Grading and Promotional Policies
These policies outline the academic and professional behavior standards for students to attain the MD degree. The policies serve to establish performance expectations for students and as a guide for fair and equitable decision-making by the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee about students’ progression in the MD program.
In addition to the circumstances described below, a student may be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee by a dean in the Offices of Undergraduate Medical Education and/or Student Support for review of a student’s academic and/or non-academic performance.
Course Requirements and Sequencing
The MD curriculum is divided into three phases that must be completed in a prescribed sequence. All requirements must be satisfactorily completed with no outstanding deficiencies for a student to be approved for graduation by the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
A student may not repeat a course more than once, and no more than three distinct academic years may be utilized to fulfill the requirements of any phase of the curriculum. programs A student must complete the MD degree program in no more than six years from the time of matriculation--this includes time during which a student is enrolled in Independent Study and/or on Leave of Absence.
All requirements of all courses in a particular phase of the curriculum must be completed satisfactorily before a student may enroll in courses of the ensuing phase. Exceptions are:
- The Transition to Phase 2 and Transition to Phase 3 courses. The Transition courses are offered once annually and so, a student who is expected to enroll in the ensuing Phase is required to take the associated Transition course at the time it is being offered.
- Students with an Incomplete grade in one Phase 2 course due to the need to remediate one clinical subject exam, may enroll in one non-clinical Phase 3 elective prior to re-examination (See Exam Scheduling Policies).
Grading Policies
All courses, required or elective, must be graded according to the established grading standards approved by the Curriculum Committee. Final grades must be submitted and made available to students within four weeks after the completion of a course. If a student’s final grade for a course is an F (Fail), the course director must promptly submit that information as soon as possible, preferably earlier than the four-week deadline. For courses in the spring semester of Phase 3, all grades must be submitted no later than one week before the date of graduation.
Narrative comments describing students’ performance are provided as a part of formative and summative assessment in each phase of the curriculum.
Phase 1:
The standard grading system for required courses in Phase 1 provides one level of credit (Pass) and three levels of non-credit (Fail, Incomplete, and Withdrawn).
To receive a Pass (P), students must meet the following standards:
- Satisfactory completion of all course requirements;
- A final course score (including all graded components of the course) of 70% or greater. The syllabus for each course defines the components and the weighting of each component in determining the final course score;
- Demonstration of expected professional behaviors.
Grading for elective courses in Phase 1 provides one level of credit (Credit) and one level of non-credit.
Grades of Fail (F) for Phase 1 Courses
A student who does not meet all of the above performance expectations in a required course in Phase 1, will receive a Fail (F) for the course.
- If a student’s final course score in a required Phase 1 course is < 70%, they will be required to meet with the Assistant Dean for Academic Coaching or the Associate Dean for Student Support.
- A student whose final course score in one or two required courses in Phase 1 is < 70% and who has had no other academic deficiencies, including Incomplete grades for other courses, will be permitted to take remediation exams for the course/courses as described in the exam scheduling policy. The student must pass all remediation examinations prior to enrolling in courses in the ensuing curricular year or phase, whichever is earlier.
- When an initial Fail (F) grade is remedied through passing a remediation examination, a final grade of Pass (P) will be recorded on the transcript in place of the “F” grade. When a student is required to remediate an initial Fail (F) grade, this is recorded on the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).
- A student whose final course score in two courses in Phase 1 is < 70% and who has had other academic deficiencies, including Incomplete grades for other courses, will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
- A student who fails a remediation examination will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
When a student repeats a course as part of the requirement to repeat a curricular semester or a curricular year, the grades recorded on the transcript for the repeated courses will be both the original grade and the subsequent (P or F) grade earned for the repeated course. When a student is required to repeat a course, this is recorded on the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).
Grades of Incomplete (I) for Phase 1 courses are assigned in accordance with Temple University Policy on Incomplete Course Work and are applied as described below:
- A Course Director, following consultation with an Assistant Dean for Phase 1 and/or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, may assign the grade of “I” to indicate that a student has been unable to complete all the course requirements for reasons beyond their control (e.g., acute illness, personal or family emergency)
- When the grade of “I” is assigned to a course, the student must meet with their Academic Coach.
- If a grade of “I” is assigned to more than one course, the student must meet with the Assistant Dean for Academic Coaching or the Associate Dean for Student Support.
- If a grade of “I” is assigned to more than two courses and the student has had other academic deficiencies, the student will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
- Students must complete all course requirements prior to enrolling in courses in the ensuing curricular year or phase, whichever is earlier.
- Once all course requirements have been completed, the course director must assign a final grade of “P” or “F” in place of the “I” grade. If the requirements for the incomplete course have not been met within the specified time limit and the student has not withdrawn from school, a final grade of “F” will be recorded on the transcript.
Grades of Withdrawn (W) for Phase 1 Courses
When a student withdraws from the MD program, a “W” will be assigned to the transcript for any course that was started but not completed at the time of the withdrawal.
