Dear JD Student: We at ASU Law are deeply concerned about your welfare and well-being in your personal and educational lives. We are acutely aware that many of you are concerned about grades and, in particular, the extraordinary mental effort law school can require at a time when you may have so many other issues affecting your lives. To that end, we wanted to let you know that we are providing a flexible, individualized, program for grading that will help alleviate concerns many of you have. What follows is the process we are implementing, immediately, to help alleviate some of the pressures you may be feeling. In short, you may request an accommodation to be graded on a Pass/Fail basis for the entire Spring 2020 semester. You will have more than one opportunity to seek this accommodation, and we are making the process as easy as possible. The key is that you all MUST fill out the form hyperlinked below. To repeat: EVERY JD STUDENT MUST FILL OUT THE “SEMESTER GRADING ACCOMMODATION REQUEST FORM” EVEN IF NOT SEEKING AN ACCOMMODATION. Please read both Process 1 and Process 2 below to determine your accommodation options. PROCESS 1: IMMEDIATE REQUEST FOR PASS/FAIL ACCOMMODATION FOR SPRING 2020 SEMESTER We recognize that, for many of you, your current situation requires immediate relief from the pressures of normal grading for your classes. With that reality, you may petition the Administration of ASU Law by filling out a SEMESTER GRADING ACCOMMODATION REQUEST FORM. If granted (and you may expect the Administration to be generous in granting such requests), you will receive a Pass or Fail for all credits taken in Spring 2020. Some important notes for students who are granted this Semester Grading Accommodation:     It will apply to ALL credits taken in this semester. 1 Students must still complete all coursework and demonstrate through normal assessments sufficient understanding of course material to obtain a Pass. You must be awarded the equivalent of a “C” grade or higher to obtain a Pass in the course. If the Accommodation is granted, students will still have until April 26 to change their mind and revert to normal grading should personal circumstances change. All students granted a Semester Grading Accommodation, who have not revoked that request as of April 26, will be assigned Pass or Fail grades, as 1 This option does not apply to any course that has already concluded. appropriate, and will not be permitted to see their raw scores or the grades that would have been assigned. PROCESS 2: POST-GRADING REQUEST FOR PASS/FAIL ACCOMMODATION FOR SPRING 2020 SEMESTER Students who did not seek or receive pre-grading accommodations will be graded under normal grading procedures (i.e., the procedure laid out in the course syllabus or, in the case of independent studies or other non-syllabus classes, according to the Statement of Student Policies). Once grades are submitted, you will receive a calculated Spring 2020 GPA. If your Spring 2020 GPA is lower than your prior cumulative GPA, and you believe that downward departure was caused by personal circumstances related to the current situation, you may request a POST-GRADING REQUEST FOR PASS/FAIL ACCOMMODATION (this form will be sent out to all students who received normal grades for Spring 2020). Students whose calculated Spring 2020 GPA is less than their cumulative GPA, and who submit a POST-GRADING REQUEST FOR PASS/FAIL ACCOMMODATION, will be subject to the following procedures:     Students must articulate how COVID-19 adversely affected their ability to succeed in their coursework. In cases where students have suffered a significant downward departure in their Spring 2020 GPA from their cumulative GPA (defined as -0.25 or more), students should expect a lower standard of review. In cases with a smaller downward departure (-0.01-0.24), students should expect a higher standard of review. If this Accommodation is granted—all grades for Spring 2020 will be converted to Pass/Fail. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS      Selecting either of these Accommodations will not affect your right to seek any other accommodations (disability, exam conflicts, deferrals, incompletes, etc.). No matter what Accommodation students seek, they must complete sufficient coursework and demonstrate sufficient understanding of course material, to obtain a passing grade (C or better). Failure to complete coursework, without other accommodation, may result in a failing grade. Normal grade curves will apply to all classes. Student work will be graded by faculty without regard for Accommodations and the normal grade curve will be applied where required. Classes will not be re-curved after Accommodations are applied. Faculty will not be informed who has been granted (or sought) any accommodation. To preserve anonymity, we request that you not inform your instructor whether you have requested or been granted either of these Accommodations.  “Pass” grades will not affect a student’s GPA. However, Spring 2020 GPA will be included in cumulative GPA for those students who receive normal grades. Students will be ranked according to our established ranking procedures. ASU Law is committed to your success and your well-being. If you need anything else beyond these Accommodations, don’t hesitate to reach out (and, please fill out the Student Concern Form). Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Dean Sylvester