Academic Performance Committee

Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP) of Medical Students

I. Committee Charge

A.  The Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP) of Medical Students is a standing subcommittee of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM).  On behalf of the faculty of the DGSOM, CASPP promulgates standards and evaluates the academic performance, professionalism, and ability to meet the technical standards of each student  from matriculation until graduation with an MD degree or the conclusion of enrollment at DGSOM ­(See Appendices 1 and 2).  CASPP reviews and reports on these standards annually to the FEC.

The specific activities of CASPP include:

• Promulgating uniform standards for satisfactory academic performance of medical students for preclinical classes, clinical clerkships, and other academic programs of the school, in consultation with the course or clerkship chairs, and the identified Academic Performance Committee, subject to approval by the FEC
• Reviewing the performance of all medical students annually to ensure they are making satisfactory progress toward attaining their medical degree and meeting all relevant standards
• Submitting recommendations to the FEC for student promotion to the next year of medical training and graduation
• Developing remediation plans in collaboration with the identified Academic Performance Committee (APC) for any students with deficiencies in meeting academic performance, professionalism, or technical standards. This process does not need FEC approval and may be appealed (See Section VI)
• Arbitrating student's appeals for reconsideration of remediation plans as determined by the identified Academic Performance Committee (See Section VI)
• In cases of serious and/or persistent deficiencies, recommending dismissal of students from DGSOM

II. Academic Performance Committee (APC)

A. Course and clerkship chairs for various curricular segments constitute Academic Performance Committees to monitor student performance, assist students with academic and professional issues, and recommend promotions.  There are currently three committees, the chair of which is appointed by the Vice Dean for Education:  Year One, Year Two, Years Three/Four (See Section V, Subsection C).  

B. The identified Academic Performance Committee will meet at regular intervals throughout the curriculum to discuss students’ performance and the deficiencies of any individual students for purposes of assisting the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in defining the appropriate support and needs of each student with a deficiency. 

C. The identified APC is responsible for developing individualized remediation plans for students with deficiencies in meeting academic performance, professionalism, or technical standards set forth by DGSOM.   

D. The Associate Dean for  Student Affairs  has overall responsibility for monitoring the compliance of students with plans to remediate professionalism, academic, and/or technical deficiencies that are determined by the identified APC.  Students will sign a written, individualized remediation plan, detailing the specific criteria necessary to meet the professionalism, academic, and/or technical standards.  In the event a student fails to satisfy the criteria of the individualized remediation plan, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will notify the identified APC and the student in writing.  The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will schedule a meeting with the student to determine why the plan is not being followed.  In the event the Dean is able to informally resolve the issue, they will report resolution to the identified APC.  Alternatively, in the event the Dean is unable to resolve the issue informally, the student will be referred to the identified APC for consideration of their inability to adhere to the individualized remediation plan.  Students may be recommended for dismissal from DGSOM by the identified APC in the event they fail to adhere to the signed, individualized remediation plan. 

III. Membership

A. CASPP is composed of 12 voting members, including its chair, who are appointed by the FEC with input from the Dean, Vice Dean for Education, and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, for staggered three-year terms; members may be reappointed for two additional terms.  The Chair of CASPP must have previously served at least two years as a member.  A quorum consists of seven voting members; decisions require a majority of the members voting.  Members must be faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor Step IV or higher, who are active in the medical student teaching program.  At any given time at least six members must be from the Academic Senate and four from the Health Sciences Clinical Professor series.  The Vice Dean for Education or designees may serve as ex officio non-voting members.  Other Dean’s office leadership, faculty, or staff may be invited by chair of CASPP to participate in discussion but must be excused before deliberation and voting take place.  DGSOM Counsel may be invited to participate as an ex officio non-voting member.

