Students in the Department of Counseling and Student Personnel (CSP) are expected to demonstrate minimum satisfactory progress in academic achievement and professional development, including performance in clinical experiences and development of dispositions. Along with course grades, students' demonstration of effective professional skills, content knowledge, and professional dispositions and ability to adhere to ethical standards for the profession will be evaluated. The description that follows explains the process of evaluation used for entry, continuance, and completion of students in the CSP department. In cases where a student is not performing at a satisfactory level in any of the areas described below, a student assistance plan will be developed. The assistance plan may be initiated as a result of an instance of inappropriate or inadequate performance or an identification of a pattern of inappropriate or inadequate performance. A student assistance plan may also be initiated as part of the communication of concerns procedure at any point. The purpose of the process is to identify student needs and articulate needed support.
Students are formally evaluated at eight specific points in CSP programs: 1) prior to admission to the department; 2) upon completion of Counseling Procedures and Skills I (CSP 645); 3) upon completion of Counseling Procedures and Skills II (CSP 666); 4) upon submission of the students' plan of study; 5) upon application to and during practicum; 6) during the internship experience; 7) upon completion of the comprehensive examination; and 8) prior to graduation. Students' dispositions and their performance on the eight CACREP core areas (Professional Identity, Social and Cultural Diversity, Human Growth and Development, Career Development, Helping Relationships, Group Work, Assessment, and Research and Program Evaluation) is also assessed on an ongoing basis for the purpose of enhancing students' professional development.
Academic Achievement: Students must maintain at least a B average in all courses included in the Plan of Study. In addition, students must earn at least a B in the applied portions of both Counseling Procedures and Skills I (CSP 645) and Counseling Procedures and Skills II (CSP 666). Core assessments have been identified by each CSP program to serve as measures of professional standards for that program. These core assessments most frequently will be completed as part of a required course or internship. Students must earn at least a passing score of 3.0 on a 4-point rubric on all core assessments.
Practicum/Internship Experiences: Students' application of effective professional skills, content knowledge, and ability to adhere to professional dispositions and ethical standards for the profession is evaluated in the practicum/internship experiences. Students must earn a passing grade to move forward through the practicum/internship sequence of their program (i.e., unsatisfactory completion of the Practicum course excludes a student from admission to Internship I).
Professional Dispositions and Ethical Standards: Students must demonstrate commitment and adherence to the professional dispositions identified as critical for CSP students and program-specific ethical standards. An essential part of this evaluation concerns the student's ability to interact and communicate professionally with colleagues, clientele, administrative assistants, and faculty. Students should also show emotional maturity and sensitivity in a variety of cultural, social, and professional settings. In addition, students must demonstrate the potential to continue developing the competencies, and commitments required of professionals in the field. This area is assessed on a continuing basis throughout the CSP graduate program as well as at the noted formal evaluation periods. School counseling students should be aware that if they have a conviction for a gross misdemeanor or felony, they may be denied a teaching license. (The Board of Teaching will make this decision based upon the severity of the offense.)
Students who do not perform satisfactorily on standards or dispositions will be notified of a problem in writing, although faculty are also encouraged to discuss the problem with the student informally. A student assistance plan may be developed as described below. The assistance plan outlines intervention strategies designed to remediate the problem identified. The assistance plan will also specify any limitations or prohibitions on the student's ability to enroll in subsequent courses or internship experiences prior to meeting all conditions of the plan.
Communication of Concerns Procedure: A concern can be completed at any point from initial enrollment through completion of the program. University faculty or internship site supervisors may submit a Communication of Concern form at any point a student's performance falls below expectations in academic or dispositional/professional behaviors. Where appropriate, a Communication of Concern may result in a student assistance plan.
Appeal Procedures: Students wishing to refute an oral and/or written notice of concerns or to challenge an admission or continuation decision may submit a written appeal to the CSP department chair. The appeal must be submitted within two weeks of receiving the oral or written notice. The appeal must include the basis for appealing, relevant information in support of the appeal, and the remedy sought. Students not satisfied with the appeal outcome at the department level must submit a formal written appeal to the Dean of the College of Education, with a copy to the department, within two weeks of receiving the department response to the original appeal.
Sample responses to problematic student behaviors and performance are described in the table below.
| Level | Action | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informal | Discussion initiated by faculty member. No formal documentation required. | Minor behavior most likely improved with informal discussion. Does not involve a violation of professional ethics. | Wearing T-shirt with foul language on it to class; using foul language to another student during class |
| Advisory | Discussion initiated by faculty member; Communication of Concern form completed with copies sent to the student, the advisor, the CSP chair, and the Dean's office. | Isolated episode of problem behavior or pattern of minor behavior that has not been formally brought to the student's attention. Level of training and severity of behavior are both low. | Repeatedly giving critical feedback to peers without accompanying positive feedback; failing to show up at an internship site without notifying site supervisor |
| Remediation (Continuation in the program dependent on successful completion of the student assistance plan) | Meeting with full department and student; Student assistance plan developed; Notification to student's advisor and CSP faculty of issuance of warning to student. Dean's office notified as deemed necessary. | Pattern of problem behavior or performance or serious violation of academic achievement, clinical performance, professional dispositions or ethical standards. | Regular absences from class; lacks knowledge of content; ignores feedback; shows no interest in interacting with clients/students; treating clients/students of color differently; appears in a professional setting smelling of alcohol; student fails to turn in assignments or attend clinical experiences; foul or inappropriate language to instructor or internship site supervisor. |
| Non-continuance | Meeting with student and full department. Suspension of training. Failure of the course, and if required, dropped from the program. Student assistance plan is developed and implemented in order to reapply for program admission. | Clear indication that student behavior and performance is not conducive to professional development and/or places clients/students at risk. Determination made by full CSP department. | Plagiarism; cheating on a test; student has received assistance through a student assistance plan but failed to meet the objectives in the plan. |
| Removal from the program | Meeting with student and full department. Student prohibited from continuing in the CSP program. Failure of the course, and if required, dropped from the program. | Problem is so severe that continuation in the program is denied (e.g., a serious safety or legal issue) or student shows no or little serious effort to remediate an existing problem. Full CSP department decision. Students facing expulsion have the right to appeal to the Dean of the College of Education. | Evidence of drug or alcohol use in a K-12 school or university setting; pornographic materials present in school; possessing a gun on school property; improper relations with K-12 students or clients; violent behavior or threat of violent behavior; violation of a law during practicum or internship or during a course. |
Successful completion of the student assistance plan allows the student to continue in the program. Copies of the letter stating successful completion of the plan will be sent to the student, advisor, CSP chair, and kept on file in the College of Education Dean's Office.
Students who do not fulfill the terms of their assistance plan by the date specified in the contract may be given an extension by the department if progress and the likelihood of success suggest that the candidates will successfully complete the intervention and subsequent steps. Students who fail to correct academic and/or professional development deficiencies by the end of the extension period will, upon the recommendation to the student's advisor and concurrence by the department, be dismissed from the program.
A student who has been given a non-continuance in a program because of academic and/or professional development deficiencies may not reapply to the program until the following conditions have been met:
August 30, 2004
