What is the plus/minus grading system?

In fall 2001, all instructors at the University of Maryland began assigning the following grades for credit courses: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F. Such grading allows for more precision in the evaluation process. These letter grade assignments will appear on student transcripts, however, quality points will be assigned as follows:

The university monitors the effectiveness of the plus/minus system and attempts to measure its potential impact on student GPAs.

Please remember to note the use of plus/minus grades in your course syllabus. Be prepared to explain to students the expectations that would differentiate for example, B and B- work or B- and C+ work.

Some students might request a reassessment of their grade and you will need to apply your standards consistently. Faculty may find it useful to discuss their grading practices with their departmental colleagues

How do I submit grades?

You will submit your grades electronically via our University of Maryland Electronic Grading (UMEG) system (see below). Depending on the level of your course and if you have freshmen or transfer students enrolled in your class, you may be required to submit "early warning grades" in addition to final grades.

University of Maryland Electronic Grading (UMEG) System

Grade reporting is done only electronically and with plus and minus grading. The University of Maryland uses the UMEG system, an electronic grade reporting system. To access UMEG, please go online. At this site you can view the screens and "test drive" its features. If you have any difficulties entering the grades, please contact the UMEG Help Line at 4-8267.

UMEG provides a number of services designed to assist faculty in managing their classes. You can view daily updated class rosters, correct grades, download class rosters to your email account, electronically notify the Office of the Registrar of non-attending students, download student email addresses, download class wait lists, update your email address, and change your PIN. There is no need to worry about the security of grades submitted electronically. After you enter the grades, they are machine encrypted, then sent directly to the computer. The level of encryption meets commonly acceptable national standards appropriate to this type of data transfer. If you have any questions about UMEG or would like some instruction, please email the Office of the Registrar.

Early Warning Grades

Each semester, students who are enrolled in 100- and 200-level classes (including MATH 003, 010, 013, and 015) will receive early warning grades for these courses. In addition, if your class is a 300- or 400-level and is attended by first-semester freshmen or transfer students, you will need to submit early warning grades for these students. These grades are intended to provide the student with information about his/her progress in the course. Please note that early warning grades are not used in computation of student grade point averages. The following list summarizes the early warning grade notations:

The MS and MU grades can be used when an instructor feels that he/she has insufficient information on which to base a conventional letter grade. Early warning grades are mailed to all first semester freshmen, first semester transfer students and any student receiving a deficient grade (MD, MF, & MU). Other students can access their early warning grades online, via Testudo.

Final Grades

According to university regulations, grade reports are to be submitted within 48 hours of each final exam. It is important that the grade reports are filed in a timely manner. For graduating seniors, the final degree clearance process occurs after commencement. If grades are not submitted, students cannot be cleared to graduate. In the past, students did not receive their diplomas in a timely manner because instructors failed to submit grade reports by the due date.

In addition to the original grade report, which is filed with the Office of the Registrar, each faculty member should keep a copy of the grade report and submit an additional one to the department chairperson. Furthermore, it is required that faculty members keep copies of each student's exam for at least one year. There have been several instances in which students have successfully challenged the grade received in a class because they did not have an opportunity to review their exam to check for grading accuracy.

Like the early warning grades, the final semester grades must be submitted electronically on UMEG. (See UMEG above for more information).

What are the grading options?

At the time of registration, students may select from a number of different grading options, which are recorded on their permanent academic records. These options include:

• R - Regular
• A - Audit
• P - Pass/Fail

Students have until the end of the schedule adjustment period to make changes in the grading method. Please note that these grading options may not be available for all courses. For more information, students should consult the current edition of the Schedule of Classes.

Note: Students do not have the option to take a course using the S/F (satisfactory/fail) grade method. Rather, courses are designated by the university as satisfactory/fail courses. These courses may be taken only with the S/F grading option.

Regular Grading Option

A notation of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- or F will appear on the student's transcript. The regular grading option requires students to complete all course assignments and exams. To fulfill a requirement (i.e., CORE, major and supporting area courses), the course must be taken with the regular grading option.

Audit Grading Option

The audit grading option is used to allow students to sit in on or take part in a class without having to complete any of the course work; however, students do not earn any academic credit for audited courses and these courses cannot be used to fulfill any department, college or university requirements. Faculty members are under no obligation to grade students' work if they elect to audit the class. To register for a course under the audit policy, the course must be designated as available for the audit grading option and there must be space available in the course. The student will receive the notation of AU on his/her transcript. This notation does not imply attendance or effort in the class.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

The pass/fail grading option is available to all students who have completed 30 or more University of Maryland credits. Transfer students who have completed more than 30 credits or students with 30 or more AP credits must complete at least one semester at the University of Maryland before they are eligible to take a course pass/fail. Please note that not all University of Maryland courses are available to be taken pass/fail.

• Courses taken with the pass/fail option can only be used as elective credit. These courses cannot be used to fulfill department, supporting area, college or CORE requirements.
• Students may register for only one pass/fail course per semester and are limited to a maximum of 12 pass/fail credits during their academic careers.
• Students may not repeat a class with the pass/fail grading option.
• Students who register for a course with the pass/fail option are required to complete all regular course requirements. Student work will be evaluated by the instructor using the normal letter grade procedures. The instructor will submit the earned letter grade to the Office of the Registrar, which will convert the plus/minus grades of A, B, C, & D to the grade of P. The grade of F will remain as given.

