Table of Contents

1. What is a Progress Report?
2. Why are Progress Reports important?
3. How do I submit a Progress Report for students?
4. When can I submit a Progress Report?
5. Why should I submit a Progress Report?
6. When are Progress Reports required?
7. When should I expect to be contacted about Progress Reports?
8. I received a Request for Course Academic Progress, what is this?
9. How do I view the history of my Progress Report submissions?
10. Am I ever required to submit a grade in a Progress Report?
11. What should I do if I am not seeing a change in the student’s behavior/performance?
12. What happens after I submit a Progress Report? What information do students see when I submit a Progress Report?
13. Are comments ever required?
14. What information is helpful to share in the Progress Report Comment box?
15. What is an appropriate comment?
16. Does the Progress Report appear on a student’s transcript?
17. Aside from the student themselves, who can see a student’s Progress Report?
18. I thought I was prohibited from sharing student information because of FERPA, what should I do?
19. What should I do if I have non-academic concerns about a student?
20. What is the difference between a Progress Report and a CARES Referral?
21. I teach a large class, how do I make time to give feedback?
22. Who has access to submit a Progress Report?
23. I accidentally submitted an incorrect Progress Report for a student. Can I edit or delete it?
24. Who can I contact for additional questions or feedback regarding Progress Reports?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Progress Report?

• The progress report system in MyPack allows instructors to provide feedback to students enrolled in a given course. Through this system, instructors may quickly provide constructive feedback on course performance or attendance. Progress reports are visible to students and to student support staff. The primary goals of progress reports are to:
  • Notify students and advisors early in the semester that the student is potentially at risk of not being successful in a course;
  • Actively assist students in becoming academically successfully by connecting them to university resources; and
  • Demonstrate care, support, and encouragement to students.

Why are Progress Reports important?

• Progress reports are important for several reasons:
  • Timely feedback on course performance makes a difference in student outcomes and can help engage students in the course. 
  • They allow you to leverage the coordinated network of advising and support services. As an instructor, you don’t have to assist the student all by yourself. When instructors submit a course progress report that indicates concern for the student’s academic performance, the advisor is notified and expected to reach out to the student. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the academic resources available. 
  • They allow you to provide helpful comments. Such comments are instructive to students and suggest recommended courses of action such as contacting the instructor to meet and discuss academic progress, using specific strategies to make improvement in class or following referrals to specific university resources.

How do I submit a Progress Report for students?

• Please consult this comprehensive guide for step-by-step instructions to submit progress reports in SIS.

When can I submit a Progress Report? 

• The course progress report system is available to instructors from the first day of class through final exams. However, it is helpful to consider the timing of submitting feedback. 
• Instructors are encouraged to submit progress reports to students prior to the drop deadline. Ideally, instructors would submit progress reports as soon as they have concern for a student (if the student stops attending class, earns a failing grade on the first large assignment, etc.).

Why should I submit a Progress Report?

• If you have concerns about a student because they either never attended or stopped attending your class, please submit a progress report. Persistent unexplained absences indicate that a student may need additional support.
• A student should be identified by an instructor if they are not doing well in a course, which could be due to any number of factors including:
  • Poor Attendance
  • Consistent Tardiness
  • Lack of Participation/Motivation
  • Poor Quality or Failing Work
  • Late/Missing Assignments
  • Incomplete Assignments
  • Low Exam/Quiz Scores
  • Sudden change in attendance and/or performance
• In addition to ad hoc progress reports, the University invites feedback specifically for student athletes in the fourth, seventh, and eleventh weeks of classes.

When are Progress Reports required?

• While progress reports are never required, they are expected when a student is struggling in the course and is on track to earn a D or F in the course. Progress Reports are also expected for our student athletes, specifically, twice a semester.

When should I expect to be contacted about Progress Reports?

• Instructors with student athletes in their courses should expect an invitation to submit progress reports for these students in the fourth, seventh, and eleventh weeks of classes within a semester.
• All instructors will receive an invitation to submit progress reports about two weeks prior to the drop deadline of the respective semester.

