Grading, Assessments, and Progression

The number and types of examinations (whether multiple choice, fill-in, essay, some combination thereof, etc.) should be described. The percentage of the final grade resulting from each evaluation component in the course, such as examinations, term papers, oral presentations, etc., should be stated as well. 

Throughout the course, the Course Director is expected to adhere to the grading policy stated in the syllabus at the beginning of the course. The policy should not change, unless there are extraordinary reasons, in which case the Course Director can seek a waiver of this rule from the Associate Dean for Professional Education, who shall discuss it with the Student Promotions Committee. 

Grades are to be submitted by the Course Director to the Registrar within seven (7) working days following the final examination/end of the course. Course Directors employing an essay-based final examination may petition the Associate Dean for Professional Education for an extension of the time of submission of the course report form, but there will not be an extension beyond seven (7) working days after the last final examination scheduled during finals week. 

A five-letter grading system with pluses (+) and minuses (-) shall be used for courses where letter grades are assigned:

A or A+ = Excellent Performance
A-, B+, B = Good
B-, C+, C, C- = Satisfactory
D = Unsatisfactory (deficient grade) F = Failure (deficient grade)

The following scale for assignment of letter grades from the numerical scores is to be used. The final score for the whole course is rounded from two decimal places to the nearest whole number (e.g., to the lower number if 0.49 or less and the higher number if greater than or equal to 0.50). Scores from individual exams and assignments are not rounded – only the final total score is rounded.

A+ = 97-100
A = 93-96
A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79
C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
D = 65-69
F = <65

• No grade is assigned to a student who has been exempted from a course.
• Course directors may propose alternate grading systems to the Curriculum Committee for approval, and the course grading system must then be communicated in advance of students registered in the course. Once the course has started, any deviations from grading policies must be presented to the SPC for review and approval. 

Courses may be graded as Pass/Fail upon approval by the Curriculum Committee.

Courses may be graded as Pass/Fail To receive a Pass (P) for the course, all required exams/assignments/quizzes/participation/attendance, must be completed. Some aspects of the course may be assessed numerically, which is translated to a Pass/Fail. Final grade calculation is in accordance with Curriculum Committee guidelines.

Scale

Pass: 100%
Incomplete/SCR: 1%
Fail: 0%

Incomplete grades are submitted when evaluation of student performance cannot be achieved within the designated time limit for the course (e.g., because of the student's authorized absence or documented illness at the time of evaluation). The Student Promotions Committee must approve conditions under which the course work could be completed. Upon completion of the course, the new grade submitted replaces the Incomplete on the transcript.

An incomplete grade will be given if a student does not fill out and submit an on-line evaluation within twenty-one (21) days of the end of the course.

The value of a student's letter grade in each course (quality points) within a grading period is multiplied by the number of credits assigned to that course. This figure is then divided by the total number of course credits within the grading period to compute the corresponding grade point average (GPA).

The following Grade Point (quality point) assignment is applied for letter grades:

A+ = 4.0
A = 4.0
A- = 3.67
B+ = 3.33
B = 3.0
B- = 2.67
C+ = 2.33
C = 2.0
C- = 1.67
D = 1.0
F = 0.0

Faculty are encouraged to enlist the assistance of faculty advisors and the ADSA in academic counseling of students who are not meeting course requirements, especially those students attaining D or F grades on midterm examinations. Steps to improve performance include tutoring and organized remediation and individualized learning strategies with self- evaluation developed through academic counseling. Once students are identified, options are discussed, and a plan is developed.

Students who have an advanced degree (MS or PhD), two or more graduate-level courses in the subject for which they seek exemption, or transfer students who have taken a course due to asynchrony of the curriculum request an exemption from the Associate Dean for Professional Education prior to the initiation of the course. Laboratory courses are not eligible for exemption.

Credits, pre-assigned to all courses by the Curriculum Committee, are based on the number of contact hours as well as course content.

Honors/Pass/Fail or Pass/Fail. Such courses are not assigned credit values and thus, are not included in GPA calculations.

