Each unit of work completed at College of the Atlantic has a three-part evaluation consisting of a course description, instructor evaluation, and a student self-evaluation. Evaluations serve a dual purpose; they form an ongoing portfolio and permanent record for use by the student and advisors, and they comprise the transcript that may be read in conjunction with applications for other schools and future employment. As a summary and synthesis of work over a period of years, the transcript can be an effective way to show how courses and projects mesh into a coherent education of the student's own design.

Transcripts
An official COA transcript includes a cover sheet listing all course titles and credits attempted, and an evaluation page for each credit unit. The transcript may also indicate completion of non-credit requirements. The cover sheet alone can be sealed as an official transcript, but the cover sheet with the entire set of evaluations is most commonly requested. To order an official transcript for an educational institution or prospective employer, the student must submit a release form to the Registrar's Office (alternatively, a signed letter or note will do). All requests for transcripts must be pre-paid in full. Note that transcripts are not released if the student has overdue bills in the Business Office and/or the library.

Evaluations and/or grades are routinely distributed to students approximately a month after the end of a term. Students have access to their own files in the Registrar's Office during regular office hours. In keeping with policies under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (below), the College requires the student's release, in writing, before opening educational records to third parties.

Privacy
The College's policies, consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), are as follows:

This act is a Federal law which provides that academic institutions will maintain the confidentiality of student education records.

College of the Atlantic accords all the rights under the law to students who are declared independent. No one outside the College shall have access to nor will the institution disclose any information from students' records without the written consent of students, except to persons or organizations providing student financial aid, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accredi-tation function, to persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are permitted under the Act.

College of the Atlantic also requests, beyond the requirements of law, that all students, whether or not declared independent, give their written consent in the sending of evaluations and transcripts to parents and to officials of other institutions in which students seek to enroll. Within the COA community, only those members, individually or collectively, acting in the students' educational interest are allowed access to student educational records. These include personnel in the Financial Aid, Business, Admission, Student Services, Internship and Registrar's Offices, advisors, and faculty, within the limitations of their need to know.

At its discretion, the College may provide Directory Information in accordance with the provisions of the Act to include: Student name, address, phone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent previous educational institution attended, participation in officially recognized activities and sports. Students may withhold Directory Information by notifying the Registrar in writing within two weeks after the first day of an academic term. Requests for non-disclosure will be honored until the end of an academic year; authorization to withhold Directory Information must therefore be filed annually.

The law provides students with the right to inspect and review information contained in their education records, to challenge the contents of their records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsat-isfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if they feel the decisions of the hearing panels to be unacceptable. COA students have unrestricted access to their own records; they may have copies made of their records at their own expense, with certain exceptions (in cases of delinquent tuition payment, or copies of transcripts from previously attend-ed institutions).

Education records do not include records of instruc-tional, administrative, and other personnel which are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute; student health records; employment records; or alumni records. Health records, however, may be reviewed by physicians of the student's choosing.

Students who believe that their education records contain information that is inaccurate or misleading, or is otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights, may discuss their problems informally with the Registrar and/or the faculty member involved. If the decisions are in agreement with the student's request, the appropriate records will be amended. If not, stu-dents will be informed by the Registrar of their right to a formal hearing. Student requests for a formal hearing must be made to the Review and Appeals Committee, which will inform students of the date, place, and time of the hearing.

Instructor Evaluations
The first part of an evaluation page is written by the instructor (or by group study members or the student for independent study) and is an objective description of the course work and the criteria used for evaluation. The second part is also written by the instructor and addresses the student's performance in light of the stated criteria. The narrative evaluation is an opportunity for the instructor to discuss a student's work in a way that cannot be communicated through a letter grade alone.

At the student's request, a letter grade is given by the instructor. Request for a letter grade must be made in writing on the registration form at the beginning of the course or no later than the Add/Drop deadline. Letter grades are not granted retroactively. The grading option to be selected should be discussed thoroughly with advisors and faculty. The COA faculty follow the following grading definitions:

*Credit: Satisfactory completion of the requirements as stated in the course description. The quality of the work may range from an excellent to an average comprehension of the course material. Equivalent to C or above in letter grade system.

*No Credit: Failure to complete the requirements as stated in the course description or to demonstrate a satisfactory comprehension of the course material. A final status of "No Credit" means that work was not sufficient for credit and/or that it is too late for credit to be considered.

*Extension: A specific new due date for course material has been contracted by student and faculty and a signed extension request has been filed with the Registrar. Work which is incomplete at the expiration of an extension becomes "Incomplete."

*Incomplete: Work is not yet satisfactory for credit but the instructor is willing to evaluate additional or revised work. This status reverts to "No Credit" if work is unfinished or unsatisfactory a calendar year after the last day of the term in which the course was taken.

* A: Excellent, outstanding, or superior insight extending beyond the normal requirements for the course; exceeding expectations; completion of all required work

* B: Good work; conversance in all course topics; completion of all course work

* C: Satisfactory comprehension of the material in the course and completion of the basic requirements

* D: Completion of minimal requirements and demonstration of minimal competence; academic credit is awarded

* F: Failure to complete minimal requirements or to demonstrate comprehension of key course topics; recorded as a "No Credit" for those not opting for letter grades

Student Self-Evaluations
The third part of the evaluation page is the student's self-evaluation. It is the way the College records the student's assessment of the progress of his or her education. Instructions and reminders are distributed by the Registrar at the end of each term; the self-evaluation paragraphs are due three weeks after the end of the term. Sample self-evaluations are available in the Registrar's Office.

If the student does not submit a self-evaluation electronically, the transcript will read, "The student did not submit a self-evaluation." All students must file self-evaluations by the deadline; late self-evaluations are not accepted since they must remain independent of the faculty evaluations.

As part of the advising system, a mid-term evaluation is also expected. Although this oral evaluation does not become part of a student's permanent record, it is an important means of mutual student-teacher evaluation. Ideally, the mid-term evaluation should consist of a fifth-week class meeting to discuss direction and format, and one-to-one student/teacher conferences to evaluate individual successes, failures, and expectations.

All evaluations (faculty evaluations of students, student self-evaluations, and course evaluations) are due to the Registrar's Office three weeks after the end of the term.

Incomplete Work
If work is completed within a calendar year, the transcript record will be corrected. The status of "Incomplete" can be changed to "Credit" (or letter grade) by communication from the instructor to the Registrar upon completion of work within one calendar year of the last day of the term in which the course took place. If an entire calendar year elapses from that date, "Incomplete" automatically reverts to the final status of "No Credit." If a faculty member has judged that, even though all course assignments are not complete, a student's work is sufficient for credit at a lower grade or with reservations noted in the evaluation, it is possible for the evaluation at the end of the term to reflect this lack of performance. In these cases, a year-old "Incomplete" may be approved by the instructor for "Credit."

This one-year "statute of limitations" applies to a student who has withdrawn or taken leave from the College as well as to those who continue as enrolled degree candidates.