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Online Teaching Library > For ALL Instructors > Grading at the Academy > Posting Progress Grades

Overview 

The Academy of Art University requires that instructors post progress grades for their students four times in the spring and fall semesters and twice in the summer term. The process for posting grades is the same, whether you are submitting Progress Grades, Midterm Grades or Final Grades. 

Final Grades for Winter Intersession 2019 are due Friday, February 1.

(warning)  Missing the deadline for posting your final grades can have serious consequences for your students. (warning)

Without their final grades, students may not be able to enroll in classes for the next semester. Not receiving their grades can also affect students’ financial aid eligibility and immigration status.

Please do not wait to post your final grades until students with authorization for Incompletes submit their work. It is critical that final grades be posted on time; regardless of the status of Incompletes.

Please plan ahead and make sure you can submit your final grades before the deadline.

NOTE FOR PART-TIME FACULTY

The last day to submit your hours for the Winter Intersession in Workday is Sunday, February 3. Please ensure that all hours, including hours spent grading, are submitted by this time.

Learn More: Reporting your hours in Workday

HELP is Available! 

  • If you are having a crisis, contact your Academic Director as soon as possible.
  • For technical problems, contact the Online Help Desk (online@academyart.edu; 1.415.618.3545; 1.888.431.ARTS)
  • (star) If you are using the new Gradebook (star) get help here:  The Gradebook
  • Review the Easy Grade Pro Training

Cheat sheet

 Click here to expand...
Please note: If you are using the online Gradebook in your course, you should instead review the information on "How do I post progress grades?" on this page: Grading with the Gradebook

Step 1: Open the grade sheet (from your Home page).

 
Step 2: Enter grades and comments — and SUBMIT the form.

Tips for assigning Week 4 progress grades

 Click here to expand...

Although it is common to have anxieties about grading your students for Week 4 progress grades, this evaluation period offers a wonderful opportunity to guide your students. What you say at this time can inspire and focus them over the next month, and bring their performance in line with your expectations leading up to the midterm.

Avoid these common pitfalls when grading:

Default Grading: Giving all your students the same, one-size-fits-all progress grade.

Automatically assigning the same grade to all students offers inaccurate feedback and is not helpful. Students rightfully expect you to respond to them as individuals who show varying levels of accomplishment.

Shot in the Dark Grading: Not being confident about which grade to assign.

Review your first four lesson plans. What was most important for students to learn? What key skills were they practicing? Focus on concrete evidence of the student's work to date: assignments, tests, contributions to discussions and activities associated with the most important learning.

"Like Me" or "Fear Me" Grading: Trying to be kind, or scary, by manipulating your students' grades up or down.

Trying to make students like you by giving fuzzy indications of their actual performance is never a good idea. Neither is trying to manage expectations of the final grade. Just give students an accurate evaluation of the work they have done up to this point. It's fine to remind your students that they should be showing incremental growth in the class. Remind students that they still have 11 weeks to achieve their goals, and they need to stay on track.

"It's Nothing" or "It's Everything" Grading: Making too much or too little out of grades.

Help students understand what grading systems mean, and what they don't mean. Without this context, students can rapidly become demotivated. Remind them of the skills they have learned so far and why they are working on these skills. Get them excited about what they will learn next. If they need additional practice, be explicit about this. This will help keep students excited about your class.

Hit and Run Grading: Giving students a letter grade, but no substantive feedback.

Each student will need nuanced coaching to get to the next level. For example, there are many reasons a student might be receiving a B. On-target feedback doesn't have to consume a lot of time. You can create these opportunities for feedback beyond the letter grade using rubrics or mini-conferences.

Finally, use what you learn from the progress grading experience to grow as a teacher. What will you need to make your midterm grading experience go more smoothly?

FAQ

 What do progress grades cover?

Progress grades are cumulative — i.e., they should take into account all the work students have submitted up to that point. More specifically,

  • Progress Grades 1 cover work completed through Module 4.

  • Midterm Grades cover work completed through Module 7.

  • Progress Grades 2 cover work completed through Module 11.

  • Final Grades cover work completed through Module 15.

 Can I submit progress grades through my Portal / Dashboard, instead of using the default form?

Yes. If you prefer to use your main grades interface to submit progress grades, you can. Just click the "Grades" link on your home page or in the Instructor Portal on your Portal / Dashboard page.

(star) click an image to enlarge (star)

 To learn more, WATCH the tutorial
Using your Dashboard to post grades

 I missed a grading deadline. How do I submit my grades?

A few days after a progress grading deadline, the "Submit Grades" prompt disappears from the Enrollments section of your Home page.

Once this happens, you will need to use a more roundabout route to find the progress grading interface.

Warning: If you are very late in submitting your progress grades, the “Submit Grades” link for the next grading period may appear. Using this link will open the wrong grading interface! Check the information at the top of the grading interface to make sure you are entering your grades on the right one.

Here’s how to navigate to the progress grading interface, after a grading period has ended:

1. Click the Grades link in the Profile section of your Home page.

 

2. Click "View" for the section you want to review or grade.

 

3. Click the "Enter Grades" button for the progress grades you want to input.

 

4. The progress grading page opens. To input your grades, follow the instructions on the cheatsheet, above.

 I made a mistake on my grade form. How can I correct it?

Once you submit your progress grades, you can review them, but you can no longer access the grading form to make changes.

So if you realize — after you’ve already submitted your grades — that you gave someone the wrong grade, you’ll need to contact the Online Help Desk for assistance. A member of the Online Department’s administrative staff must process grade each change by hand, so please double-check all the information on your grading form before you submit it.

 Some of my students need additional support. How can I get them more help?

Online Student Academic Support offers great support of various kinds to our students. You can quickly and easily refer a student to OSAS for additional help by using the grades page, which you can access from your Home page or from the Portal / Dashboard page.

Learn more:

 What’s the best way to track my students’ grades throughout the semester?

In classes using The Gradebook, the online learning system will take care of tracking students' grades and calculating progress grades. Learn more about The Gradebook.

For classes that are not yet using the Gradebook, you will need to make use of some sort of external grading system, because the online learning system does not tabulate students' grades automatically. The Academy makes Easy Grade Pro available for free to all instructors, and we recommend you use this tool.

Learn more: Easy Grade Pro Training

 What should I do if I need help getting my grades in?

 Please get in touch as soon as possible!

  • If you are having a crisis, contact your Academic Director immediately.
  • For technical problems, contact the Online Help Desk (online@academyart.edu; 1.415.618.3545; 1.888.431.ARTS)
  • For help with Easy Grade Pro: review the Easy Grade Pro Training
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