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2a - Grading Policy - Human Biology & Disease (HB&D) – Pre-Clerkship Years

AVAILABLE GRADES

Grading is Pass/Fail for all courses offered in the pre-clerkship years.

POLICY ON THE REQUIREMENTS TO PASS EACH BLOCK

In order to receive a Grade of Pass students must do the following: 

1. Attend and participate actively in all lab and small group sessions (Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Doctoring, Clinical Skills and Labs).
2. Attend and actively participate in all scheduled Clinical Preceptor visits
3. Complete all weekly self-assessments within their specified time period.
4. Pass a comprehensive final exam integrating all aspects of the course.    Note that all block content covered in lectures, required readings, PBL, Doctoring, Clinical Skills and Labs may be tested. The Course Chairs establish the passing grade for each block. Please refer to the specific course syllabi for further information on evaluation criteria and what constitutes a pass or fail performance in a particular course.
5. Pass an Anatomy lab practical when applicable. Please refer to the specific course syllabi for further information on what constitutes a pass or fail performance for Anatomy.
6. Pass an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).  Note that this clinical skills assessment may include material from Doctoring and/or Clinical Skills. Criteria for acceptable OSCE performance increase over the first two years, and will be published in advance for each block.
7. Receive satisfactory evaluations on the basis of specific performance criteria in PBL, Doctoring, Clinical Skills and Clinical Preceptorship.

COURSE FAILURE POLICY

1. Fail 1 block in one academic year:

1. A grade of Fail in one course will result in the designation Experiencing Academic/Professional Difficulty.  The student must make-up the grade by passing the retest exam at the next designated retest date. 

2. Fail 1 retest exam:
1. The only acceptable grade for remediation of the comprehensive final exam is "Pass."  A grade of Fail upon remediation is not acceptable and results in the designation of Academic/Professional Probation, and the student is required to repeat the course.
2. If the student repeats the course and receives a Pass, the satisfactory re-evaluation will appear on the transcript with a designation that the course was repeated (P*).
3. Fail 2 blocks in one academic year:
1. A grade of Fail in two courses will result in the Experiencing Academic/Professional Difficulty designation.  The student must make-up both exams by passing the retest exams at the next designated exam dates. 
2. If a student does not pass the make-up exam(s), the student’s designation changes to Academic/Professional Probation, and the student must repeat the course(s) the following academic year.
3. A grade of fail in two make-up exams may result in a decision to repeat the entire academic year at the discretion of the identified APC.
4. If the student repeats the course(s) and receives a Pass in both courses, the satisfactory re-evaluation will appear on the transcript with a designation that the courses were repeated (P*).
4. Fail 3 blocks in one academic year:
1. A grade of Fail in three courses will result in the Academic/Professional Probation designation.
2. The student must repeat the academic year on Academic/Professional Probation, and may be subject to dismissal with any subsequent failures during the repeat year.
5. Fail 4 blocks in one academic year:
1. The student will be recommended for dismissal.
6. Fail Anatomy Practical or Clinical Skills retest exam:
1. At the discretion of the Thread Chair, any student who solely fails an Anatomy Practical or Clinical Skills retest exam may have the opportunity to remediate his or her performance with a faculty member in lieu of repeating the entire course.
2. If given the above option, the student must remediate their performance with a faculty member, as designated by the Thread Chair, prior to the beginning of the next academic year.
7. At the discretion of the Course Chair, any student who solely fails Problem Based Learning (PBL), Preceptorship, or Doctoring may have the opportunity to remediate their performance with a faculty member in lieu of repeating the entire course.  If given the above option, the student must remediate their performance with a faculty member, as designated by the Course Chair, during the following summer.

MARGINAL PERFORMANCE POLICY

1. Students may receive a Marginal Performance for coursework in the pre-clerkship years, which is recorded on the transcript as a Pass for the course.
2. Grades of Marginal Performance are for internal purposes only and are not reflected on the transcript.
3. The Assistant and Associate Deans for Student Affairs are notified if a student’s performance is judged to be marginal.
4. Students issued a grade of Marginal Performance in a block are encouraged to meet with the respective Block Co-Chairs and one of the Deans for Student Affairs to discuss strategies for improvement and available resources for support.
5. Marginal Performance in 2 or more courses in one academic year (with no Fails) will result in the Experiencing Academic/Professional Difficulty designation.

INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY

1. The Course Chair may assign the Incomplete grade when work is of passing quality but the student has not completed all required coursework by the end of the Block. Once an Incomplete grade is assigned, it remains on the transcript until resolved.
2. To resolve a grade of an Incomplete to a Pass (P), students must satisfactorily complete the coursework as specified by the Course Chair within a specified time period. If the coursework is satisfactorily completed within a specified time period, the Incomplete will be changed to a Pass. If the coursework is not completed within a specified timed period or is not satisfactory, the Incomplete converts to and remains a Fail.
3. The Academic Performance Committee is responsible for specifying the length of time afforded to students to complete the coursework on a case-by-case basis, during which time the Incomplete will remain on the transcript.

REQUESTS FOR EVALUATION MODIFICATIONS/GRADE CHANGES

1. Students are alerted by email when a grade has been finalized. Students who feel there is an error in their grade may request a review of the grade assigned in writing to the Course Chair within 14 days of grade submission.
2. Per UCLA Academic Senate regulations, only the course instructor of record has the responsibility and right to determine and assign a final grade. A student who decides to file a grading complaint should provide written documentation to support their claim that a grade was assigned for other than academic reasons.  

Updated July 2020

2b - Grading Policy - Clinical Years

Year 3:

AVAILABLE GRADES

The faculty responsible for instruction (or their delegates) award clinical grades, final examination grades and overall grades of Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), Fail (F) or Incomplete (Inc.) according to the Clinical Years Grading Policy.

The Clinical Grading Rubric can be viewed here.

The Grading Tool for Core Clerkships can be viewed here.

**Please note that the DGSOM Medical Education Committee has voted in favor of Year 3 core clerkships being graded on a credit/no-credit basis effective March 2020 for clerkships impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

INCOMPLETE GRADES

The Course Chair may assign the Incomplete grade to either the clinical or final examination grade (which in turn translates to an Incomplete overall grade) when either clinical work is of passing quality but is incomplete, or the final examination has not been taken (due to illness or another serious problem). Once an Incomplete (Inc.) grade is assigned, it remains on the transcript until resolved.

To resolve a grade of an Incomplete in core clerkships, students must satisfactorily complete clinical coursework and/or the final examination as specified by the Clerkship Chair, and resolve the Incomplete before proceeding to required 4th year rotations.

POLICY ON THE REQUIREMENTS TO PASS CLERKSHIPS

1. Each required core clerkship has a clinical and a final exam component. The clinical component is comprised of evaluations submitted by house staff and faculty to the Site Director and Course Chair, who incorporate this data into an overall clinical evaluation. A final exam is given for all core clerkships in the third year. Students must pass both the clinical component and final examination in order to pass the required clerkship.
2. The Course Chair will notify the student in writing if she/he fails a component of a clerkship.
3. Students must pass both components of all required clerkships before beginning required 4th year rotations.

COURSE FAILURE POLICY IN THE CORE CLERKSHIPS

1. Fail 1 Clerkship exam in one academic year:
   1. One clerkship exam failure will result in a grade of "Fail" and a change of status to Experiencing Academic/Professional Difficulty.
   2. If clinical remediation is not required, the student may be allowed to retake the final exam on the next designated exam date, following two weeks of uninterrupted study with no clinical rotations or coursework, at the discretion of the Year 3 APC.
   3. The student must pass the make-up exam to receive a final examination grade of "Pass" or “High Pass.” Retaking a final examination disqualifies a student from receiving an overall grade of “Honors”.
2. Fail 1 retest exam:
1. A grade of "Fail" on the make-up exam will result in a change of status to Academic/Professional Probation.
2. Students will be required to repeat the clerkship in its entirety.
3. If the student repeats the clerkship and receives a final grade of "Pass” or “High Pass," the grade will appear on the transcript with an asterisk designation indicating that the course was repeated (P* or HP*). Retaking a final examination disqualifies a student from receiving a final examination grade of “Honors” and an overall grade of “Honors.”
3. Fail 2 Clerkship exams in one academic year:
1. Two clerkship exam failures will result in a grade of "Fail" for each clerkship. The student’s status will remain Experiencing Academic/Professional Difficulty.
2. If clinical remediation is not required, the student may be allowed to retake the exams at the next designated exam dates, following two weeks of uninterrupted study with no clinical rotations or coursework before each exam, at the discretion of the Year 3 APC.
3. The student must pass each make-up exam to receive a "Pass" or “High Pass” grade. Retaking a final examination disqualifies a student from receiving a final examination grade of “Honors” and an overall grade of “Honors.”
4. Fail 3 Clerkship exams in one academic year:
1. Three clerkship exam failures will result in a grade of "Fail" for each clerkship, and a change in status to Academic/Professional Probation. A recommendation to either repeat the entire Year 3 curriculum, or the specific clerkships, will be determined by the Year 3 APC.
2. Any subsequent clerkship exam failures may result in a recommendation for dismissal.
5. Fail 4 Clerkship exams in one academic year:
1. The student will be recommended for dismissal to CASPP.
6. Clinical Failure:
1. If a student fails the clinical portion of a clerkship, the student will receive a grade of “Fail” and must remediate by repeating the clerkship in its entirety, including the final examination, even if the exam was previously taken and passed.
2. If the student repeats the course and receives a "Pass" or “High Pass,” the transcript will include an asterisk designating that the course was repeated (P* or HP*). Remediating a clinical fail disqualifies a student from receiving an overall grade of “Honors.”
7. Clinical Remediation Failure:
1. The only acceptable grade for remediation is “Pass” or “High Pass”. A grade of "Fail" upon remediation is not acceptable and will result in recommendation for dismissal to CASPP.