IV. Frequency of Meetings

A. CASPP meets at least quarterly, or more often as needed.

V. Standard Operating Procedures

A. CASPP reviews the standards for academic performance for preclinical classes, clinical clerkships, and other academic programs of the school on an annual basis. Because the faculty conceives of the medical curriculum leading to the MD degree as a single course of study, CASPP oversees uniform standards of academic and professional performance across similar courses and clerkships and departmental boundaries.  These standards are monitored in consultation with the course or clerkship chairs and the identified APC, and are subject to review and approval by the FEC on an annual basis.
B. CASPP reviews the professional development and academic performance of each student on an annual basis or more often as needed.  Each student is reviewed annually and considered for promotion to the next year of study.  The recommendation for promotion of each student is made to the FEC and is based on the student’s fulfillment of professional, academic, and technical standards, and successful completion of all requirements of the curriculum for the given academic year.
C. CASPP oversees uniform policy and procedural guidelines for determining and remediating professionalism, academic, or technical deficiencies (­See Appendices 1 and 2).  These guidelines include, but are not limited to, remediation procedures that are instituted by the identified APC when a student fails one or more examinations, courses, or clerkships, or otherwise demonstrates deficiencies in satisfactory professionalism, academic, or technical performance.  In collaboration with the identified APC, CASPP may review any student's professionalism and academic performance in the event there are concerns about the student's ability to meet the academic, professional, or technical standards.  Students are notified of this action, including the scheduled date when their professionalism, and academic and technical performance will be reviewed by CASPP.  CASPP and the identified APC have the authority to interrupt a student’s course of study at any time, including removing students from preclinical courses or clinical rotations, or any other action deemed necessary based on professional, academic, or technical performance concerns, including but not limited to: 

• Requiring a student to correct a failed test or a failed course or clerkship grade in a specified manner and/or by a specified date
• Placing a student under academic restrictions with a prescribed and restricted curriculum for a time period determined by CASPP and/or the identified APC
• Requiring a student to take USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS at specified times and/or restricting access to any clerkship until he or she has either taken or received an overall passing score
• Placing the student on an Administrative Leave of Absence until deficiencies have been corrected
• Requiring a remedial curriculum or that a student be referred for a fitness for duty assessment
• Recommending dismissal of the student from DGSOM

If a student does not fulfill all requirements for the year’s curriculum, the identified APC is responsible for developing an individualized learning plan to remediate deficiencies in support of the student’s academic and professional development (See Section II, Subsection D).  Students are referred to CASPP by the identified APC for consideration under the following circumstances:

• Promotion of students in good academic standing
• Student elects to appeal the individualized remediation plan as determined by the identified APC (See Section VI)
• Student fails to meet specific criteria of an individualized remediation plan as determined by the identified APC  
• Lack of consensus among members of the identified APC in developing a remediation plan
• Lack of consensus among members of the identified APC of the ultimate decision after extended deliberations
• Recommendation for dismissal

All students appearing before CASPP have the right to:

• Receive a written explanation as to the nature of their deficiency
• Discuss the deficiency with an appropriate Dean and participate in the development of an individualized remediation plan to be presented to CASPP
• Submit a written statement to CASPP prior to the scheduled date when their professionalism, and academic and technical performance will be reviewed by CASPP
• Appear and provide an oral statement before CASPP on one and only one occasion when their professionalism, and academic and technical performance will be reviewed by CASPP
• Students may be accompanied by a qualified advocate of their choice to the meeting, who may also make a brief statement on behalf of the student. Advocates may be students or faculty of DGSOM; attorneys are not qualified advocates.

All members of CASPP will be asked to disclose potential conflicts of interest with cases that are to be discussed. Any CASPP member who has a conflict of interest in the case will recuse himself/herself from voting on the action under consideration.

D. The presentation of evidence to CASPP will be audio recorded and, if necessary, transcribed by a court reporter or alternative transcriptionist.

