EAA051 UTRGV SOM Grading Policy
Policy Number: EAA051
Policy Title: UTRGV SOM Grading Policy
A. Purpose
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine (SOM) is committed to excellence in education and to providing students with a comprehensive medical education that will enable their development as knowledgeable, skilled and compassionate physicians. To meet this commitment and to meet LCME standards1, the UTRGV SOM must provide clear standards as for how students will be assessed and graded. This policy outlines the grading policy for UTRGV SOM students for all four years of the curriculum.
B. Persons Affected
This policy will cover faculty, staff and students participating in the UTRGV SOM four-year curriculum.
C. Authority and Responsibilities
The Central Curricular Authority Committee (CCAC), the central authority responsible for the overall design, management, and evaluation of the curriculum, through appropriate subcommittees, monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of the four-year curriculum.
D. Definitions
Assessment: The processes employed to make judgements about the achievements of students over a course of study.2
ASSIST: Student information systems platform that stands for Advanced Services for Student Information Supported by Technology.
Grading Rubric: A coherent set of criteria for students' work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality on the criteria. The Office of Education and Academic Affairs (OEAA) is responsible for the development of grading rubrics for each module, clerkship, selective and elective and the CCAC has the responsibility to review and approve them.
Pre-Clerkship Years: Include modules and electives during the first and second years of the curriculum.
Clerkship Years: Include all clinical courses and rotations including core clerkships, electives and selectives during the third and fourth years of the curriculum.
Grading Systems: There are two grading systems. (1) Where the grades are Honors/High Pass/Pass/No Pass. (2) Where the grades are Pass or No Pass.
(1) Under the Honors/High Pass/Pass/No Pass System:
Honors "H" Grade: A grade greater than or equal to 90% will be recorded as "Honors" in the student's academic record and transcript.
High Pass "HP" Grade: A grade greater than or equal to 80% but less than 90% will be recorded as "High Pass" in the student's academic record and transcript.
Pass "P" Grade: A grade greater than or equal to 70% but less than 80% will be recorded as "Pass" in the student's academic record and transcript.
No Pass "NP" Grade: A grade below 70% will be recorded as "No Pass" in the student's academic record and transcript.
(2) Under the Pass/No Pass System:
Pass "P'' Grade: A grade greater than or equal to 70% will be recorded as "Pass" in the student's academic record and transcript.
No Pass "NP'' Grade: A grade below 70% will be recorded as "No Pass" in the student's academic record and transcript.
Other Grades:
Incomplete "I" Grade: A grade of "I" or incomplete is awarded when a student does not complete all of the required coursework within the designated timeframe of when the course is offered. The incomplete grade will be updated once a student has completed all curricular requirements.
Withdrawal "W" Grade: A grade of "W" will be awarded to a student who withdraws from a course prior to completing all requirements.
E. Policy
Module grades (MS-1 and MS2 years) are based on a Pass/No Pass system. Each module provides students with its own CCAC-approved grading rubric which is comprised of two assessment components: 1) objective examinations, quizzes, presentations, etc., and 2) performance-based assessments (clinical skills, OSCEs, professionalism, etc.). Students must pass both components to receive a passing grade.
Clerkship grades (MS-3 and MS-4 years) are based on either the Honors/High Pass/Pass/No Pass System or the Pass/No Pass System. Each clerkship provides students with its own CCAC-approved grading rubric.
Grades are not rounded up or down.
Final grades for all courses (MS-1 to MS-4) must be entered into ASSIST by the designated official and made available to students within three weeks as the recommended guideline with six weeks as the absolute requirement from the end date of the course.
Monitoring of the timely submission of grades is the responsibility of the Office of Educational Affairs.
Confidentiality of Grades: Module, clerkship, selective, and elective directors are accountable for ensuring the confidentiality of all student educational records in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended. Congruent with this responsibility, module, clerkship, selective, and elective directors will not post or display, either electronically or in hard copy, lists of students' grades in personally identifiable forms, including the student names, any four consecutive digits of student Social Security numbers, or student identification numbers.
Grade Appeals: Students may appeal a grade through the academic grievance process. (See policy EAA008 Medical Students Final Grade and Narrative Evaluation Appeals Policy).
Remediation: Students who do not pass a module, clerkship, elective or selective may be required to remediate a course. (See policy EAA0084 Commitment to Student Success Policy).
F. Relevant Federal and/or State Statute(s), Board of Regents' Rule(s), UTS Policy(ies), and/or Coordinating Board Rule(s)
Federal Statute: FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99
Board of Regents: UT System Board of Regents Rule 50702: Confidentiality and Security of Education Records Subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Appendix A
LCME Standard(s)/Element(s)
Standard 9.4: VARIETY OF MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT/ DIRECT OBSERVATION OF CORE CLINICAL SKILLS.
A medical school ensures that, throughout its medical education program, there is a centralized system in place that employs a variety of measures (including direct observation) for the assessment of student achievement, including students' acquisition of the knowledge, core clinical skills (e.g., medical history-taking, physical examination), behaviors, and attitudes specified in medical education program objectives, and that ensures that all medical students achieve the same medical education program objectives.
Standard 9.8: FAIR AND TIMELY SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT.
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.
Dates Reviewed or Amended
Approved by the Central Curricular Authority Committee (CCAC) on August 23, 2017.
Reviewed, amended, and approved by the Central Curricular Authority Committee (CCAC) on September 13, 2017; July 22, 2020; November 10, 2021.
Approved by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer on August 06, 2020; November 11, 2021.