Operations / Grade submission workflow

Grade submission workflow

From collected evaluations to posted grades: director review, comparability check, SIS entry, student notification, and the timeliness report that keeps Element 9.8 out of the findings column.

Step 1

Collect completed evaluations

Grading starts from a complete file — not from whoever submitted first.

All expected evaluations for the rotation are in (or formally excused).
Narrative comments meet the quality bar from the evaluation-collection workflow.
Missing items are resolved or escalated — never graded around silently.

Step 2

Director review and comparability check

Element 8.7: grades must be comparable across sites. The director's review is where that is proven.

The clerkship director reviews every proposed grade, not just the outliers.
Grade distributions are compared across sites for the same rotation.
Site-level outliers are investigated before grades post — not after appeals.

Step 3

Propose and post grades

The SIS entry is the official record — it needs an audit trail.

Grades are entered in the student information system with the correct effective date.
The entry log shows who posted what and when.
Away-rotation grades are chased with a named owner and follow-up date.

Student information system

Step 4

Notify students and open the appeal window

Students need to know their grade, and the appeal path, at the same time.

Students are notified of posted grades promptly.
The grade-appeal process and deadline are communicated per school policy.
Appeals are logged and resolved within the policy window.

Step 5

Report timeliness quarterly

Element 9.8 (fair and timely summative assessment): report the distribution, not just the average.

Days from rotation end to grade posted is tracked for every student.
The distribution is reported to clerkship directors quarterly — the tail (90+ days) gets attention.
Recurring delays trigger a process fix, not just a nudge.

Back to all workflows

Your checklist progress is saved on this device only — it is never sent anywhere or shared.

Grounded in: Functions and Structure of a Medical School (March 2026) — Elements 1.4, 6.2, 8.7, 9.1, 9.5, 9.7, 9.8 (lcme.org); AAMC VSLO (aamc.org); ACGME Common Program Requirements (acgme.org). School-specific rules come from your own documents.