Appeal Policy for Summary Evaluation or Course Grade

1. Students have up to four weeks after being notified of their summary evaluation or grade to ask for clarification of a grade from the clerkship, site, course or elective director.
2. A student is responsible for reviewing the clerkship grading explanation in the course materials or on the clerkship website prior to contacting the clerkship, site, course or elective director for clarification about the grade or evaluation summary.
3. Directors are required to respond, either in-person or via email, to the request by explaining how the grade and/or summary evaluation ratings and comments were determined.

Appeal

1. Students have up to four weeks after being notified of their summary evaluation or grade to ask for an appeal of a grade from the clerkship, site, course or elective director if the aforementioned attempt to clarify the evaluation or grade does not resolve the issue.
2. Appeals must be based on specific objective grounds, not general dissatisfaction with a grade. Appropriate bases include clerical error, procedural error, or the application of non-academic criteria (e.g., bias or discrimination). Students are expected to provide supporting information or evidence explaining why the grade or evaluation should be changed.
3. In the appeal process, students are not permitted to contact other faculty or housestaff who may have provided feedback or assessments. A student found to have done so may forfeit the right to pursue the appeal process.
4. The clerkship, site, course or elective director will initiate and oversee the appeal process and must notify the Associate Dean for Assessment, Improvement, and Accreditation upon receipt of an appeal. 
5. The director will convene a new grading committee to conduct a formal re-review of the grade and evaluation. This committee must be composed of individuals who were not involved in the original grading decision. Individuals involved in the original grading process may provide information to the committee but must recuse themselves from deliberation and voting on the appeal. 
6. In core clerkships, the appeal committee will re-review the student’s evaluation data along with any other information that has become available (e.g., a letter provided by the student with contextual information; student report of any evaluations they feel are problematic or unfair). 
7. In a clerkship that is not a core clerkship, the individual clerkship, course or elective director will share the documentation for grading and the appeal with the Vice Chair for Education or another department leader to conduct the re-review.
8. Clerkship, site, course or elective directors are required to return a final decision to the student within 4 weeks of the submission of the appeal. After this decision there are no other avenues of grade appeal.