COM – Grading Policy

Policy Number: 3349-AC-431
Effective Date: 07/01/2021
Updated: 02/28/2023
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: Medical Education – College of Medicine
Approval Authority: Dean, College of Medicine
Responsible Office: Office of the Dean and Medical Education – College of Medicine

A. Purpose

To establish clear and consistent language for grades used in the College of Medicine (COM). The relevant Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) element is as follows (LCME Functions and Structure of a Medical School, effective July 1, 2023):

• Element 10.3: Policies Regarding Student Selection/Progress and Their Dissemination – The faculty of a medical school establish criteria for student selection and develop and implement effective policies and procedures regarding, and make decisions about, medical student application, selection, admission, assessment, promotion, graduation, and any disciplinary action. The medical school makes available to all interested parties its criteria, standards, policies, and procedures regarding these matters.

B. Scope

This policy pertains to all credit-bearing courses, including modules, clerkships, and electives, in the COM curriculum.

C. Definitions

1. Credit-bearing Courses: refers to a course/module/clerkship/elective, offered by the College of Medicine in which a student is enrolled, the course/module/clerkship/ elective appears on the student’s official transcript with either contact hours or credit-bearing acknowledgment, and a grade is assigned.

D. Policy Statement

1. The following grades are used in the COM; not all grades are used in all courses, modules, clerkships, or electives. See specific policies for pre-clerkship and clerkship grading.
   1. Honors – The final grade of Honors, when used in a credit-bearing course, designates the highest standard of performance. Specific criteria for achievement of Honors are defined in grading policies and course syllabi.
   2. High Pass – The final grade of High Pass, when used in a credit-bearing course, designates the second highest standard of performance in courses that use Honors-High Pass-Pass-Fail grading schema. Specific criteria for High Pass are defined in grade policies and course syllabi.
   3. Pass – The final grade of Pass is used by all credit-bearing courses and designates that the student has achieved the intended learning outcomes of the course. Specific criteria for Pass are defined in grade policies and course syllabi.
   4. Fail – The final grade of Fail is used by all credit-bearing courses and designates that the student did not achieve the intended learning outcomes of the course.
   5. Incomplete – The grade of Incomplete signifies that the student was unable to complete the course requirements in standard time frame for approved reasons. Previous work in the class must be satisfactory; the option may never be used to allow extra time to avoid a failing grade. Incomplete is a temporary grade and is replaced with a final grade once the work is completed.
   6. Extended Time – The grade of Extended Time designates that upon review of student performance metrics at the end of the course the student has not yet met all criteria for passing the course and is eligible for retest, reassessment, or revision of unsatisfactory work after the end of the course. Use of this temporary grade enables the COM, in specific circumstances, to permit retest without posting a grade of Fail. The student may receive a grade of Pass upon successful demonstration of all passing criteria. Extended Time is a temporary grade and is replaced with a final grade once the work is completed.
   7. In Progress – The grade of In Progress designates that students were not afforded the opportunity to complete the course in the scheduled timeframe due to institutional circumstances (e.g., disruption of a course by a pandemic or severe weather preventing attendance at exams). In Progress is a temporary grade and is replaced with a final grade once the work is completed.
2. NEOMED, from time to time, may have other grade designations that appear on a transcript. The registrar maintains records of other grade designations in use at NEOMED and reports the definitions and usages in the Key to Transcripts.

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