Revised May 2017

Evaluation criteria will be included in the course syllabus for each of the Core Clinical Clerkships, Longitudinal Preceptorship and Systems-Based Health Care. Please refer to the individual course syllabi for additional details on evaluation criteria.

Courses Graded on the 4-tier system of Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail

Core Clinical Clerkships: Ambulatory Medicine, Family Medicine, Inpatient Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Surgery.

Courses Graded on the Pass/Fail System

Systems-Based Health Care and Longitudinal Preceptorship:  Students are required to attend and actively participate in all sessions in order to receive a grade of Pass.

Longitudinal Primary Care Preceptorship and Longitudinal Primary Care Research:  Drew students are required to attend and actively participate in all sessions in order to receive a grade of Pass.

Longitudinal Radiology: Students are required to take and pass a Radiology exam at the end of each clerkship.  A cumulative score of 70 percent is required to pass the course.   

In addition to a grade, students will receive narrative evaluations based on their performance for all 3rd year coursework.  The “Comments” section will be incorporated into the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter for residency applications. The “Feedback” section of the narrative evaluation will serve to provide meaningful feedback to the student on his/her performance on the Core Clinical Clerkships, Longitudinal Preceptorship, or Systems-Based Heath Care with recommendations for improvement.

Clerkship and Course chairs are asked to meet with students whose performance is failing in order to provide the student with feedback and recommendations to improve their performance.  In addition, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will also be notified as soon as possible by the Site Director, Clerkship Chair, or Course Chair, as applicable, of students who have been determined to be at risk of failing the course.

All performance evaluations and assessments must be submitted within six weeks of the conclusion of a course or clerkship.     

Year 4: 

POLICY ON THE REQUIREMENTS TO PASS 4th YEAR COURSEWORK
(Effective: May 2017)

1. The faculty responsible for instruction (or their delegates) award overall grades of Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), Fail (F) or Incomplete (Inc.) according to the Clinical Years Grading Policy.  The Clinical Grading Rubric can be viewed here.  The MS4 Grading Tool can be viewed here.
2. If a student receives a grade of Fail (F) he/she will not receive credit for the clinical course and a grade of Fail (F) will remain on the transcript.
3. If a student receives a grade of Incomplete (Inc.) for the clinical rotation resulting from missed days due to excused absence(s), the course chair may give the student the opportunity to make up the missed days. After the days have been made up, their grade of Inc. will be replaced with a grade of Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), or Fail (F) based on the grading rubric.

Revised May 2017

Courses Graded on the 4-tier system of Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail

• 4th year elective coursework: 200-level (with the exception of Global Health), 300-level and 400-level. 

Courses Graded on the Pass/Fail System

• 100-level Electives
• Global Health Electives (listed as 200-level )
• Away Electives
• Research Electives
• Special Clinical Electives

In addition to a grade, students will receive narrative evaluations based on their performance for all 4th year coursework.  The “Comments” section will be incorporated into the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter for residency applications, and the “Feedback” section will serve to provide meaningful feedback to the student on his or her clinical performance on the elective, with recommendations for improvement.

Course chairs are asked to meet with students whose performance is failing in order to provide the student with feedback and recommendations to improve their performance.  In addition, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will also be notified by the Course Chair as soon as possible of students who have been determined to be at risk of failing the course.