I received a Request for Course Academic Progress, what is this?

• A Request for Course Academic Progress, or RECAP, is an invitation to submit progress reports for a specific group of students. NC State uses RECAPs to reach instructors of student athletes.
• The RECAP request will include a direct link to the progress report roster – a roster that only includes the target population.
• For instructions on how to respond to a RECAP request, please see the Resource Guide.

How do I view the history of my Progress Report submissions?

• To see all of the progress reports submitted for all students, select View All Previous Reports for this Class/Term, under the Actions section:
  

  

• To see all of the progress reports submitted for a single student, select the date under Last Report:
  

Am I ever required to submit a grade in a Progress Report?

• We strongly recommend including the student’s current grade as a pulse check in whenever submitting progress reports. This is extremely helpful information for both students and their advisors. Grades are never required. 

What should I do if I am not seeing a change in the student’s behavior/performance?

• If you are concerned about the student’s engagement or performance, the student has not yet responded to prior feedback and you would submit the same or more constructive feedback as you did before, this could reflect larger challenges the student faces. We recommend that you submit a follow-up progress report and indicate your persistent concerns or observations in the Comment box. Check the box to “Notify Advisor” to be sure the Advisor and Student both receive your feedback.
• Alternatively, when students repeatedly miss classes and do not respond to outreach (either via email or progress report), it can often be a sign of larger concerns. In this case, instructors are encouraged to separately submit a referral through Prevention Services’ CARES portal.
  • Prevention Services is an office devoted to supporting students when others in the community have expressed a concern about their well-being or where the student has exhibited some concerning or worrisome behavior. Once submitted, a staff member will work with you and the student to provide support and resources. Other examples of concerning or worrisome behaviors may include direct statements indicating distress, significant changes in mood, angry or hostile outbursts, deterioration in physical appearance, excessive fatigue, etc.

What happens after I submit a Progress Report? What information do students see when I submit a Progress Report?

• The student will receive an email notification alerting them to a progress report in MyPack.
  • Upon clicking on the link, students will see in MyPack any and all of the feedback entered by the instructor – including all Comments. Students who receive feedback indicating academic concern will receive encouragement to connect with their instructor, advisor and/or campus resources.
  • Preview the student-facing communication here.
• Progress Report will be logged in MyPack.
  • Your feedback helps advisors and campus partners better support students. In addition to the email notice sent to each student, the progress report is logged in MyPack. Advisors will work with students individually to share resources and consider appropriate action steps. Campus Partners supporting student athletes and other unique populations may also reach out to students.
  • Preview what Advisors and other support professionals see here.
• Advisor Notification
  • When the instructor indicates concern for a student, the advisor will receive an email with the feedback. Advisors are asked to reach out to the student to check in and offer support.
• When multiple instructors indicate concern for a student via course progress reports, DASA will coordinate specific outreach to the student to offer support and explore strategies for moving forward.

Are comments ever required?

• Comments are required when an instructor selects “Other Concern.”

What information is helpful to share in the Progress Report Comment box?

• The Comment box is a valuable section for additional details about the student’s behavior, attendance or performance in the course. For example, if the quizzes are a critical component of the course, an instructor might indicate the average Quiz score in the Comment box. An instructor may also use this box to indicate missing work.
• Students and academic advisors will see the specific Comments in the progress report. Helpful comments are instructive to students and suggest recommended courses of action, such as contacting the instructor to meet and discuss academic progress, specific strategies to make improvement in class or referrals to specific university resources.
• These details are helpful for the student so they know exactly where they stand and for the advisor and student support professionals so they have accurate information to work from when reaching out to a student.
• Please keep in mind that your comments matter – they can inspire or stop a student from reaching out for assistance. Refrain from judgment or subjective observations.

What is an appropriate comment?

