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Dear Class: Welcome to the start of the academic year. I want to take this opportunity to review Wayne State University School of Medicine policies and procedures related to assessments and grading for this year. Please carefully read the following and save for future reference. Additionally, review the relevant policies (Section 2.4 TESTING POLICIES) (https://www.med.wayne.edu/admissions/pdfs/md_handbook_and_policy.pdf). If at any time you have questions or concerns, contact the testing department (TestingServices-AllFaculty@med.wayne.edu) or me (ah0201@wayne.edu) directly. One of the most important rules is that cell phones AND i watches are not allowed in the testing room. Please secure a locker now. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING OVERVIEW Longitudinal Courses (P4, SL, CSC, CEC) - Assessment is based on a competency framework. Assessment details and grading criteria are contained in the course syllabi. Electives - Assessment of students enrolled in pre-clerkship electives is determined by the course director based on the objectives and design of the course. Grading criteria is included in the course syllabi. EXAMINATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Exam Dates and Times - All examination dates are provided in your class calendar. Students are expected to be available from 8 a.m. EST to 5 p.m.. EST on exam days. The testing office will communicate your exact testing times prior to summative assessments. On rare occasions assessments must be given after 5 p.m. EST. In these instances, the testing office will communicate this as soon as they can. Students arriving late for examinations will NOT be allowed to sit for the exam. Please note that all exam times are in Eastern Standard Time zone. Due to a variety of issues, we cannot accommodate students taking assessments in other time zones. Additionally, students are NOT permitted to change testing groups. Please pay close attention to group assignments. Safety protocols - All students are required to wear masks regardless of vaccine status during exams. The testing office cleans all surfaces prior to each exam session. Examination Polices - Whether on-site or remote, WSUSOM students are held to all examination policies contained within the WSUSOM student handbook. Please see detailed examination policies below. Excused Absences and Make-up Exams - Any student granted an excused absence from the original exam will be allowed to participate in the make-up exam. A make-up exam will be of comparable content but is not guaranteed to be the same examination given on the originally scheduled date. At the time of the make-up examination, the item citation process has concluded, therefore students taking these exams cannot participate in the item citation process. Students are automatically scheduled for the next make-up examination time, but may, in consultation with the assistant dean of Continuous Quality Improvement and Compliance, be granted a customized make-up exam schedule to complete courses in a timely manner only under extenuating circumstances. A grade of zero will be entered for the re-exam if a student is not able to sit for the exam. All course work, including examinations, must be completed within one week of the course end date (defined as the date of the last exam).Students not complying with the policy may be placed on a leave of absence and their status to return to course work will be evaluated by the associate dean of Student Affairs and Career Development. Once a new course has started, taking exams from a previous course must be prioritized and taken first in the exam schedule. ABSENCE FROM AN EXAM (SEGMENTS 1-4) The authority to grant or deny an excused absence is the responsibility of the associate dean for Student Affairs, and by delegation, to the student’s counselor. An excused absence does not mean that a student is excused from an activity (examinations and other required activities), but rather the student will be allowed to make up the activity. Excused absences are granted the day of the activity and are based upon an unforeseen circumstance preventing the student from participating. All excused absences require appropriate documentation. Students cannot be granted a retroactive excused absence to set aside the results of an examination, nor can the result of an objective examination be appealed to a course or clerkship director. Students who get sick during an examination, and bring it to the attention of a testing proctor, will be handled on an individual basis. Due to the intense nature of the requirements for academic progression within the medical education curriculum, no more than three excused absences from examinations will be granted in a given academic year. TARDINESS FOR AN EXAM (SEGMENTS 1-4) Official Communication Policy - All communication regarding testing logistics and examination scores will be sent to WSU email addresses. The testing office is not responsible for late or missing communications due to forwarding to outside email addresses. Please see the official WSUSOM policy below. OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS Computers - In case of remote examinations, students are responsible for ensuring that their computer meets all WSUSOM, NBME and ExamSoft (exemplify) technical specifications. Please refer to the attached document for specifications. Exam Scores - Upon the completion of faculty-authored examinations that are administered via ExamSoft, a draft score will be provided to students immediately. The score will be finalized once the course director has reviewed the citations and exam psychometrics. Final scores will be posted via ExamSoft. NBME score profiles will be provided to students via email once the testing office receives them from the NBME. Typically, this occurs within a few business days but can take up to five days depending on the NBME. Grading - Students do not pass or fail individual exams. Students only pass or fail a course. A course grade is comprised of several assessments and other assignments. The guaranteed minimum pass (GMP) for segment 1 fundamentals courses is 70.00%. The pass will not be lowered and scores are computed to two decimal places. Student scores are not rounded up to a whole number. Please note that is against WSUSOM policy to advocate for examination key changes outside of the citation process. Policy (Examination Process - Face-to-Face) All Segments: Students are permitted to enter the testing area 15 minutes prior via Lab 325 MEC. Students can go to any of the three labs once inside the testing rooms. The exam will begin with the reading of instructions at the designated start time. Students who arrive after the start of the exam are not allowed to sit for the exam at that time. Proctors will inform students that they must report to their counselor in the Office of Student Affairs to request an excused absence. If the counselor grants an excused absence, the student will take the exam on the next scheduled make-up date. Students absent from a scheduled exam without an excuse will receive a zero (0) for the exam. The testing office will supply earplugs and white boards/markers. It is your responsibility to dispose of all trash, and to clean the white board and return it to the proctor at the end of the test. During the examination process, including post-exam reviews, testing facilities are to be secure, which means that students are not allowed to possess non-permitted items on their person, at their seat or in the testing facility. All non-permitted items are to be stored in a student’s locker. Items are NOT to be stored in the examination facility or adjacent hallway during the examination process. Storage of these materials on the floor constitutes a fire hazard and is not allowed. A student may be asked to leave the testing facility if seen with a non-permitted item. Permitted and non-permitted items include the following: 1. Permitted Materials 2. Non-Permitted Materials Jason Booza, Ph.D. |
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