Satisfactory/Fail Grading Option

The satisfactory grading option is used by some departments to denote satisfactory performance by a student in orientation courses, thesis projects, practice teaching, internships and so forth. The satisfactory grade and accompanying credits are not used in the computation of student grade point averages. The satisfactory grading option is not an option students can select. This grading option is determined by the College Program Curricula Committee.

Retroactive Grade Changes

Retroactive grade changes can only be initiated by the faculty member who originally assigned the grade. Requests for changes require approval of both the department chairperson and the dean's office before the grade change can be processed by the Office of the Registrar. When submitting a supplementary grade change, instructors should provide a brief written explanation for the grade change.

Incompletes/Incomplete Contracts

The university recognizes that there are instances in which course work may not be completed before the end of the semester. The mark of "I" is an exceptional mark that is an instructor option. It is given only to a student whose work in a course has been qualitatively satisfactory, when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control, he or she has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course. In no case will the mark "I" be recorded for a student who has not completed the major portion of the work of the course.

1. This Incomplete Contract form must be submitted to the dean of the college offering the course within six weeks after the grade submission deadline (if a grade hasn't already been submitted). If any Incomplete Contract isn't completed within the six-week period, the instructor will convert the "I" to the appropriate grade.
2. The student will remove the "I" by completing work assigned by the instructor; it is the student's responsibility to request arrangements for the completion of the work. The work must be completed by the time stipulated in the contract, usually by the end of the next semester, but in any event, no later than one year. If the remaining work for the course as defined by the contract is not completed on schedule, the instructor will convert the "I" to the grade indicated by the contract.
3. Exceptions to the stated deadline may be granted by the student's dean (in negotiation with the faculty member or the faculty member's dean) upon the written request of the student if circumstances warrant further delay.
4. If the instructor is unavailable, the department chair, upon request of the student, will make appropriate arrangements for the student to complete the course requirements.
5. It is the responsibility of the instructor or department chair concerned to submit the grade promptly upon completion of the conditions of the Incomplete Contract.
6. The "I" cannot be removed through re-registration for the course or through credit by examination. An "I" mark is not used in the computation of quality points or cumulative grade point averages.

Supplementary Grade Report (SGR)

The supplementary grade report form is required in the following situations:

• The grade noted on a student's grade report is incorrect or a grade was inadvertently left off the final grade sheet.
• Although the student was apparently registered for the course, the student's name was not on the final grade sheet.

Note that faculty may change students' grades online using the UMEG grading system approximately two weeks after final grade calculations each term; however, once the UMEG grading system has closed the ability to enter grades for a particular term, faculty must submit an SGR.

A supplementary grade report may be obtained from the department office. The faculty member must complete, sign and forward the form to the department chairperson for approval. At no time should the student have access to the supplementary grade report. A brief note of explanation from the instructor should accompany the grade change. Please note that if the student is an athlete, a note of explanation is required whenever a grade change is made.

Supplementary Grade Reports for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences should be sent to Tonya Lockett-Landis (2141 Tydings Hall or 5-1679) in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences' dean's office once departmental approval has been obtained.

Confidentiality-Posting Grades

As set forth in the regulations of the Buckley Amendment, which is part of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, students are protected from disclosure of personal and academic information to anyone other than the student. This includes parents, except under special circumstances. Faculty members are prohibited from posting student grades with student names or social security numbers in whole or in part. Such a practice exposes the responsible faculty member and university to civil litigation. Other information not to be divulged is included in the description and definition of the Buckley Amendment.

Arbitrary and Capricious Grading

The term "Arbitrary and Capricious Grading" means:

• The assignment of a course grade on some basis other than course performance.
• The assignment of a course grade based upon standards different from those applied to other students in the course.
• The assignment of a course grade based upon a substantial, unreasonable and unannounced departure from the instructor's previously articulated standards.

To minimize accusations of arbitrary and capricious grading, instructors should clearly explain their expectations and policies in the course syllabus. This explanation should also include a detailed description of your grading policies. In other words, how will you compute student grades?

Students are encouraged to resolve grade disputes informally with the instructor. When students meet with you to discuss a disputed grade, consider their arguments carefully and try to resolve the issue to your mutual satisfaction. If the student is not satisfied with the informal resolution, he/she may file a written appeal under the arbitrary and capricious grading procedures, which are outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog.

How do you compute a grade point average?

GPA = Quality Points ÷ Credits Attempted

Only grades from courses taken at the University of Maryland, through the Washington Area Consortium and in a University of Maryland-sponsored study abroad program, are used in the computation of student grade point averages. The following instructions demonstrate the method that the University of Maryland uses to compute student grade point averages. Students who matriculated to the University of Maryland or a Maryland community college prior to the fall 1990 semester fall under the "old" repeat policy and should consult with an academic advisor regarding the computation of their GPA. Each letter grade has a numerical value:

To compute the quality points for the class, multiply the number of course credits by the numerical value for the grade.

Example:

Next, divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credits attempted. Do not include courses for which grades of P, S, I, AU, W or NG have been assigned. These grades and credits are not used in the computation of student grade point averages.

Semester GPA = 34/16 = 2.125