Admitted students, candidates, in the Department of Educational Leadership 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, candidates' 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 candidates in the educational leadership department. In cases where a candidate is not performing at a satisfactory level in each of the areas described below, an 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. An 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 candidate needs and articulate needed support.
Candidates are formally evaluated at specified transition points in Professional Educational Administration: 1) Admission, 2) Prior to internship (Learning Plan development), 3) Program completion.
Academic Achievement: Candidates must maintain at least a B average in all courses included in the Plan of Study.
Internship Experiences: Candidates' application of effective professional skills, content knowledge, and ability to adhere to professional dispositions and ethical standards for the profession is further evaluated in the internship experiences. Candidates must receive a satisfactory clinical and university evaluation at the completion of the internship.
Professional Dispositions and Ethical Standards: Candidates must demonstrate commitment and adherence to the professional dispositions identified as critical for Educational Leadership candidates and program-specific ethical standards (i.e. Code of Ethics for School Administrators). An essential part of this evaluation concerns the candidate's ability to interact professionally with colleagues, clientele, other school personnel, administrative assistants, and faculty. Candidates should also show emotional maturity and sensitivity in a variety of cultural, social, and professional settings. In addition, candidates must demonstrate the potential to continue developing the competencies, and commitments required of professionals in the field.
Candidates who do not perform satisfactorily in any of the areas above will be notified of a problem in writing, although faculty are also encouraged to discuss the problem with the candidate informally. An 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 on the candidate'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 candidate's performance falls below expectations in academic or professional behaviors. Where appropriate, a Communication of Concern may result in an assistance plan.
| Level | Action | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory (Informal) | Discussion | Minor behavior most likely improved with informal discussion | Using foul language during class |
| Advisory | Discussion | Isolated episode of problem behavior or pattern of minor behavior that has not been brought to the candidate's attention. | Repeatedly giving critical feedback to peers without accompanying positive feedback; failing to show up at an internship site without notifying site supervisor |
| Remediation | Assistance plan; Notification to candidate's advisor and department faculty of issuance of warning to candidate. | Pattern of problem behavior or performance or serious violation of academic achievement, clinical performance, professional dispositions or ethical standards. | Regular absences from class; use of non-standard English in oral and written communication; 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; candidate fails to turn in assignments or attend clinical experiences; foul or inappropriate language to instructor or internship site supervisor. |
| Non-continuance | Appeal of non-continuance with assistance plan | Clear indication that candidate behavior and performance is not conducive to professional development and/or places clients/students at risk. Determination made by full department, which may choose new or additional intervention. Assistance plan is developed/implemented. | Plagiarism; cheating on a test; failure to meet objectives in the assistance plan |
| Removal from the program | Decision final | Candidate shows no or little serious effort to remediate problem. Problem is so severe that continuation in the program is denied (e.g., a serious safety or legal issue). Full department decision. Removal from program decisions may be appealed to the Dean as per university policy. | Evidence of drug or alcohol use in a K-12 school or inappropriate or illegal university setting; pornographic materials present in school; possessing a gun on school property; improper relations with K-12 students or clients; pulling a fire alarm; violent behavior or threatviolent behavior; violation of a law during a clinical or during a course. |
Successful completion of the assistance plan allows the candidate to continue in the program. Copies of the letter stating successful completion of the plan will be sent to the candidate, advisor, and kept on file in the College of Education Dean's Office.
Candidates who do not fulfill the terms of their remediation by the date specified in the contract may, at the discretion of the department committee, be given an extension if progress suggests the remediation is likely to be successful within reasonable timelines. Candidates who fail to correct academic and/or professional development deficiencies by the end of the extension period will, upon the recommendation to the candidate's advisor and concurrence by department committee, be dismissed from the program.
A candidate 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
