10/05/15 Parents, This week represents the mid week of the semester; that’s hard to believe. By now most students should be preparing for a second math and chemistry tests. Mid semester grades should be available online by October 12. We should have a fairly good idea of how students are doing after next week. Only grades of D or F are reported at mid-semester. So no news is good news. Students can access their grades on the STAR computer system. No copies of these grades are mailed home. Often when I’m meeting with students at this time, I ask them if they had any mid-semester grades. Often they tell me they don’t know. I then ask them to use the computer in my office to look up their grades. All too often, the students who haven’t looked up their grades have the most mid semester grades. As parents, I think you have the right to know your student’s mid semester grades. You may want to do the same thing I do with your student . Have them get on a computer while you are talking to them. Then have them look up the grades. Here’s the information they need to find out their grades. Log onto STAR Click onto Student Services Click onto Student Records Click onto Mid Term Grades I will be going over all of this in class, but your encouragement can also help. Students with mid semester grades will often tell me that they don’t foresee any problems in raising their grades. This is true in some cases. Often mid-semester grades are only based on one test or minimal grades. Students may have taken a second test that’s not reflected in the mid-semester grade. In some cases, faculty will give low grades at mid-semester to their students. I don’t agree with this approach “shake-up” because I think it has the opposite effect. Students with mid-semester grades are supposed to see their advisor, but most do not. Our best shot at talking with them is when they come for a registration appointment.
10/05/15 Parents, This week represents the mid week of the semester; that’s hard to believe. By now most students should be preparing for a second math and chemistry tests. Mid semester grades should be available online by October 12. We should have a fairly good idea of how students are doing after next week. Only grades of D or F are reported at mid-semester. So no news is good news. Students can access their grades on the STAR computer system. No copies of these grades are mailed home. Often when I’m meeting with students at this time, I ask them if they had any mid-semester grades. Often they tell me they don’t know. I then ask them to use the computer in my office to look up their grades. All too often, the students who haven’t looked up their grades have the most mid semester grades. As parents, I think you have the right to know your student’s mid semester grades. You may want to do the same thing I do with your student . Have them get on a computer while you are talking to them. Then have them look up the grades. Here’s the information they need to find out their grades. Log onto STAR Click onto Student Services Click onto Student Records Click onto Mid Term Grades I will be going over all of this in class, but your encouragement can also help. Students with mid semester grades will often tell me that they don’t foresee any problems in raising their grades. This is true in some cases. Often mid-semester grades are only based on one test or minimal grades. Students may have taken a second test that’s not reflected in the mid-semester grade. In some cases, faculty will give low grades at mid-semester to “shake-up” their students. I don’t agree with this approach because I think it has the opposite effect. Students with mid-semester grades are supposed to see their advisor, but most do not. Our best shot at talking with them is when they come for a registration appointment.