Grading Policies and Information Copy
General Grading and Evaluation Policies
The Children’s Ministries Institute is designed to offer personalized attention to students in order to enhance their future effectiveness as Christian leaders. Students are encouraged to strive for excellence in every aspect of their training so as to bring honor to the Lord and to develop to their fullest potential. Therefore, all assignments must be submitted on time and each assignment will be graded according to the evaluation criteria set up by the Children’s Ministries Institute.
Policies related to course grading and evaluation are found in your student handbook. Please refer to that document for further explanation or contact your online instructor with any questions.
CMI consistently evaluates all policies, procedures, content, instructors, and the delivery system. Students are encouraged to provide feedback about issues or concerns through surveys or personal communication.
Understanding Today’s Child Course Grading
During each week of the course, there will be activities and assignments that must be completed. The coursework is designed to provide the information needed to complete the assignments. Students will also do additional research.
All assignments will be graded. Each assignment will earn points that will determine the final course grade. All assignments must be completed in order to pass the course.
Final Course Grade
Each assignment is weighted based on its percentage of the total grade.
| Assignment | Percentage |
| Forums | 20% |
| Real-world Interviews and Observation Paper – Children | 20% |
| Real-world interviews and Observation Paper – Little Kids OR Adolescents | 20% |
| Children at Risk Summary and Project | 20% |
| Teaching Children from Different Religious Backgrounds Summary and Project | 20% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
CMI Grading Scale
| Percent | Points | Grade | GPA |
| 95-100 | 950-1000 | A | 4.0 |
| 93-94 | 930-940 | A- | 3.7 |
| 91-92 | 910-920 | B+ | 3.3 |
| 87-90 | 870-900 | B | 3.0 |
| 85-86 | 850-860 | B- | 2.7 |
| 83-84 | 830-840 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 79-82 | 790-820 | C | 2.0 |
| 77-78 | 770-780 | C- | 1.7 |
| 75-76 | 750-760 | D+ | 1.3 |
| 72-74 | 720-740 | D | 1.0 |
| 70-71 | 700-710 | D- | .7 |
Assignment Due Dates/Times
It is expected that all assignments will be submitted on time. Failure to submit or post assignments in this course on time affects not only you but also your classmates and their learning. Due to this fact, failure to submit assignments on time will result in a drop of one letter grade for each day late.
Please reference the various grading rubrics below that provide specific details about how each assignment will be graded.
In the case of an emergency, students should contact their online instructor and make arrangements for a late submission of an assignment before the assignment due date.
All assignments must be posted or submitted by 11:55 PM Central Time on the day the assignment is due. In cases where the student consistently misses assignment due dates, the student may be withdrawn from the class without remuneration.
Grading Rubrics
Use the following grading rubrics to see how your assignments will be evaluated.
Inclusion in Forum Posts and Group Projects
Be aware that CMI students represent a variety of denominations and cultures. CEF and CMI are inter-denominational. All denominations, national origins, genders, ages, and races should feel welcome. Keep a multicultural, inclusive perspective when writing online. Provide assistance as needed to others in your group when English is not their primary language.
Any posts that are considered offensive to individuals or groups are subject to deletion by your instructor. Students will be required to resubmit their posts making necessary changes. If the student submits subsequent posts after the assignment deadline, the student will receive a reduction in grade for the late posting. Any student who consistently posts things that are offensive or hurtful to others is subject to dismissal from the program without remuneration.
Student Complaints/Grievances and Grade Disputes
If a student believes there is a justifiable concern about discrimination or unfair treatment on the basis of race, color, sex, age, or national origin or any academic procedure (course procedures, grades, evaluations, etc.), it is our desire that any grievance is resolved in an informal manner. This would include discussing the problem or grievance with an instructor first.
Student grievances concerning grades awarded or the quality of instruction received are handled first by the instructor and then by the CMI Online academic committee. For specific policies regarding grievances, please refer to your CMI Online Student Handbook.
Intellectual Honesty and Academic Misconduct
The Children’s Ministries Institute expects students to exhibit honesty in all areas of study and life. Academic dishonesty is a serious violation of the standards of the Children’s Ministries Institute and can result in denial of credit without remuneration and dismissal from the Institute. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism*, cheating, fabrication of research (inventing data or citations), the facilitation of academic dishonesty, or violation of copyright.
All Children’s Ministries Institute content is subject to U.S. Copyright laws and is restricted to use by enrolled students. Books and notes (in print or downloadable form) as well as CDs and DVDs may not be reproduced in any form, shared in print or by electronic means, or sold without the written permission of the publisher.
The only copying allowed is that which the student is required to make in order to complete coursework. Streamed video lectures that are part of a course should not be viewed on a regular basis by those not enrolled in the class. In addition, students should not attempt to gain unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Any act of software piracy, hacking, constructing viruses, or knowingly introducing viruses into a system will be breaches of integrity.
*All written material submitted by any means should be the original work of the student. Group projects should be the combined original work of the group. Students should not at any time represent another’s work as their own.