Retention in Teacher Education

Students wishing to enter teacher education licensure programs are expected to adhere to appropriate professional and academic standards. Students wishing to obtain a secondary teaching licensure will be monitored by content major faculty to ensure they are meeting the academic and professional standards set by their content major. Students seeking elementary or special education licensure will be monitored in their prerequisite coursework to ensure they are meeting the academic and professional standards required for teacher education majors.

Prior to the beginning of the first course block, a new student orientation will be held where students will be oriented to program procedures and expectations and be introduced to teacher education faculty.

The program will review any behavior that is alleged to violate the program’s professional and academic standards of conduct that occurs in University activities or on University property. The program will also review any behavior that occurs in other locations or settings if the behavior is inconsistent with state licensing standards or where a reasonable person would believe the behavior presents a risk to the safety or welfare of any person or the campus community. This includes any behavior that takes place while the student is in a content major, taking pre-requisite courses, or after the student has been admitted to the program. Students are also subject to the university’s codes of conduct, including PPM 6-22, Student Code, violation of which may also be considered a violation of program standards. The teacher education program must also follow policies set by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE).

• All employees of the Teacher Education Program, the dean, and the department chair, must report any allegations or knowledge of potential violations of standards described herein to the chair of the Teacher Education Admissions and Retention committee (A&R committee) and the dean.
• The chair of the A&R committee will handle reports as outlined herein and will report any allegations of misconduct required or deemed appropriate to the Utah Professional Practices and Advisory Committee (UPPAC) or USBE.
• Allegations of behavior that may also constitute a violation PPM 6-22, Student Code, must also be reported to the Dean of Student’s office.
• Behavior that must be reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity (harassment, discrimination) must be reported in accordance with PPM 3-32.

Teacher education students are expected to maintain high standards, both professionally and academically. Evidence of dedication and commitment and quality of work are two major criteria considered evidence of professional competence. Instructor expectations and course procedures are detailed in the syllabus for each education course. Secondary students must provide written certification that all requirements of their major and minor departments have been completed before they will be recommended for licensure.

Student progress in the Teacher education program is monitored by faculty, staff, and administrators in the department. Regularly scheduled discussion concerning student progress will be held by course block faculty as well as across program faculty when warranted. Field experiences at all levels are monitored by university faculty and collaborating teachers in the schools with a variety of checklists and performance critiques. Typically, teacher education students are required to pass the Professional Course Blocks in sequential order with no more than one Level taken per semester.

For secondary majors, academic departments must certify that course work in the major and minor areas has been sufficiently completed before candidates will be approved to begin student teaching.

Any student not yet admitted into the teacher education program in a content teaching major or in pre-requisite courses for the elementary and/or special education teaching major who engages in conduct subject to review under sections C or D may be given a pre-program notice of concern by any faculty, group of faculty representing a content major or pre-requisite course block, or staff member. A student receiving a pre-program notice of concern will meet with the faculty/staff member giving notice in a timely manner to address the issue. The pre-program notice of concern and notes from the meeting must be provided to the teacher education A&R committee chair and may be considered in student admissions to the teacher education licensure programs.

Notices of remediation are given to students admitted into the teacher education program that are in a teacher education course or field experience to notify them of not meeting expectations in order to help them succeed in teacher education licensure programs. These are not meant to be punitive, but rather as an opportunity to work with faculty and staff towards successful completion of teacher licensure. Any student admitted into a teacher education licensure program who struggles or fails to adhere to teacher education program professional standards may be given a notice of remediation by any faculty, group of faculty representing a course block, or staff member. A student receiving a notice of remediation will meet with the faculty/staff member in a timely manner to address the identified issue. The notice of remediation and notes from the meeting must be sent to the A&R committee chair who shares them with the student teaching coordinator, the Elementary, Secondary, Special Education, or Graduate Certificate of Teaching program mentor.

• Remediation Plan Request – If the faculty, group of faculty representing a course block, or staff member reasonably believes a remediation plan, developed by the A&R committee, is appropriate in order to assist the student to be successful, they may send a request to the larger committee. The request must be sent directly to the A&R committee chair who sends an email and letter to the student informing him, her or them of the request for a retention plan meeting. The A&R committee chair will then find a time where the A&R committee and the student can meet to formulate a retention plan. The Elementary, Secondary, Special Education, or Graduate Certificate of Teaching program mentor will then be responsible for working with the student to monitor the effectiveness of the remediation plan, and adjusting the plan as needed. If the student is again alleged to have violated standards thereafter, the student may be referred for a review hearing.

Any student, at any time during their admission into the teacher education program including student teaching, who engages in conduct subject to review under sections C or D can be formally referred by any faculty, group of faculty representing a course block, or staff member to the chair of the A&R committee. Teacher education students, including those in student teaching, referred for alleged violation of the standards under section C or D may have their admission status revoked by the Teacher Education Retention Committee, pending the outcome of a review. All referrals are shared with the Dean of the College of Education, Teacher Education Department Chair, and the Student Teaching Coordinator if the referral takes place during student teaching.

