continuing nature, and will
continue to appear on a students grade report until the course work has been
completed and a grade has been assigned.

Under current UIS policy students may repeat courses. The first time a course is
repeated, the later grade earned appears on the end-of-term grade report and
transcript. The first grade entry is deleted from the transcript and will not count in
determining a grade-point average. Subsequent repeats appear on the transcript and
are used in calculating the grade-point average. This grading policy will be changed as
follows: The first time a course is repeated, the later grade earned appears on the end-
of-term grade report and transcript. The first grade entry is replaced by the grade of R,
indicating that the course has been repeated. This grade will not count in determining a
grade-point average. Subsequent repeats appear on the transcript and are used in
calculating the grade-point average.




Resolution 30-11, UIS campus senate, 2000-2001



Page 2

History:


The UI-Integrate project involves the development of standardized information
systems which will improve the capacity of each campus to share information and to
obtain more accurate reports more quickly. As part of this project the UI-Integrate
Faculty Advisory Committee was formed in Fall, 2000 to address issues that affect
faculty or are of interest to them. Both the Undergraduate Council and the Graduate
Council are represented on the FAC. As the UI-Integrate FAC discussions move
forward various issues will be reported to the campus senate for information and input
or for the consideration of policy changes. The ways in which grades are defined and
noted on transcripts across the University of Illinois is one of those questions.


The UI-Integrate project provided the opportunity to review our current grading
systems at each campus, and there was agreement that the symbols used as part of
the U of I grading system should mean the same thing on each campus. This will
produce transcripts that are more readily understandable, and should also help students
who are enrolled at UIS and wish to take a course at one of the other campuses.


Both the Undergraduate Council and the Graduate Council have discussed the
changes proposed in Resolution 30-11, and both Councils recommend that they be
adopted. The Councils believe that these changes will make UIS transcripts more
readily understandable to students and to other institutions.


Rationale for Proposed Changes:


Change from U to F. The grade of F is widely recognized as an indicator of
unsatisfactory performance, and is in common use for this purpose. The grade of U is
stands for a variety of levels of accomplishment, many of which represent work which is
unsatisfactory in some way but may still be used as degree credit. Many UIS students
are initially confused about the meaning of the U grade. The Councils believe that the
grade of F communicates more clearly to students and to other institutions. These
same reasons are leading UIC to change their grade for unsatisfactory or failing work
from E to F.


Change from R to DFR. The grade of R is frequently used to represent a course
that has been repeated. Since courses in which grades are deferred may continue over
two or more grading periods, the use of R for a deferred grade may be confusing. Since
the proposed grade of DFR does not look like a regular grade, it is also less likely to be
confusing.


Change in the way a course that is repeated for a second time is reported.
Under current UIS policy students may repeat courses multiple times. The repeat policy
is presented on pages 32, 46, and 52 of the 2000-2001 (white) catalog (and on pages
44, 59, and 64 of the 2001-2002 [gray] catalog). The first time a course is repeated, the
later grade earned appears on the end-of-term grade report and transcript. The first Resolution 30-11, UIS campus senate, 2000-2001



Page 3

grade entry is deleted from the transcript and does not count in determining a grade-
point average. There is no indication on the transcript that the course has been taken
before. Subsequent repeats appear on the transcript and are used in calculating the
grade-point average.


Even before the FAC consideration of grade notation systems, there have been
discussions about whether the current policy provides accurate information on student
activities and accomplishments at UIS. Some faculty believe that every course and
grade taken should appear on the transcript; others believe that the transcript should
report only what the student finally succeeds in achieving. The BANNER system does
not currently contain programming that would allow a course that has been taken to be
completely eliminated from a students transcript. The policy recommended by the
Councils retains the spirit of our existing policy, but implements it in a way that is
compatible with the new BANNER program for student information and grades.


The recommended change retains the UIS policy of allowing students to replace
the grade earned the first time a course was taken with the grade earned the second
time it is taken. The first course will remain on the transcript, but the original grade will
be replaced with the grade of R, indicating that the course was repeated. This kind of
information is now commonly available on most college and university transcripts. The
grade of R is not considered as part of the GPA calculation.


This change affects only the first repeat of a course. Subsequent repeats will
appear on the transcript with the grade earned, and will be used in calculating the
grade-point average, as is currently the case.




















Resolution 30-11, UIS campus senate, 2000-2001



Page 4


BACK GROUND INFORMATION
FOR RESOLUTION 30-11
PROPOSAL TO THE UIS GRADUATE AND UNDERGADUATE COUNCILS
REVISION OF GRADE NOTATION



Sponsor: UI-Integrate Faculty Advisory Committee, David N. Ruzic, Chair, Barbara Hayler,
Chair of the Graduate Council and member of the UI-Integrate Faculty Advisory Committee, and
Calvin Mouw, Member of the Undergraduate Council and of the UI-Integrate Faculty Advisory
Committee, March 26, 2001.

Section I. Overview
The proposed change in grade notation brings the University of Illinois into closer alignment
with the best practices of other peer institutions and benefits our students. Implementation of
the UI-Integrate project has provided the impetus to make the proposed changes and drives the
timing of such decisions. A uniform set of grades, as shown below, would be the only official
grades at the University of Illinois. Within this set, each campus (UIUC, UIC and UIS) could
determine which grades to use. A given campus could also specify that only certain grades are
available for specific types of courses. The grades are:

A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-

F = failing

W = authorized withdrawal

DFR = deferred

CR = credit or pass in credit/no-credit or pass/fail classes

NC = no credit or fail in credit/no-credit or pass/fail classes

PS = pass for proficiency and special exams

NR = not recorded for missing grades or in-progress courses
AU = audited

R = repeated

I = incomplete grade that changes to F after a period of time to be set by an individual
campus. The grade is not factored into GPA in the meantime.

ABS = absent from final exam without an excuse, or fails to complete the class --- counts
as a F for GPA calculation and reverts to a F after a period of time to be set by an individual
campus. The grade is factored into GPA in the meantime.

S = satisfactory

U = unsatisfactory

NG = non-graded experience

O = outstanding

HON = honors

ADV = advanced

PR = proficient

AA = above average

AVG = average
BA = below average Resolution 30-11, UIS campus senate, 2000-2001



Page 5


Rationale:
The transcript of an institution of higher learning should be easy to understand. Employers,
admission committees, etc. expect a certain degree of uniformity. Since the BANNER program
is easiest to implement if a uniform set of possible grades across the three campuses exist, there
is an opportunity to make University of Illinois transcripts more easily understood and
conforming. Note that BANNER only allows three characters in a grade and that it does not
distinguish between upper and lower case. The following changes would be made at UIS:
Changes to UISs current grading system:

F replaces U = unsatisfactory (failing) or unofficially withdrawn

DFR replaces R = deferred

R replaces Y = repeated. A repeated course would show up on a transcript though if the
grade was changed to an R it would not be calculated in the GPA.

For informational purposes, the changes at the other two campuses are listed below.
Changes to UICs current grading system:

F replaces E = failing
F replaces ER = failure by rule

CR replaces P = pass (in pass/fail option)

NC replaces F = fail (in pass/fail option)

PS replaces Pass= pass for proficiency and special exams

F replaces Fail= fail for special examinations

DFR replaces Df = deferred

Changes to UIUCs current grading system:
I replaces EX = excused
NR replaces Miss = missin