Purpose
Student involvement in health professions curriculum development is often limited to superficial, accreditation-driven feedback. However, students can provide valuable insights and innovative solutions that may be lacking with faculty input alone. In a case study at an allopathic medical program, a student-led "Clerkship Evaluations Task Force" partnered with faculty to create an improved instrument for evaluating student performance in clerkships.

Methods
In response to student dissatisfaction, a student-led initiative was launched to develop a refined performance evaluation instrument. Students conducted a literature review of existing models and created an initial draft, which was refined through iterative revisions with a task force. Faculty contributed expertise, and validated elements from evaluations at peer institutions were incorporated. The finalized instrument, approved by school administration, is set to be implemented in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Results
The task force identified three primary goals for the new evaluation: clarify the evaluation framework, define evaluator expectations of students, and foster growth and development. These objectives were achieved through eight key components: evaluator role, streamlined rating scale, simplify core competencies, criteria for excellence, student expectations by level, improvement suggestions, narrative feedback, and performance assessment. Barriers to student involvement, limitations to the process, and lessons learned will be shared in addition to the finalized evaluation instrument.

Conclusions
A student-led task force successfully designed and implemented a new performance evaluation instrument, with student involvement playing a crucial role in its success. This approach highlights that student engagement is not only feasible but also beneficial to advancing undergraduate medical education. This case study offers a replicable model for health professions educators to apply in various areas of curriculum advancement. By integrating students into the process, we were successful in developing an innovative solution and we anticipate improvements in student performance following instrument implementation.