Should a cooperating teacher, university supervisor, or school administrator request the removal of a student teacher from student teaching, the request must be communicated to the university supervisor, the Director of Clinical Experiences and the Chair of the Department of Teacher Preparation. The Chair will review the situation and determine whether or not an additional face-to-face meeting is needed in order to obtain further information or discuss the situation. The Chair will communicate decisions with respect to removal and next steps in the process to all parties involved. A decision affirming removal from student teaching will result in either (1) a change in placement, or (2) a Student Performance Review, following the procedures outlined below.
Change of Placement
The Chair of the Department of Teacher Preparation will approve a change of placement only if they believe that the performance of the student teacher is not in question with respect to the removal. In such cases, every effort will be made to secure a new placement so that the student teacher can complete the experience by the end of the semester. If a new placement is made, the student teacher must complete a total of 15 weeks of student teaching before a grade for student teaching will be issued. In cases where a new placement cannot be found, the candidate will receive an Incomplete for the Student Teaching Seminar and a new placement will be found for the next semester.
Student Performance Review
If a teacher candidate is removed from student teaching for reasons related to performance or professional dispositions, the teacher candidate will immediately withdraw from the student teaching course. The Chair of the Department of Teacher Preparation will initiate a Student Performance Review and identify relevant documentation needed for the review. Within two weeks of removal from student teaching, a Student Performance Review Committee will meet to determine a course of action.
In cases of removal from student teaching, the Student Performance Review Committee (SPRC) will be composed of: the University Supervisor and the Chair of the Department of Teacher Preparation. Other COE faculty and staff may be invited to attend at the Chair’s discretion, as well as the cooperating teacher.
In advance of the Student Performance Review, the teacher candidate may present appropriate information to the committee orally or in writing. If the teacher candidate chooses to prepare a written statement, it must be submitted five business days prior to the Student Performance Review. If the teacher candidate chooses to appear before the committee, one person of his/her choosing also may attend. If the individual accompanying the teacher candidate is an attorney, the committee must be notified in advance in order to provide time to arrange for the presence of university counsel. This person may not address the committee.
The following decisions may be made by the Student Performance Review Committee:
- The candidate may be placed on “professional probation” with specific requirements for remediation. The candidate must then fulfill the requirements of a written remediation plan, which both the Department Chair and candidate sign and which typically requires enrollment in an additional 1-3 credit hour course. The Department Chair or a faculty designee will monitor the candidate’s progress in completing the remediation plan. The candidate will withdraw from the course associated with student teaching. No refund of tuition will be given beyond what the customary university withdrawal policy provides. When all remediation requirements have been met, the Department Chair will notify the Director of Clinical Experiences to find a new school placement for the candidate. Future student teaching placements may begin the semester after a remediation plan has been completed (note: summer session is not considered a semester for the purposes of this policy).
- The candidate’s deficiencies in content knowledge, pedagogy, skills, and/or dispositions may be so serious that remediation is not possible. In this instance, the candidate will be dismissed from the licensure program. This action does not prohibit the student from petitioning the Department Chair to graduate with a BA or MA degree, but without the recommendation for licensure.
The decision of the committee will be communicated in writing within five business days of the SPRC meeting. A copy of this letter will be saved in the teacher candidate’s permanent file.
If the candidate wishes to appeal the decision of the SPRC, the candidate shall follow the Procedures for Handling Student Concerns Other Than Final Grade Appeals outlined in the Roosevelt University Student Handbook. This document states: If the student is not satisfied with the resolution at the department chair level, he/she may appeal the matter to the college Dean who will review the matter with the department chair and decide whether to uphold the proposed resolution or to offer a different resolution. The decision of the Dean is final.