Phase 2 and 3:
Phase 2 Required Courses
- Transition to Phase 2 and the Intersession courses are graded Pass/Fail
- Core clerkships in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail
- Faculty Mentored Scholarly Experience is graded Pass/Fail
Phase 2 Elective Courses
- Career Exploration Electives (2 weeks) are graded Pass/Fail
- Clinical Electives (4 weeks) are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail
Phase 3 Required Courses
- Transition to Phase 3 and Transition to Residency are graded Pass/Fail
- Core courses (Emergency Medicine, Critical Care and SubInternship) are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail
Phase 3 Elective Courses
- Clinical Electives (4 weeks) are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail
- Non-clinical Electives (4 weeks) are graded Pass/Fail
Grades of Fail (F) for Phase 2 and 3 Courses
A student who fails a course in Phase 2 or 3 will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotion Committee.
- When a student repeats a course to remediate a grade of “F” or as part of the requirement to repeat a curricular semester or Phase of the curriculum, both the original grade and the subsequent grade earned in the repeated courses will appear on the transcript.
- A student who fails a course when they are repeating a curricular semester or Phase of the curriculum may be considered for dismissal.
Grades of Incomplete (I) for Phase 2 and 3 courses are assigned in accordance with Temple University Policy on Incomplete Course Work:
- A grade of Incomplete is assigned when a student does not pass a required clinical subject exam.
- A student must take and pass the clinical subject exam for a Phase 2 course prior to beginning a clinical course in Phase 3. A student must take and pass the clinical subject exam for a Phase 3 course prior to graduation (see Exam Scheduling Policy).
- When a student passes a clinical subject exam on re-examination, the grade of Incomplete will be removed. The minimal passing score on the clinical subject exam will be used in determining the student’s final clerkship grade. The final grade will replace the Incomplete on the transcript.
- A student who does not pass a clinical subject exam after two attempts and has no history of other academic deficiencies, including Incomplete grades for other courses, will be permitted to re-take the exam for a third time.
- A student who does not pass a clinical subject exam after two attempts and has a history of academic deficiencies, will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
- A student who does not pass the clinical subject exam on the first attempt in more than two Phase 2 courses, will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee.
- A grade of Incomplete may be assigned by a Phase 2 or 3 course director after consultation with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education when a student has been unable to complete all of the course requirements as a result of absences due to reasons beyond their control (e.g. personal or family emergency).
- A student must complete all course requirements for a Phase 2 course prior to beginning a clinical course in Phase 3. A student must complete all course requirements for a Phase 3 course prior to graduation.
- When the course requirements have been completed, the grade of Incomplete will be removed and a final grade will be assigned. The final grade will replace the Incomplete on the transcript.
Grades of Withdrawn (W) for Phase 2 and 3 Courses
When a student withdraws from the MD program, a “W” will be assigned to the transcript for any course that was started but not completed at the time of the withdrawal.
Evaluation of Non-academic Performance in All Phases of the Curriculum
Standards related to expected professional behaviors are defined in the LKSOM Competencies and the Honor Code. Assessment of these behaviors is an essential component of the systems used to evaluated students’ performance throughout the curriculum.
Failure to meet the expected standards will result in submission of a Professional Behavior Concern form and/or a failing grade in a course. Professional Behavior Concerns can be submitted by another student, staff, faculty including course directors and educational administrative leaders, and/or residents/fellows,. Any student about whom a Professional Behavior Concern has been submitted must meet with the Associate Dean for Student Support. If the concern is related to an egregious breach of the standards or if there is a recurring or ongoing concern about a student’s behavior, the student will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee. If a student is referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee, the concerns about the student’s professional behavior will be reported on the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).
If a student is suspected of having a physical or mental health concern that could prevent the student from meeting the standards for professional behavior, they may be required to undergo a fitness for duty for evaluation by a health professional designated by the school. Based upon the recommendation of the health professional completing the evaluation, the student may be required to undergo additional testing.
Students who receive a commendation (kudos) for exceptional professional behavior will be notified by the Associate Dean for Student Support and this commendation will be noted on the student’s MSPE.
Promotional Policies
- A student must pass all courses to be promoted to the next academic year, subsequent phase of the curriculum and to graduate.
- A student who fails more than two courses in Phase 1 is placed on academic probation and is referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee. After successful remediation of the Fail grades, a student will be removed from academic probation.
- A student who fails a course in Phase 2 or 3 is placed on academic probation and is referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee. After successful remediation of the Fail grades, the student will be removed from academic probation.
- At any point in the curriculum, a student on academic probation who fails a course, will be referred to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee and may be considered for dismissal from the MD program.
- When a student has been placed on non-academic probation by the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee and has an additional or ongoing concern raised about their professional behavior, they will be referred back to the Academic Standards and Promotions Committee and may be considered for dismissal from the MD program.
Conditions for which a Student may be considered for dismissal from the MD program
- Failure of three courses in the Phase 1 curriculum
- Failure of more than one course in Phase 2 or Phase 3 of the curriculum
- Failure of courses in more than one phase of the curriculum
- Failure of a course when a student is repeating a curricular semester or phase of the curriculum
- Failure of a course while on academic probation
- Failure of USMLE Step 1 three times
- Failure of USMLE Step 2 CK three times
- Failure to maintain standards for professional behavior
- Failure to complete the requirements of a phase within three calendar years
- Failure to complete all requirements of the MD degree within six years of matriculation.