Types of Referrals:

• Initial Referral - A faculty, group of faculty representing a course block, or staff member, may submit a student referral directly to the A&R committee chair who sends an email and letter to the student informing them of the referral, and giving direction to meet with the appropriate faculty mentor, who discusses plans for resolving concerns addressed in the referral. In the event that a student’s mentor is the referring faculty member, an alternate mentor will be assigned. When an Initial Referral is made during student teaching or other field experiences, the Coordinator of Clinical Practice/Field Experience will be notified and will:
  • Meet with the referred student or teacher candidate to discuss plans for resolving concerns addressed in the referral, or
  • Request that the A&R committee conduct a Preliminary Review of the issues in its next meeting to determine whether or not formal involvement of the A&R committee is warranted.
• Referrals of a Serious Nature - A referral is generally considered to be of a serious nature when the following events occur:
  • A student has received more than one referral during the entire period of teacher education admission.
  • A group of faculty submit a student referral.
  • The student receives a B- or lower from multiple classes.
  • The behavior of the student creates a situation that is potentially harmful or otherwise damaging to the fellow students, faculty, or others.
  • Allegations that the Student Teacher Candidate has engaged in behavior and/or offenses outlined under 53E-6-603 (see State Referrals).
  • The behavior is otherwise considered egregious based on the circumstances.
    
    When a referral of a serious nature is received, the chair of the A&R committee will notify the student of issues reported in the referral(s) and inform the student that the A&R committee will conduct a preliminary review of the issues in its next meeting. The purpose for a preliminary review is to determine whether or not formal involvement of the A&R committee is warranted. Thus, the referred student is not invited to participate. Referrals of a serious nature may result in the student being immediately suspended from the teacher licensure program pending A&R committee review.
• Required Referrals during Field Experience - During field experience (practicum and student teaching), referrals must be made to the chair of the A&R committee by any staff or faculty member in the program, including the University Supervisor, Collaborating Teacher, and/or the Coordinator of Clinical Practice/Field Experience, in the following cases:
  • The behavior of the student or teacher candidate creates a situation that is potentially damaging to the pupils, colleagues, or others and/or the Student
    Teacher Candidate is incompetent in fulfilling assigned teaching responsibilities.
  • A Teacher Candidate is removed from an assigned placement by the teaching facility.
  • The Teacher Candidate receives a grade of no credit (NC), or retrain (RT).
  • Allegations that the Student Teacher Candidate has engaged in behavior and/or offenses outlined under 53E-6-603 (see State Referrals).
    
    When a field placement referral is received, the chair of the A&R committee will notify the student of issues reported in the referral(s) and inform the student that the A&R committee will conduct a preliminary review of the issues in its next meeting. The purpose for a preliminary review is to determine whether or not formal involvement of the A&R committee is warranted. Thus, the referred student is not invited to participate.
• Referrals from Outside Entities - If a student admitted into the teacher education program is referred by an entity external to Teacher Education, such as Dean of Students, local police, external department retention, the A&R committee will conduct a preliminary review to determine whether the alleged behavior is also a violation of academic or professional standards of the program. Depending on the nature of the offense, the chair of the A&R committee, in consultation with the Dean of the College of Education, may determine applicability of the following:
  • Referrals may result in the student being immediately suspended from the teacher licensure program pending A&R committee review.
  • Student may be removed from any field experience pending findings from the referred agency.
  • State Referral will be made by the A&R committee chair, as appropriate.
• State Referrals: Notification of Alleged Educator Misconduct UPPAC - At any
  point after a student declares a teaching major, if they are alleged to have engaged in behavior and/or offenses outlined in Utah Code Ann. §53E-6-603 or other state law or regulations requiring referral, the chair of the A&R committee, the dean, or the department chair will submit a referral to the UPPAC or the USBE, per state policy.
  
  Students receiving referrals of this nature will be immediately removed from the teacher education program. Depending upon state outcomes students may reapply to the teacher education program. The reapplication procedure will be conducted by the A&R committee. This may include a formal hearing and/or a remediation plan outlined below.

The A&R committee is responsible to monitor student performance and assure that Teacher Education Professional Standards are maintained. For referrals other than state referrals the following outcomes may occur:

• Preliminary Review - Issues addressed in the referral(s) will be summarized for the A&R committee to determine if there is sufficient cause for A&R committee involvement.
• Hearing - When the A&R committee determines that concerns reported in the referral have sufficient merit, a review hearing will be conducted in general compliance with established university student grievance procedures. A review hearing is a teacher education department action, not a legal proceeding.
  
  The chair of the A&R committee will notify a student referred for a review hearing by email, to a WSU student account, at least 10 working days before the hearing date of their right to appear before the A&R committee and will send an official letter on the date of the email. The notification will inform the student of the date, time, and place of the hearing and invite the student to attend. To assure that all explanations and points of rebuttal are clearly understood by the A&R committee, the student is encouraged to present a written response addressing each of the allegations to the chair of the A&R committee at least two working days prior to the hearing. Though counsel (personal or legal) may attend the hearing with the student, such counsel may not speak for the student at the hearing. Students may represent themselves in the hearing through written or verbal statements. Should a referring faculty member be appointed as the chair of the A&R committee, an alternate chair shall be assigned to conduct the review hearing.
  
  If a referred student has no desire to continue in the teacher education program, a written request for withdrawal of admission may be submitted to the A&R committee. If a student withdraws from the teacher education program, a review hearing may not be conducted, however, a notice may be placed in the student’s file of the withdrawal pending a hearing.
• Notification of Findings and Decision - 
  • If the A&R committee creates a remediation plan for the student, rather than engaging in a hearing, remediation plan will be provided to the student and the student must provide written documentation either agreeing to the remediation plan, request modification of the plan, or requesting a hearing within ten (10) working days of the notice of the remediation plan. If student requests a modification to the remediation plan the committee may request an additional meeting to determine remediation plan adjustments. For minor adjustments to the plan, the A&R committee may also request that the student work with their faculty advisor to update the plan.
  • For a review hearing, the chair of the A&R committee will notify the student by student account email and in writing of the decision of the A&R committee within ten (10) working days of the hearing. At a minimum, the notification shall include a statement of findings as pertain to the allegations, the decision of the A&R committee, and indication of the student’s right of appeal.