Grading and Grade Records for All Schools and Colleges

Pluses and minuses recorded on grade rosters will be used in calculating grade point averages on the following scale: 

Letter Designation	4-Point Scale
A	4.00
A-	3.67
B+	3.33
B	3.00
B-	2.67
C+	2.33
C	2.00
C-	1.67
D+	1.33
D	1.00
D-	0.67
F	0.00

The following are grades recorded on the grade roster but not factored into grade point averages:

Letter Designation	Description	Usage
I or EI	Incomplete	In-progress grade. See SAAP 01-13.
NC	Not Completed	Undergraduate/Graduate – audit only.
P	Progress	In-progress grade. Graduate – master’s capstone, dissertation (multi-term).
PR	Progress	Undergraduate/Graduate – Flexible Option only.
S	Satisfactory	Undergraduate – audit only. Graduate – audit, master’s thesis/project/paper, dissertation.
U	Unsatisfactory	Undergraduate – audit only. Graduate – audit, master’s thesis/project/paper, dissertation.

The following are administrative grades that are recorded on student transcripts but not the grade roster and not factored into grade point averages:

Letter Designation	Description	Usage
CR	Credit	Undergraduate/Graduate – Grades of C- or higher awarded to Credit/No Credit enrollments convert to CR on the student transcript.
NC	No Credit	Undergraduate/Graduate – Grades of D+ or lower awarded to Credit/No Credit enrollments convert to NC on the student transcript.
W	Withdrawal	See SAAP 01-08.

1. Responsibility for Evaluation

The evaluation of a student’s performance in a course and a decision on the appropriate grade is the responsibility of the designated instructor or instructors.  

Comments: This statement affirms and formalized the implicit understanding that now exists. 

2. Special Consideration

The principle of equal treatment of all students shall be a fundamental guide in responding to requests for special consideration. No student should be given an opportunity to improve a grade that is not made available to all members of the class. This policy is not intended to exclude reasonable accommodation of verified student disability, or the completion of work missed as the result of religious observance, verified illness, or justified absence due to circumstances beyond the student’s control.  

Comments: This policy applies to requests for special consideration both before and after a course is completed (See also Grade or Record Changes). It is usually impossible to make opportunities for grade improvement available to all students in a course after the course has ended. Examples of unacceptable opportunities for an individual student include extra work, retaking an examination, taking an extra examination, or an extension of time on an assignment or examination. The policy on incompletes (SAAP 01-13) explains the circumstances in which a student may be given extra time for the completion of a course. This policy should reassure students who are not seeking special consideration and it should also protect instructors from student pressure for special consideration. 

3. Basis for Grades

The basis for grading and the expectations on all written assignments shall be explained clearly in the course syllabus distributed at the beginning of the semester.  

Comments: This policy ensures that students are informed about the grading practice of the instructor but may also protect the instructor from charges of arbitrariness in evaluation. 

4. Record Keeping

For a period of one year following the term in which the course is given, instructors shall maintain records that are sufficient to 1) determine if an error was made in assigning or recording a grade, 2) show that the grading conforms to the instructor’s announced grading policy, 3) determine the grade for a student removing an incomplete, and 4) report the performance of students who attended for only part of the term. It is suggested that instructors preserve examinations and written material not returned to students as well as class grade books. In the event that an instructor will not be available during the one-year period, these records must be kept by the instructor’s department. Course grade books must be retained for a period of two years following the end of the semester in which the course occurred.  

Comments: This policy formalized the length of time for which class records should be kept. The period of one year is already in use in some departments and is consistent with the policy on incompletes. (Most appeal/grievance procedures established by departments allow for an appeal or grievance to be filed within 30 days of the action that precipitated the grievance or appeal.) A list of the purposes for which records should be kept will help instructors determine which records to keep-final examinations and grade book might be sufficient in one department while a portfolio of student papers and a grade book might be preferred in another department. Item 1 is intended to permit a student to simply ask if a mistake was made in determining their grade. Item 2 is intended to help an instructor respond to a grade appeal. Item 3 is self-explanatory. Item 4 is included because such a report is often requested when a student seeks a retroactive drop or withdrawal. Since instructors may not be available during the one-year period for various reasons (leave of absence, sabbatical, resignation, retirement, temporary appointment, death) it is important for departments to acquire and maintain the records in such cases. 

5. Grade or Record Changes

Instructors may not change a semester grade after the grade sheet has been submitted to the Registrar except for an inadvertent error in determining or recording the grade. Any change in a student’s grade or record, including retroactive change to drop, withdrawal or incomplete, must receive the approval of the dean of the school or college in which the student was enrolled at the time the course was taken.  

Comments: This policy is designed in part to protect instructors from student pressure for grade changes. Examples of inadvertent errors are an error in calculation of the final examination score or course average, a mix-up in names, an entry on the wrong line of a grade list, etc. Reconsideration of subjective judgments of an individual student’s work should be done only if all students in the class are given the same reconsideration. The principle of fair and equal treatment of all students is of paramount importance. It is important that requests for retroactive drops, withdrawals and incompletes receive careful scrutiny and consistent handling in the office of the student’s dean. 

6. Awarding of an “F” Grade

In the case of an ‘F’ grade, the instructor will also report the student’s week of last participation in the course. The week of last participation is the last week of the term for which there is documented evidence of the student’s participation in the course. 

“Documented Evidence” includes any work or materials received from the student, such as exams, quizzes, projects, homework, etc. “Documented evidence of participation in the course” can also include an annotation by the instructor that the student was observed to attend class or otherwise participate in the course on a certain date. 

The mechanism to report the week of last participation shall be as follows: when reporting an ‘F’, the instructor will follow the ‘F’ with a numeral showing the last week of participation by the student. For example, following a regular, 16 week, term, the possible marks would be: 

Mark	Definition
F0	No participation
F1	No participation after 1st week
F2	No participation after 2nd week
F3	No participation after 3rd week
F4	No participation after 4th week
F5	No participation after 5th week
F6	No participation after 6th week
F7	No participation after 7th week
F8	No participation after 8th week
F9	No participation after 9th week
F10	No participation after 10th week
F11	No participation after 11th week
F12	No participation after 12th week
F13	No participation after 13th week
F14	No participation after 14th week
F15	No participation after 15th week
F16	Term Ends

Following a six week summer term, the possible marks would be F0 … F6; etc. 
 
On official transcripts, only the mark ‘F’ will be reflected. 
 
On internal transcripts, the Week of Last Participation (‘F0’, ‘F1’, etc) will be reflected. 

7. Flexible Option Grading

Instructors of competency sets offered through the UW Flexible Option at UW-Milwaukee shall be allowed to assign a grade of PR (“Progress”) for students who successfully complete at least one but not all competency assessments within the set. The PR grade shall be a final grade that signifies the enrollment counts as a course attempt for repeat purposes. The PR grade shall not award any earned credit or GPA value. The PR grade only may be awarded for the initial attempt of a competency set. 

May 7, 1974

Original

May 12, 1994

Revised

February 2, 2022

Revised