Grading

The Grades Memo is used to communicate important information about the submission of final grades, including dates and deadlines. It is circulated each term following the academic drop date (typically in March, June, and November) using the Staff and Faculty eNews.

• Subscribe to our Staff and Faculty eNews
• Recent Staff and Faculty Newsletters

Deadlines for submitting grades are based on 10 calendar days from the date of the final exam, the due date of the final assignment, or the end of classes.

Once final grades have been approved, any changes must be submitted either:

• Through the change of grade module in SOLUS, or 
• On the Change of Grade Form (see "Grading Policies & Forms")

Completed forms should be sent to asc.academic@queensu.ca

Please note the following:

• If a form is missing student details, course details, reason for change, date coursework/deferred exam completed, and/or signatures from both the instructor and the Department Head, it may be returned to the instructor/Department for correction.
• As of May 2011, all grade changes should be submitted as letter grades. If you have assessed students using percentage conversion, please also indicate the associated letter grade.
• The term code is an abbreviated version of the year and term in which the course is offered. For example, the term code for Fall 2020 courses is 2209, to indicate the millennium (2), the last two digits of the year (20) and first month of the term (9 for September). For reference, please see the following examples:
  
  • Winter 2020 term code = 2201
  • Summer 2020 term code = 2205
  • Fall 2020 term code = 2209
  • Winter 2021 term code = 2211
  • Winter 2019 term code = 2191
  • Summer 2019 term code = 2195

• There will be no grade change process for mid-year grades
  
• For grade changes affecting graduating students, please clearly indicate "Degree List" on the top of any Change of Grade forms so that they can be processed without delay.
• If the student’s grade is being lowered, the student must be notified by the Department. Please indicate that this has been done.
• If there are more than 5 changes in a particular course for the same reason (i.e. OnQ calculation error), you may submit the Change of Grade form as a cover sheet and attach a spreadsheet to indicate the student names, student numbers and updated grade information.

For additional assistance, see Contacts.

A final grade must be submitted for every student who appears on the grade roster; there can be no “blank” grades.

Do not submit a grade of DR (dropped) because you think a student has dropped the course. If the student is on the grade roster, the course has not been dropped and a grade must be submitted.

If a final grade cannot be determined by the grade submission deadline, instructors may use one of the following:

Incomplete (IN)

• Indicates that the student has not completed all the work in the course (this may include the final exam) and if the incomplete work is not submitted, the student will fail the course.
• If the student has not completed all the work in the course but will pass the course even if the incomplete work is not submitted, the instructor should submit an evaluative final grade based on the work completed to date (rather than entering an IN grade for this situation). Again, if the instructor agrees to accept the outstanding work, the student has until the end of the subsequent term to complete this work and receive a change of grade.
• Instructors are highly encouraged to have the student sign the Permission for an Incomplete Grade Form (link is external) to ensure expectations and deadlines are clearly communicated. This form can be sent to the Student Services office for record-keeping.
• IN grades automatically revert to “F” at the end of the subsequent term, unless the student completes the outstanding work and the instructor submits a Change of Grade Form (see "Grading Policies and Forms").
• Extensions beyond one term are allowed only upon successful appeal to the Associate Dean (Academic).

Grade Deferred (GD)

• Indicates that the student has completed all the work in the course but a final grade is not available.
• This temporary designation is usually used in one of two circumstances: (1) an administrative/grading delay (for example, if a student’s final exam has not yet arrived from a distance Exam Centre), or (2) an outstanding Academic Integrity investigation or appeal. If it is used for some other purpose, the instructor should contact the Student Services office to provide an explanation.

Aegrotat estimated standing (AG) & Credit standing (CR)

• Assigned only by the Associate Dean (Academic) upon successful appeal by the student.
• If a student is appealing for AG or CR standing, the instructor should still submit a final grade based on the work submitted to date  – even if the grade is a low passing grade or a failure. The final grade will be updated by the Student Services Office following a successful appeal.

Other Non-Evaluative Grades

• PeopleSoft will not accept any non-evaluative grade other than IN or GD.
• Grades of ED (Exam Deferred) and NW (Not Written) are no longer being used. If these grades are entered into the grade roster, an error message indicating “invalid grade” will appear. Instructors and Department Heads should identify and correct the invalid grade instead of overriding this notification.

For more information, see Academic Regulation 10.3 Non-Evaluative Grades.

For additional assistance, see Contacts.

Transcript notes are not to be entered by instructors, Heads, or Administrative Assistants during the grade submission process. Any notes that are entered display on the student’s official transcript, and would require Senate approval. Therefore, please do not use this field.