Narrative Assessment Policy

Effective 7/1/25

To whom this policy applies

University of Nevada Reno, School of Medicine teaching faculty and students.

Definitions

Narrative assessment: Written comments from faculty that assess student performance and achievement in meeting specific objectives of a course or clerkship, such as professionalism, clinical reasoning.

Formative assessment: Assessment provided for the purposes of improvement.

Summative assessment: Assessment provided for the purpose of final grade or evaluation intended to measure a student’s learning at the end of a course or activity.

Purpose/background

LCME Standard 9.5 Narrative Assessment requires that we provide narrative assessment for students. Formative narrative assessment is essential in providing students with the opportunity to adjust performance prior to final summative grading. Summative narrative assessment provides students with individualized qualitative feedback that highlights unique strengths and areas of improvement.

Policy

All required courses and clerkships must incorporate at least one activity that includes narrative feedback from a faculty member or resident as a component of the student performance assessment.  Narrative feedback must be provided to each student in written format and must focus on specific and objective behaviors or skills. Course directors are responsible for collecting completed narrative assessment documents for each student while the course is still in progress. Documentation with narrative assessments will be considered approved when submitted through the learning management system by the faculty or resident who completed the assessment. Narrative assessments are not required in assessments of student performance in electives but are highly encouraged as a best practice for providing effective feedback to students.

Review

Approved by Medical Education Steering Committee, 03/27/2025