Courses:
For a lecture, required review or examination: 1-hour value per 1 hour of class. For laboratory, student presentation, or small group sessions: ½ hour value per 1 hour of class. Course hours for calculation of course credits:

Hours
14 or fewer hours = 1 credit
15 - 28 hours = 2 credits
29 - 42 hours = 3 credits
43 - 56 hours = 4 credits
57 - 76 hours = 5 credits
Each additional 20 hours = +1 credit

Example: A course with 40 hours of lecture and 20 hours of lab, would be given a value of 40

+ 10 = 50 hours. With the above formula, the course would be awarded 4 credits.

Credits, pre-assigned to all courses by the Curriculum Committee, are based on the number of contact hours as well as course content.

Honors/Pass/Fail or Pass/Fail. Such courses are not assigned credit values and thus, are not included in GPA calculations.

Courses:
For a lecture, required review or examination: 1-hour value per 1 hour of class. For laboratory, student presentation, or small group sessions: ½ hour value per 1 hour of class. Course hours for calculation of course credits:

1-7 hours = 0.5 credits
8-14 hours = 1 credit
15-21 hours = 1.5 credits
22-28 hours = 2 credits
29-35 hours = 2.5 credits
36-42 hours = 3 credits
43-49 hours = 3.5 credits
50-56 hours = 4 credits
57-63 hours = 4.5 credits
64-70 hours = 5 credits

The number of exams is determined by school policy set by the Curriculum Committee. One examination of up to two hours in length is given for every 20 hours of class contact time (not including examinations or review sessions). Classes with contact time of less than 21 hours will have one 2-hour examination, 21-40 hours two 2- hour examinations, 41-60 hours three 2-hour examinations etc. Course directors may elect to give fewer or shorter examinations or to give homework assignments that contribute toward the final grade. Course directors who wish to give additional examinations must seek the approval of the Curriculum Committee.

Returning examinations to students is at the discretion of the Course Director. If the Course Director intends to re-use many of the same questions in subsequent years, the examinations usually will not be returned or posted. If examinations are not returned, the Course Director is still expected to provide students with an opportunity to review the corrected examinations, and examination review sessions are scheduled for most courses. Students who wish to further review questions on the examination should schedule a meeting with the Course Director. Instructors may choose not to record review sessions. Any delivery of exam questions or answers to subsequent exam takers whether verbatim, by notes, cell phone pictures, or screen capture, is considered a violation of the Student Academic Misconduct Policy. 

It should be clear whether examinations and the course will be graded based on some pre-established benchmarks ("at least 80% will be required for a B", etc.), or by some other method, such as using a "curve".

Numerical scores for the whole course are rounded to the nearest whole number according to the system used by software programs such as Excel (round down if < 0.5 and up if > 0.5), and that number will be used to calculate the letter grade according to the standard formula. Only the final course numerical score is rounded, not each assignment or examination score.

Students will receive their individual score and/or grade after every examination. When examinations are returned to students, the grade will be indicated on the examination but will not be visible to other students. When examinations are not returned, the Course Director will provide each student with their grade through Canvas, which ensures confidentiality. A histogram or similar graph illustrating the curve and grade cut-off points may be posted or placed online.

Policy on Academic Performance Standards and Promotion in the D.V.M. Program

This policy defines the grades recorded for assessment of student performance in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) program and the criteria for continuation in the program. 

Core clinical rotations are graded Honors (H), Pass (P), or Fail (F), using a standardized grading rubric approved by Curriculum Committee. Honors/Pass/Fail grades are recorded on student transcripts. The Student Performance Evaluation contains a standardized grading rubric that is used with rotation-specific descriptions and there are up to 11 categories. The rubric is based upon the learning objectives for the rotation. Learning objectives and grading rubrics for each core rotation is available in each clinical rotation course and the 4th Year Clinical Rotations Portal.

Students may receive a SCR assessment for any of the categories included in the grading rubric for the rotation. The SCR procedures can be found in the policy for Academic Performance Standards and Promotion in the D.V.M. Program.

Honors/Pass/Fail grades are recorded on student transcripts. If the student is given an SCR for an individual category, but an overall pass for the rotation, the Associate Dean for Professional Education will determine if and what structured coaching is required.

All students must provide their elective evaluator with an elective grade form for off-campus electives/externships upon completion. Please contact the Registrar for further assistance regarding any grading issues.