matter and grade-level standards. To hold schools and students accountable to those standards, states may require standardized testing of every student and then publish school academic profiles. Publication of school academic results can affect school reputation and enrollment. To avoid the adverse impact of a falling profile from failing students, K-12 schools may attempt to shunt struggling students off to alternative schools or otherwise further discourage their enrollment. Yet schools also generally make good-faith efforts to support struggling students. Take full advantage of your school’s academic support services. In higher education, schools receiving federal funding must adopt satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards. Those standards usually require a 2.00/4.00 cumulative grade-point average, often raised to 3.00/4.00 at the graduate-school level. College and university SAP standards also typically limit the percentage of failed, incomplete, or withdrawn courses. Withdraw from courses too often, and you could get kicked out of school. SAP standards also typically require graduation within 150% of the time students ordinarily expect to complete the program. Students must generally graduate in six years from a four-year program or in three years from a two-year graduate program. Monitor your status with respect to your school’s SAP standards. Don’t fall into SAP peril.
Probation
As already indicated, academic probation is generally a first significant form of academic discipline. Schools attach various restrictions and conditions to probation, designed to enable and motivate greater student effort and attention. Loss of social, sports, club, and recreational privileges may be one such restriction. Keep your grades up, or you could lose access to much of what most interests you at school. But the problem with probation is often greater than the restrictions. Once you fall onto probation, you may find it hard to get off probation. Mathematically, you may need more than a few more of your usual C grades to raise your cumulative grade-point average. You may even need a few A and B grades, when you may never have gotten such high grades before. Also, courses generally get harder, not easier. And you don’t know what additional obstacles to your studies, like poor instruction or your illness or injury, may be coming. If you can, maintain a healthy cushion above your school’s minimum cumulative grade-point average. Avoid probation if you possibly can.
Appeals
If you fall near or onto probation, grade appeals may be an option. Not all scoring and grading is fair. Indeed, quite a bit of grading may be subjective, without clearly defined and disclosed criteria. Grading subjectivity is in part why schools commonly maintain grade-appeals systems. A grade-appeal system at least lends an appearance of objectivity, insofar as schools may correct a few inappropriately low grades each term. Instructors also make numeric mistakes in compiling scores. Add up your scores to see if your instructor made a numeric error. Avail yourself of your school’s grade-appeal system if necessary. If your school doesn’t have a formal grade-appeal system, consider meeting with instructors who give you low grades both to find out if a grade adjustment is possible and due, and to learn how you can improve your studies. Schools also typically accept appeals from the probation determination itself. Administrators do make mistakes when entering grades and calculating cumulative grade-point averages. Again, avail yourself of your school’s probation appeal system. If your stakes are high, such as saving a college education in which you’ve invested years and many thousands of dollars, then get a qualified and independent advocate to help you with your appeals.
Circumstances
If you had some extenuating personal circumstance adversely affect your academic performance, you may find special relief from unsatisfactory academic progress probation, suspension, or dismissal. The satisfactory academic progress (SAP) appeal systems just mentioned above typically offer relief from probation or dismissal for students who can demonstrate extraordinary extenuating circumstances. A student’s own severe illness or injury, or a severe illness, injury, or death in the immediate family, are examples of such extenuating circumstances. But proving such a circumstance, requiring appropriate documentation of both the untoward event or condition and how it adversely affected your studies, is generally not enough. You may also have to show that you have corrected or overcome the condition and that you have an achievable plan for getting back into compliance with your school’s academic standards. Retain a skilled and experienced advocate to assist you with your SAP appeal if your stakes for that appeal are high.
Remediation
The key to overcoming unsatisfactory academic progress indeed generally requires a sound plan for remediating your deficiencies. More of the same studies that got you into academic deficiency in the first place generally isn’t the answer. Removing your study impediment, whether that impediment was an unhealthy condition, environment, habit, or relationship or some other cause, may be your biggest step. You may have just needed a wakeup call. But in many instances, the student’s problem is less with external conditions and more to do with study practices and habits. The whole purpose of this guide has been to help you improve those habits and practices. Don’t just stick with what you’ve been doing. And don’t just change for the sake of change. Instead, make strategic changes to address your specific issue, whether your issue has to do with poor reading strategies, poor memory work, the procrastination curve, inadequate resources, inadequate time, or inadequate commitment and effort. Come up with a clear and achievable plan, have skilled academic advisors review and approve your plan, and then implement your plan with appropriate assessment and adjustments.
Disabilities
Disabilities can contribute to unsatisfactory academic progress. Public schools at the K-12 level have the obligation to identify students with disabilities affecting their studies and to refer those students for evaluation, diagnosis, and recommendation of special services and accommodation. Ask your instructors and advisors if they suspect you have a qualifying disability, and cooperate in your evaluation if referred. You may also retain your own evaluator and use the opinion to advocate for school services and accommodation. You have similar rights to disability accommodation at the higher-education level. Accommodations can include not only ramps and lifts for wheelchair access, and devices or adaptations for eyesight and hearing support, but also note-taking and sign-language services, modified braille or large-print materials, and extra time or isolation for exams, among other accommodations and services. Don’t let an undiagnosed or unaccommodated disability ruin your education. Get the help of a qualified and independent advocate if your school does not cooperate in recognizing your disability rights.
Bullying
Harassment, intimidation, and bullying from other students, or sexual harassment from instructors, can also adversely affect your academic performance. Schools at all levels have obligations to provide a reasonably safe and secure learning environment. Students who suffer harassment and bullying may deliberately withdraw from their academic studies so as not to call attention to themselves and instead to conform to negative peer expectations. They may also be unable or unwilling to attend school out of fear of harm or to get to class timely and to access libraries, computer labs, or other academic resources. Students facing bullying may also have their academic work stolen, altered, or destroyed. They may also accept instructor or school blame for the misconduct of the students who are bullying them, to avoid further bullying. They may also refuse to report bullying out of fear for retaliation. If your academic issues relate to bullying, get immediate school help. If you cannot trust school officials to protect you, retain a skilled, experienced, and independent advocate to notify school officials of your right to recover damages if the school does not act swiftly to protect your academic rights. Don’t let bullying or harassment destroy your education. Get qualified help.
Reflection
Where do you stand relative to your school’s academic benchmarks? Do you have an adequate cushion above the academic minimums, in the event that you had something adversely affect your studies? Or do you need to improve your academic standing to ensure that you remain in good standing and are progressing toward graduation? Do you need to pursue a grade appeal to ensure that your cumulative grade-point average remains well above the school minimum? Do you know what your school’s minimum cumulative grade-point average is? Have you failed, withdrawn from, or left incomplete multiple courses in which you enrolled? If so, meet with your school registrar to determine how much of a cushion you have before you are at risk of school expulsion for excessive failures, withdrawals, and incompletes. Make a plan to complete incomplete courses and appeal failed courses if you still can and have a basis on which to do so. What event do you need to overcome or condition do you need to address to improve your studies? Might you have an undiagnosed disability, an accommodation for which would improve your studies? Is bullying or harassment affecting your studies?
Key Points
Schools maintain academic standards you must meet to progress.
Your failure to satisfactorily progress may lead to serious sanctions.
Learn your school’s academic standards to ensure you meet them.
Beware falling onto probation because of the difficulty getting off.
Appeal subjective or miscalculated grades, or incorrect probation.
Show your extenuating circumstances for relief from probation.
Put in place a sound and achievable plan to improve your academics.
Seek evaluation of suspected learning disabilities for accommodation.
Get immediate school or outside help for relief from harassment.