Change in the eLion Grade Reporting Application
To All Penn State Faculty:
This is to alert you to a change in the eLion Grade Reporting application that will be active beginning with fall 2007 semester grade reporting.
Federal regulations that govern the Title IV student aid programs of grants, scholarships, student loans and work-study require that the University track and document the academic progress of each student aid recipient. In particular, these regulations require that we examine students who receive failing grades in their classes to determine whether or not the failing grade resulted from the student's non-attendance or failure to participate in the class. The academic progress regulations require us to document the last date that the student participated (participation means actual class attendance, taking of an exam, submitting a class assignment, paper or project). Providing a specific date of last attendance/participation determines the portion of a student's assistance that Penn State may be obligated to return to the U.S. Department of Education.
In order to comply with this regulation, we obviously need your assistance. Thus, the change you will see in the eLion grade reporting application is as follows:
During grade entry into eLion, for any student to whom a failing grade is assigned and for whom this federal reporting requirement applies, you will be presented with an interim screen where you will enter the last date of attendance or class participation. We ask that you provide this information to the extent that your record of the student's class activity allows. You will be presented with three indicators to select from including one that states that the student did attend your class the full semester (used for students who attended the full semester but simply did failing work).
In the past, we have complied with this federal requirement by notifying faculty via e-mail AFTER grade posting to ask that you go to a Registrar's Office Web site to enter the status of the student's attendance. Capturing this information within eLion at the point of grade entry, we believe, will simplify this process and not require that you re-visit the students' grades after the fact.
We appreciate your help in assuring that the University remains in compliance with this important federal reporting requirement.
Please contact Anna Griswold, Executive Director of Student Aid or Karen Schultz, University Registrar, if you have any questions.