Enrollment Management Electronic Newsletter

The "Missing Link": Final Grades and the Disappearing Student

Final exams and grades are fast approaching! One of the most common questions that arises during final grading is, "What do I do with the student who has stopped attending (or who never attended) and is still on my roster?"

The formal grade designation for these students is the "IF" grade (Irregular Withdrawal--Administrative F). This is a distinctive mark, and tells quite a different story about the student's experience in the class than the traditional academic F (which implies that the student took part in the course, but failed to meet the academic standard).

As an advisor, you know that when you see the grade of "IF," you need to work with the student on some basics of being successful in college: like showing up for your classes! That's a very different conversation than the one you might have with a student who has what seems to be all academic Fs--in that case, you might be talking more about tutoring, study skills, course selection, prerequisites, etc. So what appears on the transcript is very important to you, as it helps guide the conversation along appropriate lines of action.

All the more important, then, as faculty members looking at that final roster, to use the appropriate mark to tell, as accurately as possible, the true story of the student in the class:

Student never showed up for the class, but remains on the roster? Student stopped attending at some point but never formally withdrew? The appropriate grade is the administrative mark of IF.

Student attended the semester (even if not perfectly), but the work was poor? The appropriate grade will be a traditional academic grade that reflects the level of performance.

Some further questions we often hear:

"Can I just leave the grade blank?" Oh, please do not leave any blank grades! You are assuming (dangerous word!) that we know what's happening with the student, or what you intended--and we just don't have that kind of knowledge! So, to determine the student's status and your intention, we have to track you down--by phone, by e-mail, in your office, at home--or worse, have to contact you through your department chair or even your dean! This is a miserable process for everyone, believe me. Further, and more seriously, it delays the extremely time-sensitive work we must do to process several thousand grades, academic statuses, graduation certifications, and transcripts in a very brief period of time. In short:

***NO BLANK GRADES***

"I already filed the IF at mid-term, so I won't need to file anything at finals--can't I just leave the final grade blank?" Please go back and read the previous item! Truly, the mid-term grade you filed might have been exactly what the student needed to get back on the straight and narrow. Again, you're asking us to assume something about the student's experience in your class after that mid-term grade was filed, and it's just not safe or appropriate for us to do so--and so the phone calls and e-mails begin! File the grade in the final roster as well. In short:

***NO BLANK GRADES***

The end of the semester is an intense and stressful time for everyone, and our office is committed to helping ease the process as much as we can--please let us know if we can assist you in any way. Some resources for using the RAIL grading process are available on our Web site for faculty and advisors: http://www.shepherd.edu/register/faculty.html.

We wish you a joyful holiday season, and a productive end to the semester!

http://www.shepherd.edu/register/