Grades Submission Policy

(1) Timeliness of Final Grades

The purpose of this policy is to define the timely expectations for the release of grades to students, using LCME element 9.8, Fair and Timely Summative Assessment, as the minimum expectation at BSOM, which states:

A medical school has in place a system of fair and timely summative assessment of medical student achievement in each course and clerkship of the medical education program. Final grades are available within six weeks of the end of a course or clerkship.

The BSOM policy states that the due date for grades is 6 weeks following the conclusion of a module/clerkship/elective. Grades for formative assessment within longitudinal modules must be provided to students within 6 weeks of the date of the assessment.

Procedure: The Office of Student Affairs and Admissions (OSAA) monitors the timeliness of grade release, and contacts the appropriate module/clerkship/elective directors if grades are not received at the “5 weeks plus 2 business days” deadline and work with the clerkship/module/elective director to ensure that grades are released no later than 6 weeks. Any module/clerkship/elective director that has not met the deadline will be reported to the Associate Deans for Medical Education and Student Affairs and Admissions and that module/clerkship/elective director’s chairperson. OSAA prepares an annual report to the Faculty Curriculum Committee (FCC) on the timeliness of grades across the academic year.

Approved by FCC (via electronic vote) on February 3, 2020

(2) Course and Clerkship Formative Feedback Policy

The purpose of this policy is to define expectations for formal formative feedback within courses and clerkships four weeks and longer, in accordance with LCME element 9.7 which states:

The medical school’s curricular governance committee ensures that each medical student is assessed and provided with formal formative feedback early enough during each required course or clerkship to allow sufficient time for remediation. Formal feedback occurs at least at the midpoint of the course or clerkship. A course or clerkship less than four weeks in length provides alternate means by which a medical student can measure his or her progress in learning.

In the Foundations phase, students have almost daily formative feedback through the daily teaching and learning activities that includes a small graded component, and with examinations that generally occur every 2-4 weeks throughout a course. For clerkships, students receive formal mid-rotation feedback from the clerkship director or designee. In clerkships that are 2 weeks in length, it is expected that supervisors discuss student progress, especially if there are concerns to ensure that students have the opportunity to make necessary improvements.

Procedure: Clerkship coordinators monitor the completion of the mid-rotation feedback forms, with reports to their respective steering committees, which are then forwarded to DME on a quarterly basis. Any clerkship director that has not completed mid-rotation feedback during a given rotation cycle will be reported to the Associate Dean for Medical Education and that module/clerkship director’s chairperson. DME prepares an annual report to the Faculty Curriculum Committee (FCC) on the completion of mid-rotation feedback forms across all core clerkships.

(3) Narrative Assessment Policy

The purpose of this policy is to define the expectations for narrative assessments on student performance in the BSOM. This is in accordance to LCME element 9.5 that states:

A medical school ensures that a narrative description of a medical student’s performance, including his or her non-cognitive achievement, is included as a component of the assessment in each required course and clerkship of the medical education program whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment.

At the BSOM, during the Foundations phase, the Clinical Medicine Module will include narrative summative assessments of the students. In the modules that contain a WrightQ series, narrative summative assessments are required for the small group sessions. All clerkships within the Doctoring Phase are to have a narrative summative component of a medical student’s performance. Narrative summative assessments must comply with the timely submission of grades requirement (Element 9.8) and be submitted no more than 6 weeks after the conclusion of the modules/clerkship.

Procedure: The DME monitors the completion of narrative summative assessments across the Foundations and Doctoring phases. Any module/clerkship director or small group faculty that has not adequately provided narrative summative assessment of their assigned students by the 6 week deadline will be reported to the Associate Dean for Medical Education and that faculty member’s chairperson. DME prepares an annual report to the Faculty Curriculum Committee (FCC) on completion of narrative summative assessments across Foundations and Doctoring phases of the curriculum. 

Approved by FCC on August 22, 2018

Approved by FCC on 07/28/2021