Lawsuit over grade changes?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Jun 14, 2014

So the school raises thief standards for grading (likely to remain competitive and increase nclex pass rates). Students chose this program because of the lower grading standards? Ok then.

I think there is no record of the type of lawsuit you seek is because I doubt one exists or has been settled, the school has the right to adjust standards as needed and usually requires administrative approval (if a curriculum change, also BoN approval) . It seems that you & your classmates have two choices abide by the higher standard or transfer to another school.

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 14, 2014

the grade requirements will change from a 10 point grading scale to a 7 point grading scale. I generally try to keep a positive attitude but there are about 100 students in the program and many have chosen this particular school so they can maintain a higher GPA compared to other schools that have higher requirements.

Not sure I understand what this means. Are you saying that this school has been known in the past as being much easier in their grading than other programs? And now it sounds like maybe they're tightening their grading so to be more in line with the other programs out there?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2014

Can anyone offer information or suggestions on this?

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Please remain cognizant that the exchange of legal advice is totally out of the scope of these forums. We wish you the best of luck with your current set of circumstances.

RunBabyRN · Jun 14, 2014

You could always talk to an attorney, as they would be your best source of legal info, but I agree with JustBeachyNurse, that they are probably tightening their standards so that they are only graduating nurses that stand a decent chance of passing the NCLEX. A school that is known for their lenient grading would make me leery of getting a good education, especially regarding a subject that is literally life and death.

Jackson12 · Jun 14, 2014

It's not that they had lenient grading. Their NCLEX pass rates were unbeatable by other local schools until they started losing instructors. Although their NCLEX pass rates are still as high if not higher than the other schools. We do not understand the reason for the grade change. One of the reasons students chose the school is because some schools students want to attend in the future have competitive entry into their program and the 10 point GPA would give an advantage.

StudentOfHealing · Jun 14, 2014

It's not that they had lenient grading. Their NCLEX pass rates were unbeatable by other local schools until they started losing instructors. Although their NCLEX pass rates are still as high if not higher than the other schools. We do not understand the reason for the grade change. One of the reasons students chose the school is because some schools students want to attend in the future have competitive entry into their program and the 10 point GPA would give an advantage.

How about you just raise your own standards? Give it a true fight, try your hardest before you complain and take legal action.

I can assure you NO hospital or program will want you if they knew you sued your school and word gets around.

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jun 14, 2014

You had an "initial contract" that spelled out a time frame? Probably not. I bet there's something about how they may make changed as necessary.

Your best bet....grow up, move on and accept the change.

rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jun 14, 2014

I would assume that tightening of the standards and the high staff turnover rate in the past years is an attempt to increase the pass rate on the NCLEX from a sub-par standing. So there are members of the class that want to shore up possible poor grade point averages so they want the same lax grading to continue. I guess I cannot make the assumption that the grading is lax but from what was said it is somewhat implied.

I am not sure that there would be any legal standing but I am not a lawyer. In our program the contracts are signed at the beginning of each semester and changes are usually made to clear up problems and in this case improve the standards. You have the option not to sign but that also means you cannot continue with the program.

In your post you suggest that the institution had a positive reputation that was lost recently when they lost their national accreditation. I really think that you, and possibly the rest of the class, is looking at this wrong. Increasing the standards can only help firm up their reputation because they will be graduating nurses that are more competent, can pass the NCLEX, and obtain gainful employment once in the workforce. If they increase the standards alone to "weed out" the people that cannot pass the NCLEX then that would be wrong, but you said that there has been turnover in the staff so that tells me that they are trying to make changes to the instruction in an attempt to better educate the students. Maybe I cannot make that assumption, but with the information at hand I would like to believe that programs would be inclined to make changes to improve their performance because it would be in their best interest. (to obtain accreditation)

Something similar happened my last semester of nursing school which will not fully go into effect until next semester, after I have gone of course. Funny thing is, there were two people that complained the most and even tried to organize the students to band together and boycott the new standards. Their idea was that if we refused to sit for the exit exam and complete the required test remediation, then they could not fail us all. I chose not to get involved because I felt it was very childish. As it stands they both barely passed the semester with the new grade standards but one of them is planning to intentionally fail the NCLEX to put a black mark on the program because she was so full of hate. Talk about childish.

If I were you I would not get caught up in all the drama that has occurred and will occur because of this and make sure you will pass. Study hard, do your best, and become a strong competent nurse. Show everyone that you can succeed and pass the NCLEX on the first try!

AOx1 · Jun 14, 2014

You should probably sue NCSBN as well, they raised the NCLEX standards as well! In fact they do it periodically. Just because you have the ability to do something doesn't mean you should. If your employer decides to require a new certification or a higher level of education, will they also get sued? I suggest more study, less litigiousness. Stop distracting yourself with drama and decide to succeed.

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 14, 2014

If they have a high NCLEX pass rate, how did they lose their accreditation in the first place?

Personally, you & your classmates just need to buckle down and work hard to achieve passing grades. Most of the classes in our school use 91-100 as a 4.0. However, for math, it's 94-100. Many students complain that it's "not fair" the math standards are so high. Well, if you want to go on to other schools and be successful, you need that high standard. Our nursing math standards are 90% or better or you FAIL the entire nursing course you're taking. On a 25 question test, you can only miss 2 and still pass. Miss 3 and you fail. That's the standard that was set. We have to live up to it.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 14, 2014

This is NOT worthy of a lawsuit. :no:

You have a choice to either transfer out or stay.