Instructors are required to inform students of their standing in the class by issuing midterm grades no later than the eighth week of the semester. While these grades do not get submitted in CUNYFirst, they should be recorded and submitted at the end of the semester in the eClass Folder. You should assign students one of four mid-semester grades:
- P: making satisfactory progress
- BL: borderline (or needs improvement)
- U: unsatisfactory
- SA: stopped attending
You can alert students of their grades using your classroom LMS (OpenLab, Blackboard, etc.), via email, or using another communication system of your choice. When sharing these grades, it’s also a good idea to notify students of their attendance or participation record in the class, as well as of any missing work and whether that work can still be submitted. You should encourage students to speak with you if they’re concerned about their grade. (Please see the note above regarding student withdrawals.)
It is VERY important to let a student know that, even if they’re getting an “Unsatisfactory,” they will still be able to turn their grade around. Some students might see this as a reason to throw in the towel instead of an opportunity to improve. Please take the time to let students know they can still succeed if they put in the work.
The mid-semester mark is also a good opportunity to issue any “high fives” for good work or interventions for struggling students using the CUNY Navigate system.