Why Mid-Term Grading Is Important

We have all witnessed the rise of student withdrawal rates and the increase in non-passing grades at Palm Beach State over the last few years. Assigning mid-term grades is certainly not a new idea; faculty and staff have been in agreement for many years that it is an important academic exercise.*

Students need our feedback concerning their progress in our classes. Faculty and instructors use that information to determine how they can best provide assistance to those who need it. Providing our students with that feedback and assistance will help students stay enrolled in class and, ultimately, improve their success rate. This supports Palm Beach State's Strategic Plan and the enrollment management plan in raising retention and success rates. Faculty and instructors play a vital role in making student success at Palm Beach State a reality.

What the Mid-Term Grading Tool Can Do
Palm Beach State College provides an online tool to assist faculty and instructors in the assignment of mid-term grades. This online tool uses the same technology as our online grading system, and provides mid-term grades to students through email. No printing is required, which saves time and resources and also supports the College's commitment to sustainability. It can be accessed from faculty and instructor offices, from the Professional Teaching and Learning Centers, and from home through EmployeeWeb (www.palmbeachstate.edu/employeeweb.xml). If you are not sure how to use the College's online grading system, please see the web page at: http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/x7679.xml.

How the Mid-Term Grading Tool Works
Faculty and instructors will have a one week window after mid-term to issue mid-term grades. The faculty or instructor will log on to the EmployeeWeb, and the mid-term grading tool will appear under the Faculty/Advisors tab, where end-of-term grading appears. Each class where the faculty or instructor is assigned as a primary instructor will appear. The faculty member or instructor may issue the following grades:

A - Excellent

B - Good

C - Fair

D - Poor but passing

F - Failure

N - No pass

P - Pass

S- Satisfactory

U - Unsatisfactory

Evaluating the Mid-Term Grading Tool

As in everything we do at Palm Beach State, we will be seeking to improve our new online tool by inviting faculty and instructor feedback on its usefulness. Please keep notes about the process, the feedback students provide and the observations you make about the effectiveness of the system, and then forward those comments and suggestions to mailto:pederseq@palmbeachstate.edu. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in inaugurating our mid-term grading tool for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please remember that the web solution for mid-term grading is a tool; if you prefer to issue mid-term grades to students in some other delivery method (as long as it is FERPA compliant), you are free to do so.

* ARTICLE XIV MID-TERM GRADE PROCEDURE
Section A: Within one week after the close of the mid-term grading period, mid-term grades will be made available to all students for each class that the teaching bargaining unit member teaches by either written notification or individual conference Agreement between the Board of Trustees of Palm Beach State College and the United Faculty of Palm Beach State College.