Grading and Evaluation of Performance

Statement of Requirements:

The standard of performance will be provided in course syllabi and include an explanation of how grades are derived and a description of the student’s responsibilities in the course, including attendance at all course activities and requirements of the course that must be met.

Grading and Evaluation of Performance:

The department or teaching unit determines the type and form of examinations to be used. They may be written, oral, practical, or a combination of these forms. A department head or course director has the option of examining students at any time to obtain a more accurate evaluation of the student’s knowledge of course material. Examinations, in addition to those regularly scheduled in a course, may be used for this purpose.

A single final grade is assigned to a student upon completion of the course work. The single final grade includes meeting an acceptable standard of professionalism.

Grading Scale:
Official permanent final grades to be recorded for each student upon completion of a course are: Honors, High-Pass, Pass, Fail and Withdrew.

H (Honors) is given to students whose quality of performance is considered to be excellent and who have demonstrated a degree of understanding and ability that is considerably above the level of adequacy required for passing status.
HP (High Pass) signifies that all work in a given course has been completed satisfactorily, but below that of honors.
P (Pass) is indicative that all the requirements of a course have been completed satisfactorily and that the minimum requirements for promotion have been met.
F (Fail) is the grade assigned to students whose performance does not meet the minimum course requirements. The grade signifies a degree of deficiency that makes them ineligible to be promoted or, in some instances, to continue in school without appropriate remedial action. A grade of F will remain on the transcript (even after remediation).
W (Withdrew) will be issued to those students enrolled in a course and who are unable to complete their coursework prior to the final examination.

A grade of temporary significance that may be issued by a department, but which is not recorded on the student’s permanent record is I (Incomplete).

A grade of Incomplete is assigned when the student has been unable to complete the course requirements in the usual time or manner. On completion of the required course work, the grade of Incomplete will be changed to the appropriate final grade.
Students with a grade of Incomplete in a course must finish all required work in a manner specified by the department involved. In general, this should be done in a reasonably short period after the regular termination date of the course. The department may allow a longer period for reasons that are considered appropriate. A student cannot be promoted until all Incomplete grades have been removed. Unless there is an acceptable reason for further delay, an Incomplete grade that is not removed by the date for registration for the next school year will be recorded as Fail.

Appeal of Final Grades:

A student who is of the opinion that their final course grade or evaluation is unjust or inaccurate may appeal that decision to the course director informally by meeting with the course director and discussing the basis of the appeal. If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome of this informal appeal, they may appeal the final grade or evaluation formally in writing within ten working days of receiving the grade or evaluation. Failure of the student to formally appeal within the ten working days indicates acceptance of the grade or evaluation. There are two levels of appeal, one to the course director and teaching unit head and the second to the school’s administration.

At the first level, after receiving a written appeal stating the basis for the dissatisfaction, the course director, in consultation with the department head or administrative head of the teaching unit, shall, within a period of five working days, review the appeal, meet with the student, and formulate a written response which shall be given to the student.

If the student remains dissatisfied with the grade or evaluation after the appeal is completed by the course director, a final appeal may be made in writing, to the Dean, within five working days of the department’s or teaching unit’s decision. The written appeal must include the basis for the dissatisfaction. The Dean may establish an ad hoc committee of five, including three faculty and two students; none of the ad hoc committee members will be from the department in which the appeal has been registered. The task of the committee will be to advise the Dean about (1) whether the evaluation or grading procedure used in that case was essentially the same as used for other students in that course and (2) whether evidence of an unjust or erroneous evaluation is sufficient to warrant referral of the case back to the department for reassessing the student’s competence. The committee must make a recommendation within five working days of the appeal. Acting on the committee’s advice or independently, the Dean will either accept the original grade or evaluation as valid or refer the case back to the department or teaching unit for reevaluation and/or grading of the student. If the decision reached requires changes in an official university record, the faculty of the department or teaching unit must comply with all university regulations and procedures necessary to accomplish the change. The decision of the appeal reached by the Dean represents the final level of due process in the School of Medicine.

https://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/student_affairs/regulations.aspx