On this page:

• Essential information
• Letter grade changes
• Step-by-step grade changes
• Information for grade change approvers
• Protect confidential student data

 

Essential information

• Navigation: Go to the Faculty Center tile > Grade Change.
• To avoid losing your work, click Save Pending Requests every 15 minutes.
• Restrictions: 
  
  • You may use SPIRE to change most final grades for only those classes offered within the last three years. 
  • You may change grades for only those sections for which you were authorized to enter grades during the grading period.
  • Grades that you may not change, e.g., 'W' for a withdrawn student, are listed on the Grade Change page. 
• Submitting grade changes for a class is a two-step process:
  - First, enter and Save pending grade change requests without finalizing them.
  - Second, when you are ready to finalize the changes, click Finalize Grade Changes to update students' records. 
• If any student received a failing grade (F or '__'), you will see a reminder to go to your grade roster in SPIRE; click Last Date Attended, and enter the required information. See Record Grades for details about Last Date Attended information.

Letter grade changes

• Letter grade changes require you to select a Reason for the change from a drop-down list.
• Letter grade changes submitted more than three (3) days after grades are due will enter into an approval queue to be reviewed by a designated approver for the course subject.
• You and the approver will both receive email notifications after you finalize grade changes for a roster that includes at least one letter grade change. The notification you receive will include the name of the approver. Note: The Office of the University Registrar maintains the list of approvers for each subject; submit an Online Service Request to notify them if the approver specified in your notification has left the University.
• You will receive a second notification when the approver enters a decision. If the change has been approved, the student also receives notification of the new grade.

Step-by-step grade changes

1. Go to the Faculty Center tile > Grade Change.
2. On the Grade Change - Select Class page, click Select to the left of the class with the grade(s) you want to change. Note: Click a column heading to sort.
3. On the Grade Change page, select a grade from the drop-down list for each student whose grade you want to change.  
   Tip: The grade options available in the drop-down lists may be different for different students in the same class. If you need clarification or assistance selecting grading options, please contact the Office of the University Registrar, University Without Walls (CPE), or the Graduate Student Services Center, as applicable.
4. To avoid losing your work, click Save Pending Requests at least every 15 minutes. You must click Save Pending Requests at least once before finalizing grade changes.
5. You will see a confirmation message. Click Return.
6. When you are sure you are ready to post the new grades to students' records, click Finalize Grade Changes. If you are requesting more than a few grade changes at one time, please be patient as processing can take a few minutes.
7. A confirmation message appears with a reminder to go to your grade roster in SPIRE. Click Last Date Attended and enter the required information for any student who received a grade of F or '__' (blank). See Record Grades for details about Last Date Attended information.
8. Click the link to Go to your grade roster, if appropriate, or click Return to review the Status column for each grade you changed.
9. You and the student(s) will receive emails about the grade change(s) that posted immediately. You and the approver will receive emails for any grade changes that require approval.

Information for grade change approvers

• Navigation: From the Navigator, go to Academic Records > Approvals > Grade Change Approval.
• The page displays a list of any grade change requests that are waiting for your review. You may filter the list by Student ID, Subject, or Class Number.
• Review the information and click either Approve or Deny for each student. Note: You must enter a Comment for any change request that you deny.
• If you approve the change, the student will receive notification of the new grade, and the grade will post as a final grade to the student's record. The instructor who requested the grade change will receive automatic notification regardless of approval or denial.

Protect confidential student data

• Never email grades in any format!
• If you must save private data electronically, save it on a secure UMass server. Check with your department's Systems Administrator or IT contact if you need more information about secure servers.
• Printouts of grade rosters are confidential material. Store them in a locked file drawer or cabinet. Shred when no longer needed.