All performance evaluations and assessments must be submitted within four weeks of the conclusion of the course.   

DGSOM Matriculation on or after August 2014:

The David Geffen School of Medicine adopted a 4-tier grading system: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail for the clinical years beginning with students that matriculated on or after August 2014.   Grading will be criterion-based, which measures student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria. 

DGSOM Matriculation prior to August 2014:

For students matriculating in the curriculum at the David Geffen School of Medicine prior to August 2014, grading in the clinical years is strictly Pass/Fail. 

Evaluation criteria are included in the course syllabus for each of the Clinical Core Clerkships, Longitudinal Preceptorship, Systems-Based Health Care.  Please refer to the individual course syllabi for additional details on evaluation criteria.

In addition to a grade (Pass/Fail), students will receive narrative evaluations based on their performance for all 3rd and 4th year coursework.   The “Comments” section will be incorporated into the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter for residency applications, and the “Feedback” will serve to provide meaningful feedback to the student on his/her performance on the Clinical Core Clerkship, Longitudinal Preceptorship and Systems-Based Health Care courses, with recommendations for improvement.

Clerkship and Course chairs are asked to meet with students whose performance is failing in order to provide the student with feedback and recommendations to improve their performance.  In addition, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will also be notified as soon as possible by the Site Director, Clerkship Chair, or Course Chair, as applicable, of students who have been determined to be at risk of failing the course.

All performance evaluations and assessments must be submitted to the Student Affairs Office within four weeks of the conclusion of a course or clerkship.  After all evaluations and assessments have been submitted, the Student Affairs Office will then release the course or clerkship grades as soon as possible.  

Letters of Distinction apply only to students matriculating prior to August 2014 and are awarded for truly exemplary performance on a Core Clerkship by the Clinical Clerkship Committee.  There are no minimum or maximum number of letters awarded in any given clerkship; i.e. several Letters of Distinction or no Letters of Distinction may be awarded on any given rotation.  Letters of Distinction are recognized in the student’s MSPE letter for residency applications.  Please refer to the individual course syllabi for further details on criteria used to determine a student’s candidacy for a Letter of Distinction.

Please refer to the Policy and Guideline on Progress and Promotion for information on Incomplete Grades and Course Failure policies.

Revised: August 19, 2015

2c - Evaluation and Assessment in Medical Education

Purpose

The purpose of this section is to provide an overview of the policies and procedures used to collect medical student evaluations of faculty, courses, clerkships, electives, and other educational activities. It highlights the responsibility of the David Geffen School of Medicine and individual medical students to ensure that appropriate feedback is gathered.

Overview

Collecting student evaluations of the medical school curriculum and instruction are crucial to obtaining feedback that can be used to ensure:

• The School of Medicine gathers evidence of faculty teaching ability and shares teaching evaluations with faculty
• Continuous quality improvement of the curriculum and instruction that is backed by empirical data
• Compliance with LCME standards and elements
• Deans, faculty, and staff have reliable student feedback to inform decision-making and strategic planning

Responsibility of the Educational Measurement Unit

The Educational Measurement Unit is responsible for designing and administering evaluations of courses and faculty for all four years of the medical school curriculum. The Educational Measurement Unit is tasked with implementing evaluations that are:

• Based on sound and rigorous methods, including online surveys and in-person qualitative methods
• Anonymous or confidential to ensure truthful and forthright feedback from students
• Mindful of student time and commitments
• Able to provide decision-makers and faculty data to implement continuous quality improvements

Evaluation methods will be standardized across educational components and years to allow longitudinal comparison of results. Evaluations may include one or more of the following:

• Items required by the LCME and items that allow for benchmarking against national data sets
• Overall rating of educational components
• Rating of individual faculty members, instructors, or tutors
• Open-ended questions

Responsibility of Students

Students are required to complete course, teaching, and site evaluations at all UCLA locations. Confidential online evaluations are distributed to students via email and must be completed in a timely fashion. Students may additionally be required to participate in confidential focus groups or other in-person feedback sessions. Students are asked to provide evaluations and feedback on:

• Pre-clerkship courses, clerkship rotations, assigned sites, electives, and other educational activities
• Faculty, instructors, and tutors responsible for all of the above educational activities

Failure to comply with the school’s policy may result in a professionalism concern being placed in the student’s permanent record.

Updated July 2019