At Sarah Lawrence, we believe that grades do not adequately measure student growth. Instead, growth and achievement are evaluated in reports written by faculty and 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—indeed, all 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.

In addition to evaluations, faculty submit grades for each student that are recorded on an official transcript. Students wishing to see their grades or to request transcripts should contact the Registrar’s Office. Students have the option of taking one course pass/fail in each semester.