E. If in the course of remediating a deficiency, the student plans to request an accommodation due to a mental or physical disability, the student must provide as soon as practically possible:

• Advance notice to CASPP and/or the identified APC of any such request
• Sufficient verification of his or her disability
• Appropriate documentation of his or her disability-related accommodation needs

Students referred to CASPP for consideration due to an academic deficiency must attest in writing that they have reviewed and are able to fulfill the technical standards of the DGSOM, and disclose any information or facts of which they are aware regarding limitations in their ability to fulfill these standards.  Students also are asked to declare that they will disclose to CASPP any other materials, facts or information that are relevant to the deficiencies being discussed for consideration.  Failure of the student to disclose such facts or information prior to or during the meeting with CASPP precludes consideration of these facts or other sources of information during any subsequent discussions or appeal of CASPP decisions.  

F. Professionalism concerns or deficiencies that cannot be resolved through informal mechanisms are discussed at a regular meeting of CASPP attended by the student and the faculty member involved in identifying the deficiency (See Section V, Subsection C).  CASPP may elect to place a student who is experiencing academic/professional difficulty or academic/professional probation for unprofessional behavior on a recommended remediation plan, even if such unprofessional behavior did not affect the student’s grade.

G. Students reviewed by CASPP for professionalism, academic, and/or technical deficiencies receive a written report within 10 working days after the meeting detailing the action taken by CASPP.  The time frame may be extended for good cause at the discretion of the Chair of CASPP. 

H. CASPP has overall responsibility for approving deviations from the curriculum.  Requests for deviation are not considered when students fail to follow remediation steps prescribed by CASPP.

VI. Appeals

A. Requests to reconsider actions taken by the identified APC that affect the academic status of a student, including but not limited to requirements to correct deficiencies, suspension, and plans for remediation, must be submitted in writing to CASPP within 30 days of receipt of the action.  An appeal must cite the basis of the request for reconsideration and provide sufficient and detailed information to support the appeal.  Disagreement with the determination of the identified APC is not sufficient cause to request an appeal.  New evidence may not be presented in the appeals process unless the student can prove that it was unavailable during the identified APC deliberations.

NOTE: If the student failed to disclose information or facts that were in his or her possession at the time of the meeting with the identified APC, the student is considered to have waived the right to raise those facts or information on reconsideration or appeal. 

During the appeals process, CASPP will not reconsider the facts and statements on which the original decision was based but will only consider:

• Whether new information that was unavailable during the identified APC deliberations has been discovered
• Whether there is any evidence of discrimination as determined by the appropriate Institutional Office
• Whether there is any evidence of a procedural error in the identified Academic Performance Committee's review that prejudiced the student’s ability to receive a fair hearing
• Whether there is any evidence that the identified APC acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner

CASPP may affirm or reject the identified Academic Performance Committee's determination, or refer the matter back to the identified Academic Performance Committee for further consideration.

B. If a request for appeal is denied, the decision may be appealed to the Vice Dean for Education within 10 working days from the student’s notification of CASPP’s final decision.

C. Appeals to the Vice Dean for Education  may be made solely on the basis of whether CASPP followed appropriate procedures in reaching its conclusions and formulating actions.  If the Vice Dean for Education concludes that CASPP did not follow appropriate procedures, he or she will remand the matter to CASPP for reconsideration.  The decision of the Vice Dean for Education is final in all matters involving fulfillment of academic, professionalism, or technical standards, and related remediation plans.

D. If the Vice Dean for Education upholds a recommendation of CASPP to dismiss a student from DGSOM, this decision may be appealed to the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) within 10 working days after the student receives notification.  The FEC will not reconsider the facts and statements on which the original decision was based.  Appeals to the FEC may be filed solely on the basis of: 

• Whether there is any evidence of discriminiation as determined by the appropriate institutional office
• Whether there is any evidence of a procedural error in CASPP's review that prejudiced the student’s ability to receive a fair hearing
• Whether there is any evidence that CASPP acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner

Approved by DGSOM FEC May 6, 2020