Transcript RECORDS VS GRADES

RECORDS VS
GRADES
ROUND 2
Vicki Meyers, Fiona Hert, Kathy Keating, Ken
Fridsma, and Diane Patrick
Background
The question was this:
1. What does GRCC define as a record vs. a
grade and what are faculty required to keep
regarding student records?
2. For how long and in what format?
3. What policies dictate our practice?
What do we know?
• Faculty Contract (article 6.E) states that faculty are required to
“maintain records of individual students for seven (7) years”
yet there is not a consistent definition of what a record
entails.
• The grading policy does not include requirements regarding
supporting materials or student records/length of how long
student records are to be maintained and in what format.
• Registrar requires the final grade submitted within the
designated time frame established (72 hrs.)
• We do distinguish an Incomplete as up to 1 year from issue
therefore it is assumed faculty are keeping records for at least
that time period.
Proposed working definitions:
• Faculty Record = a record of all the assessments,
evaluations, test results, papers, projects, etc., that a
student and faculty utilize in the completion of the class
and awarding of a grade.
• Student Grade = the letter grade assigned to the student
compiled by the faculty from their record of the students
performance in fulfilling the requirements of the class.
(Determined by Grading Policy 7.1 - Grading Procedures)
• Student Record = students do not keep records. The
student record is a record of each class taken by the
student and the resultant grade maintained by the
Registrar/Records Office.
Fall 2012 - What we have learned:
• Table discussion data collected at September
• Departmental feedback requested (six
departments responded – Nursing, Music,
English, Psychology, Physical Science, and
Counseling
• Findings were divided into 4 categories of
consistent responses
• Common threads in widespread responses
Department specific:
• Consistency in citing the 7 year contract rule (confusion
of what, how, where)
• Final grades and attendance
• Supportive of the 1 day past the grievance policy rule
• Accreditation specific requirements for 2 departments
• Specific to 1 department (Music) was the archiving of all
student work for life to benefit student transfer “Image
Now”
Questions asked:
1. Contract Language of 7 years - Many questioned why,
what are we supposed to keep and in what format.
Old Faculty Association language.
2. Is this law driven by financial aid, military, medical
leave, job training? Yes, FERPA, Financial aid, medical
leave, and Registrar.
3. Is this driven by our College accrediting body, the
Higher Learning Commission? Yes and the laws that
govern educational institutions.
Questions (continued):
4. Many faculty assume grades are secured automatically
in Blackboard even though the course disappears at 1
year and 2 weeks. Grades must be entered into
PeopleSoft as required by the Registrar and are kept
indefinitely.
5. Security and storage of “records” whose responsibility is
this? Faculty and college - electronic, traditional paper
grade book? Departmental and Faculty responsibility.
6. Responsiveness of college to provide security and
storage (electronic, file)? For grades only; departments
would keep faculty records.
7. Responsiveness of college to provide safe disposal of
records? This will need to be determined in forthcoming
Records Retention Policy.
Faculty Records – What should this include?
Faculty wanted to know!
Final grade for course
Attendance records
Emails, notes, early alerts
Field work (anecdotals)
All Departments will need to
determine
Determination of how long to keep
Faculty Records:
• For Financial Aid regulations, records must be kept for five
years (from graduation or last date of attendance). They will
only need the information that the Records Office/Registrar
keeps regarding courses registered for, courses completed,
final grades, and the last date of attendance.
• Financial Aid and the Registrar’s office do not need faculty
attendance records, test/exam/quiz results, papers, or other
elements that a faculty member may keep should a student
dispute or grieve a grade.
• Both Financial Aid and the Registrar’s office would support
keeping student grades and records (as noted above) for five
years.
• Departments will need to determine their own needs and
create a list of documents required.
Recommendations:
1. Modify the Faculty Association contract, Article 6E, to
reduce time frame from 7 years to 5 years to maintain
faculty records.
2. Record Retention policy would be created to include
departmental guidelines and college wide records
requirements.
• Departments would create process for collecting and maintaining
faculty record guidelines for a period of five years.
Questions?
Thank you