Evaluations
At Sarah Lawrence, we believe that grades do not adequately measure student growth. Instead, growth and achievement are evaluated in reports written by faculty members, which are sent to the students and their dons twice a year. In these statements, faculty members report their judgment of the student’s academic achievement, attitude toward work, study habits, ability to learn and form judgments and to use what is learned, ability to work independently—the factors that seem significant to faculty as indicative of the student’s intellectual progress. The faculty are free to use any combination of work assignments they consider appropriate to the objectives of the College and of their courses—papers of different lengths, reports on fieldwork, quizzes, examinations, creative projects, and so forth. All students are expected to write accurately, clearly, and effectively.Teachers in all fields take a student’s writing into account in evaluating work and give such criticism and help as is needed. There is no formal examination period, but students are responsible for submitting a worksheet—a written bibliographic record of all work done during the semester—for each course.Worksheets enable students to look over their entire year’s work and evaluate it themselves. The College keeps a grade record for each student for the purposes of applying to graduate and professional schools. All completed courses are listed with ratings from A to D. Any student wishing to transfer to another college or to apply for admission to graduate or professional school may present a transcript of this record, which will be acceptable to other institutions. Grades are available to students at their request. A student who wishes a Pass/Fail rating in a course may discuss this with the teacher at the time of registration. If it is agreed, the student may notify the registrar of her or his intention during the registration period. Students are limited to one Pass/Fail option each year. Once a Pass/Fail has been given, a letter grade cannot be substituted if the student decides in retrospect that she or he needs or prefers one. A student must be doing the equivalent of C work or better to receive a Pass rating.