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Teaching at SU
Campus Grading Guide

The following excerpts outline some major points from the chapter "Testing and Grading" in Barbara Gross Davis’s Tools for Teaching (1993). The book is quite helpful and is available at the Center for Support of Teaching and Learning and in Bird Library.

Grading Practices
There are no hard-and-fast rules about the best ways to grade. In fact, as Erickson and Strommer (1991) point out, how you grade depends a great deal on your values, assumptions, and educational philosophy: if you view introductory courses as “weeder” classes–to separate out students who lack potential for future success in the field–you are likely to take a different grading approach than someone who views introductory courses as teaching important skills that all students need to master.

All faculty agree, however, that grades provide information on how well students are learning (Erickson and Strommer, 1991). But grades also serve other purposes. Scriven (1974) has identified at least six functions of grading:

• To describe unambiguously the worth, merit, or value of the work accomplished
• To improve the capacity of students to identify good work, that is, to improve their self-evaluation or discrimination skills with respect to work submitted
• To stimulate and encourage good work by students
• To communicate the teacher’s judgment of the student’s progress
• To inform the teacher about what students have and haven’t learned
• To select people for rewards or continued education

For some students, grades are also a sign of approval or disapproval; they take them very personally. Because of the importance of grades, faculty need to communicate to students a clear rationale and policy on grading.

If you devise clear guidelines from which to assess performance, you will find the grading process more efficient, and the essential function of grades–communicating the student’s level of performance–will be easier. Further, if you grade carefully and consistently, you can reduce the number of students who complain and ask you to defend a grade. The suggestions below are designed to help you develop clear and fair grading policies.

General Strategies

• Grade on the basis of students’ mastery of knowledge and skills.
• Avoid grading systems that put students in competition with their classmates and limit the number of high grades.
• Try not to overemphasize grades.
• Keep students informed of their progress throughout the term.

Minimizing Students’ Complaints about Grading
While students at one time were hesitant to challenge instructors’ grades, today’s undergraduate is likely to question a grade on an individual assignment or for a course if it does not fit with the student’s perception of his or her progress or performance. The following suggestions can help to minimize student complaints about grading.

• Clearly state grading procedures in your course syllabus, and go over this information in class.
• Set and articulate policies on late work.
• Avoid changing your grading policies during the term.
• Provide enough opportunities for students to show you what they know.
• Consider allowing students to choose among alternative assignments.
• Stress to students that grades reflect work on a specific task and are not judgments about people.
• Give encouragement to students who are performing poorly.
• Deal directly with students who are angry or upset about their grade.
• Keep accurate records of students’ grades.

Making Effective Use of Grading Tactics

• Record results numerically rather than as letter grades, whenever possible.
• Give students a chance to improve their grades by reworking their assignments.
• If many students do poorly on an exam, schedule another one on the same material a week or so later.

The University Grading System
The following grading system has been in effect at Syracuse University since Fall 1987.

Syracuse University Grading Chart

Grading Symbols

AU (Audit)
Students may audit classes with the approval of the appropriate department and subject to the restrictions of the instructor. Although students auditing courses are not required to fulfill all academic responsibilities of the course, excessive absences or failure to meet restrictions set by the instructor may be grounds for recording a grade of NA rather than an AU.

I (Incomplete)
The grading symbol Incomplete (I) can be granted only at the student’s request and with the instructor’s approval. The grade of Incomplete is reserved for exceptional circumstances that prevent a student from completing coursework by the time that grades must be submitted. Unless the student has completed sufficient work on which to base a grade, do not consider a grade of Incomplete. To receive an Incomplete, the student must complete the Request for Incomplete Grade form, which is an agreement between the student and instructor specifying the reasons for the Incomplete grade and the conditions and time limit for removing the Incomplete.

NA (Never Attended)
The grade symbol of NA indicates that the student failed to exercise her or his responsibility to officially withdraw from a course. NA is assigned by an instructor only if one of the following conditions applies: (1) the student never attended the course, or (2) the student stopped attending the course so early in the semester that no basis for evaluation exists. For students who have attended the course long enough to establish a basis for evaluation, but have not withdrawn form the course, the grade for the course is determined on the basis of the submitted work, counting the unsubmitted work as zero.

P (Passing)
Approval to take a course on a pass/fail basis must be obtained before taking the course.

WD (Withdrew)
Following the academic drop deadline, a student may withdraw from a course and have the symbol WD recorded on the transcript. The option of withdrawing from a course is in effect after the academic drop deadline and extends up to approximately two weeks before the last day of classes. (The withdraw deadline is published each semester in the Time Schedule of Classes.)

Grading Policies

Posting Grades
Since students’ rights to privacy must be safeguarded, posting grades publicly, even by social security number, is not permitted. Students should be informed of grades on individual assignments in a manner that is confidential. Options include: handwritten feedback delivered directly to the student or personal conversation or e-mail communication between the instructor and the student.

Recording Grades
At the end of the semester, you will receive multi-form grade sheets on which to record your final grades. Instructions will accompany the grade reporting forms to remind you about special grade symbols (I, WD, etc.) and tell you when and to whom your grades must be submitted. Please submit your final grades by the stipulated date and time.

Returning Student Work
Returning students’ work from your course is your responsibility. You may arrange to return work at the last class meeting or have students pick their papers or projects up from you at a stipulated office hour. Some instructors ask students to provide a self-addressed, stamped 8x12 envelope so that you can mail their work to them after the end of the semester. Students’ graded work cannot be left in an unsecured space for them to "pick up." If you have student work that is not claimed at the end of the course, the policy is to hold it for one year.

More Information
If you would like more information on this topic, please contact the Center by email at mailto:cstl@syr.edu or by phone at 443-4572.

Page last updated: Tuesday, January 23, 2007