• Any information in the progress report is part of the Student’s Academic Record and can be obtained upon request.
• The goal of progress reports is to provide students (and advisors) with objective, accurate information about the student’s performance in a course. Comments are a space for instructors to share facts about homework completion, quiz performance, and other classroom outcomes.
• Examples of appropriate comments include:
  • [Student] has missed 4 of the last 6 classes and the corresponding quizzes. Class participation grade has fallen below 75%. Please see me so we can discuss a plan to move forward.
  • After struggling with the first test, [Student] earned an 80% on the last test and is showing real improvement! Keep up the good work. Continue to use office hours as needed.
  • [Student] has submitted 8/12 homework assignments. Needs to complete all remaining assignments to earn full credit.

Does the Progress Report appear on a student’s transcript?

• No, progress reports do not appear on official or unofficial transcripts. Instructor comments are part of the student’s record, however, so please keep this in mind when giving feedback.

Aside from the student themselves, who can see a student’s Progress Report?

• When you submit a progress report, the feedback and comments you enter become visible to Academic Advisors in MyPack. This information is very helpful to Advisors when meeting with students. Student support staff with access to student records in MyPack are also able to view the Progress Report. The CARES Team, for example, frequently consults this information when concern has been shared for a student.

I thought I was prohibited from sharing student information because of FERPA, what should I do?

• We appreciate your care for protecting student’s privacy. The FERPA Policy allows for information to be shared amongst University professionals (faculty and staff) when someone has a legitimate educational interest in the information.
• NC State faculty and staff can share information between one another in order to carry out their responsibilities and/or when it is in the student’s interest for the professionals to obtain the information. Advisors and student success offices on campus (such as ASPSA and TRIO) provide specific support to students when they receive a progress report regarding a student’s academic performance. We cannot do this work without your feedback.
• Should you be interested in learning more, please review our University Policy (progress reports fall under the exception indicated in 5.1.1).

What should I do if I have non-academic concerns about a student?

• If this is an emergency that involves an imminent risk of harm to self or others, please contact campus police at 919-515-3000 or by dialing 911.
• If you have a general concern about a student that you want to note through the progress report form, you may check the “Other Concern” box and enter your observation in the Comment box.
• For information about the concerning behaviors to keep in mind, please consult our resources in Prevention Services. Prevention Services and our CARES Team also prepared information for Faculty and Staff who assist students exhibiting concerning behavior.
• Ultimately, you may decide it is best to submit a CARES Referral rather than a progress report.
• For assistance or consultation during business hours when considering how best to support a student addressing non-academic concerns, please contact Prevention Services at 919-515-4405.

What is the difference between a Progress Report and a CARES Referral?

• Progress reports are intended to be used when an instructor wants to document feedback for the student based on academic behavior/course performance. We know, though, that students are whole people and bring non-academic challenges into the classroom.
• If a student exhibits concerning non-academic behavior, we encourage you to consider submitting a CARES Referral. Prevention Services and the CARES Team prepared an overview for Faculty and Staff that outlines examples of  concerning behavior.

I teach a large class, how do I make time to give feedback? 

• While we can’t make your class smaller, we have tried to make it simpler for instructors with large classes to submit their feedback for students. Information about course performance is invaluable to advisors and campus professionals, especially for those assisting students in 100- and 200-level courses who are early in their academic career. Please review our step-by-step instructions for the two options available to you. 

Who has access to submit a Progress Report?

• An instructor must be listed in MyPack as either an Instructor Record, Classroom Instructor or Instructional Support to submit a progress report. All requests to add an instructor (including Teaching Assistants) to a class section should be submitted to the department and/or college scheduling officer.

I accidentally submitted an incorrect Progress Report for a student. Can I edit or delete it?

• To make edits or delete a course progress report that you have already submitted, contact course-progress-reports@ncsu.edu. Please include the course subject, number, and section information, as well as the student’s ID number and the needed action.

Who can I contact for additional questions or feedback regarding Progress Reports?

• For questions about how to use the progress report system or submitting feedback about a student in your class, please contact course-progress-reports@ncsu.edu.
• For technical issues, please contact the IT Service Portal.