Phase 1 Grading Policy

Foundations of Medical Science (FoMS)

LCME Standards

  • 9.6 Setting Standards of Achievement
  • 9.8 Fair and Timely Summative Assessment

Overview 

  1. (1.1) Grading is Pass/Fail in the pre-clerkship year

Requirements to Pass Foundations of Medical Sciences (FoMS)

  1. (2.1) A passing grade in the FoMS course is required to begin the core clerkship phase. In order to receive a grade of Pass, students must do the following:
    1. (1a) Attend and participate in all required educational activities, including but not limited to, lab, interactive large group sessions, small group sessions, and integration activities.
    2. (1b) Attend and participate in all assigned clinical experience visits.
    3. (1c) Complete all coursework, assignments, make-up or remediation work, as specified in course syllabi and guides.
    4. (1d) Complete all Pit Stop Computer Examinations, Foundations of Practice Knowledge Check questions, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), Anatomy Practicals, and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exams.
      1. (1d.1) Students who do not reach a pre-established threshold score on any of the following examinations must utilize resources available to close their knowledge or performance gaps as directed by the relevant Course Director and/or Academic Performance Committee:
        1. Foundations of Practice (FoP) Knowledge Checks
          1. Attend the relevant Knowledge Check Review session.
          2. Utilize Educator for Excellence (E4E) or other coaching.
          3. Meet with a Society Dean.
        2. Scientific Foundations of Medicine (SFM) Computer Examination
          1. Attend the relevant Pit Stop Computer Examination Review session.
          2. Meet with core faculty from SFM for content review.
          3. Utilize academic support resources.
          4. Meet with a Society Dean.
        3. OSCE Examination
          1. Meet with FoP Leadership to remediate OSCE examinations.
          2. Utilize Educator for Excellence (E4E) or other coaching.
          3. Meet with a Society Dean.
        4. Anatomy Practical
          1. Attend sessions with Anatomy leadership to review Anatomy content covered on the relevant Anatomy Practical.
          2. Meet with a Society Dean.
        5. NBME Examinations
          1. Utilize academic support resources.
          2. Meet with a society dean.
    5. (1e) If a student does not reach threshold multiple times, does not reach threshold in multiple domains, or there are other concerns aside from examination performance, there will be additional recommendations and/or requirements from the Academic Performance Committee. Any such recommendations and/or requirements will be outlined in an individualized learning plan.
    6. (1f) Students who do not reach the threshold score on SFM Computer Examinations, a cumulative threshold score on FoP Knowledge Checks, or the threshold score on NBME examinations must reach a prespecified threshold score on a retest examination.
      1. (1f.1) Students who do not meet the threshold score on a retest examination will receive a FoMS grade of incomplete and will be required to take additional retests until the threshold score is met.
        1. (1f.1a) Once the threshold score is met on a retest examination, the incomplete grade will be changed to a grade of pass if all other requirements of the FoMS course have been satisfied.
      2. (1f.2) The start of the core clerkship phase will be delayed for those who do not meet the threshold score on the last pre-established retest examination for SFM Computer Examinations and/or FoP Knowledge Checks.
      3. (1f.3) Students must complete and pass all FoMS examinations, including any retests, before they are eligible to sit for the NBME CAS examination.
      4. (1f.4) Students must achieve the required threshold score on the NBME CAS examination, administered after the Integration of Medical Sciences, in order to advance to Clerkships.
    7. (1g) Repeated difficulties reaching the threshold score on retest examinations may lead to requirements that may extend medical school training beyond four years.
  2. (2.2) Students will not be required to repeat a bock of content or the first year of medical school solely for not reaching a threshold score on one or multiple examinations.
    1. (2a) Students may be asked to repeat a block of content or the entire Phase 1 should they repeatedly not reach the threshold score on multiple examinations while not utilizing resources listed above and/or not attending required attendance sessions.
      1. (2a.1) The Pre-Clerkship Academic Performance Committee (APC) will make a recommendation for a student to repeat a block of content or the first year of medical school on a student-by-student basis. Any APC recommendation for a student to remediation a black of Phase 1 will be referred to the Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP) for final determinations and possible changes in academic/professional standing.
  3. (2.3) To ensure full academic and social support, the following people may be notified if a student does not reach the threshold score on a Pit Stop examination, cumulative threshold score on FoP Knowledge Checks, or the NBME examination(s). All of these individuals, except for E4Es, attend APC meetings:
    1. Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs
    2. Associate Dean for Student Affairs
    3. Assistant Deans for Student Affairs (Society Deans)
    4. Assistant Deans for Curricular Affairs
    5. Course Directors and Associate Directors
    6. Director of Student Affairs
    7. Director of Curricular Affairs
    8. Curricular Affairs Pre-Clerkship Curriculum Supervisor
    9. Curricular Affairs FoMS Curriculum Specialists
    10. Academic Support Office personnel
    11. Director of Disability Services
    12. Assistant Director of Disability Services
    13. APC Administrator
    14. A student’s Educator for Excellence (for the FoP Knowledge Checks and OSCE only)

Requirements to Pass Foundations of Medical Sciences (FoMS)

  1. (3.1) Students are alerted by e-mail when a grade has been finalized. Students who believe there is an error in their grade may submit a written request for a grade review to the relevant Course Director within 14 days of grade submission.
  2. (3.2)  Per UCLA Academic Senate regulations, only the course instructor of record has the responsibility and right to determine and assign a final grade. Any student claiming that a grade was assigned for other than academic reasons needs to provide written documentation to support their assertion.

Policy Responsibility and References

  1. RESPONSIBILITY
    Curricular Affairs Office
    Educational Measurement Unit
    Student Affairs Office
  2. REFERENCES
  3. POLICY OWNER
    Medical Education Committee
  4. REVIEWED BY
    Curricular Affairs Office
    Educational Measurement Unit
    Student Affairs Office
    Associate Dean, Curricular Affairs
    Associate Dean, Student Affairs
    Medical Education Committee
    Pre-Clerkship Curriculum Committee
  5. REVIEWED DATE and REVIEW CYCLE
    August 2024, 3-year review cycle