School Policies

Enroll in a course when you can commit the time and diligence needed for successful course completion.

Due to a high volume of calls, please keep your calls to Hadley as concise as possible.

Use email addresses of Hadley instructors for questions about Hadley or courses and to submit assignments only.

We are happy to work with you on school or course related concerns. We are not able to counsel students on personal matters.

Give us time to meet your request—calling repeatedly often slows down the process.

After you mail an assignment, allow sufficient time to pass before asking whether the instructor received it. Consider utilizing the Online Automated Student Information System (OASIS) to check your graded and historical course record online.

Eye Report

For U.S. applicants in the Adult Continuing Education and High School Program only:

Ask your medical doctor, ophthalmologist or optometrist to complete and sign the Hadley Eye Report form, which is included with the enrollment application.
If your eye condition has not changed since your last exam, your doctor may complete the form without another exam.
If you are (or have been) serviced by another agency or school that has your eye report on file, you may provide a copy of that report.
The submitted report must indicate your current visual acuity or visual field and state that you are legally blind or have a visual impairment that significantly disrupts functioning in one or more areas, including but not limited to reading, writing, travel, employment, recreation or other activities of daily living.
If you are not legally blind, the report must indicate functional limitations imposed by your visual impairment.

Lesson Requirements

Send your first lesson assignment or course-related communication within 60 days of enrollment. If you do not, you will be sent a follow-up letter. Cancellation is automatic if no communication is received from you within six months of enrollment. Students outside the United States are allowed extra time.

Submit the next assignment no later than one month after receiving your instructor's feedback. You can continue your studies in the meantime; however do not send the next lesson until you receive and review previous lesson feedback.

Refer to the welcome letter that accompanies the course materials or contact the instructor to find out if submitting multiple assignments is allowed. Sending in multiple assignments before receiving feedback may cause avoidable errors to reoccur, resulting in ineffective learning and lower grades.

Send assignments to more than one instructor in separate envelopes. Use the mailing labels provided with the course material and affix proper postage if required. Some envelopes require extra postage because of their size or weight. Always include your return mailing address on your envelope.

Emailed Lessons: In an effort to eliminate computer viruses, emailed lesson submissions must include the course name and lesson number directly in the subject line. Failure to include this information can cause the lesson to be discarded by the instructor.

Number of Courses

Students in good standing can enroll in additional courses. "Students in Good Standing" refers to students who have at least three assignments graded by the instructor for their current course, and whose grades are in the Hadley database. These grades must be at least a B, or satisfactory, for courses that use the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading system. The three most recent assignment grades are taken into account first. In addition, students must have a record of turning in assignments on time as well as a history of completing their Hadley courses.

Students in the Family Education and the Hadley School for Professional Studies must complete one course before taking other Hadley courses concurrently. For students who wish to take multiple courses at the same time, the first three assignments of the current course must be successfully completed. Also, the student must be in good standing, as defined above. No more than two courses can be taken simultaneously.

Students in the Adult Continuing Education and High School Programs do not need to complete their first course before enrolling in additional courses. They must be in good standing and complete the first three assignments of a course before enrolling in an additional one. These students may not enroll in more than three courses at one time. In rare cases, High School Program students may receive special permission from the High School Coordinator to enroll in more than three courses. For more information, contact Student Services.

Grades

Hadley courses that are graded by letter follow this system:

A = excellent 90-100
B = above average 80-89
C = average 70-79
D = below average 60-69
F = fail. below 60

Lessons and courses that do not use the letter system are graded S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).

You will receive a certificate for completing any course with a grade of A, B, C or S, including those with a "+" or "-". Diagnostic and placement tests are not graded and no certificate is issued.

Read assignment directions carefully. The instructor may require you to redo an assignment if he or she believes you misunderstood the directions, resulting in an assignment being considered "no grade" (NG). Only two NGs can be given for any assignment. The third time the same assignments is turned in, it must be given a grade other than NG. An instructor will ask the student to redo an assignment, which has received a D or F (and in some cases a U). These assignments are graded, then reduced one full grade to account for the privilege of redoing them. Persistent poor performance in a course may result in termination of a student's enrollment.

Nonstart, Cancellation and Withdrawal

If you do not start or you withdraw from a course, one of the following codes will be recorded in your permanent transcript. Note: If a combination of any two non-starts or cancellations occurs in succession, you will be prohibited from enrolling in another course for three months. A history of non-starts, cancellations and withdrawals may result in your enrollment in the school being revoked.

Non-start (NS)
Failure to submit a lesson or communication within six months of enrollment.

Cancellation (X)
Failure to submit assignments in a timely manner, seriously neglect coursework or consistently perform poorly. Either the student or the instructor can initiate a cancellation.

Withdrawal Satisfactory (WS)
Given under special circumstances and only if the student meets specific criteria. The instructor, at his or her discretion, can grant a WS if a) the student explains, in writing, why his or her goals have been accomplished, b) at least 80 percent or more of course assignments have been submitted, and c) the overall grade on those assignments is no less than B- or satisfactory. WS is reflected on the permanent transcript. No certificate is issued for a course that receives this final grade.

Withdrawal Transfer (WT)
Given in special circumstances and only when the student meets specific criteria. In order for a WT to be given, the student must be performing poorly in the course due to lack of prerequisite skills or knowledge. If Hadley offers a course that will help the student acquire this skill or knowledge, a WT to that course is granted.

A cancellation (X) is recorded, instead, if the student does not transfer to the needed course immediately, wants to drop the course for lack of interest or commitment, or no such course is offered.

Grade Appeal Process

If you have a dispute with your instructor regarding an assignment or final course grade, you may appeal after attempting to resolve the dispute with your instructor. If you are still not satisfied, you may appeal to the dean of educational programs and instruction, who will review the issue and talk to you and the instructor. The dean will make a decision within five business days. If you are still not satisfied, the dean will present the situation to the senior vice president of educational operations. A decision made at this level is considered final.

Plagiarism

If you provide answers to assignments that are taken directly from the course or other documents without citing the source or using quotation marks, the assignment will be returned with no grade. Also, you will be asked to redo the assignment using your own words. If you plagiarize a second time, the assignment shall be given a grade of F. If there is a third occurrence of plagiarism, disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including expulsion from the school. Plagiarism does not apply to short-answer or a listing of items. However, copying entire paragraphs from the course or other sources, when asked to provide essay answers in your own words, is considered plagiarism.

Submitting Original Work

You may find studying Hadley courses with a friend a fun and interesting way to learn. You are welcome to discuss course content and work on practice exercises together. However, you must work on lesson assignments independently and submit your own work. Copying someone else’s work is prohibited. Students found to be cheating in this way will face serious disciplinary action.

Obtain Your Own Equipment

You are responsible for supplying your own basic equipment and supplies, such as cassette players and recorders, blank cassettes, computers, braillewriters, typewriters, paper and envelopes. Students not eligible for Free Matter mailing will need to affix postage on all mailings to the school. In some cases, extra postage may be necessary and is the full responsibility of the student.

Use of Hadley Materials

Hadley course materials are for the sole use of its students. They are not to be duplicated, sold or otherwise transferred. Respecting the copyright notices in all Hadley material is required for continued enrollment in the school.

Return of Course Materials

Do not return course materials unless instructed to do so. Hold on to all course materials until you receive your instructor's feedback for the final assignment. Should you choose not to take a course after receiving this feedback, or if your enrollment in a course is canceled, return the unused materials to The Hadley School for the Blind.