IT’S MIDTERM TIME !!

Once midterm exams are over, many students will receive their midterm grades.  At JSU, students may receive actual letter grades, or they may receive something to indicate unsatisfactory grades, like an “NC.”  

To help students make sense of the Midterm process, here are a few tips to keep in mind: 

• Midterm grades will go to the student, not to the parents.  Like final semester grades, the FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act) law gives access to educational information to the student once he or she turns 18 or attends post-secondary school. 

• Midterm grades are usually not a part of the student’s permanent record.  They are meant to give students an indication of progress mid-way through the semester. 
• One of the worst things that students can do is to ignore their midterm grades. 
• Midterm grades usually come at about the midpoint in the semester, but this may not be the midpoint in the work for the course.  You may have more work ahead than is already completed. 
• If you have a question about a grade, or receive any grade that is less than satisfactory, you should make an appointment to talk to the professor.  Midterm grades are meant as an opportunity to encourage a conversation or dialogue with the professor about how things are progressing. 
• If the midterm grades are not what you hoped for, this is a good time to take stock and think about what may not be working.  There is still a half semester of work to turn things around.  Students can consider what strategies need to change.  They might think about class attendance, how, when, and where they are studying, or whether a tutor might help.  This is time for some honest assessment, not a time for excuses.  Students need to think about what actions they need to take. 

It is important to keep midterm grades in perspective.  They provide valuable information to students at an important point in the semester.  Students who make sure to check these grades, and who consider what they mean, know whether they are advancing smoothly or whether they may need to make some changes.  Parents can help students interpret the information and put it in perspective, but then they need to step back once again to allow the student to follow through with whatever needs to be done.—Collegeparentcentral.com