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DANIEL L. GOODWIN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION                   PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS' ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOR

March 14, 2017

PREAMBLE

The Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education (GCOE) community is proud of its commitment to the exemplary professional preparation of P-12 educators, school and community leaders, counselors, and health and human development resource professionals. Central to this purpose is the guiding belief that professional practice in education and training should be reflective, collaborative, and personally and socially transformative. 

Accordingly, GCOE candidates are expected to abide by certain academic and non-academic behaviors that align with this mission. Adherence to high standards of behavior enable candidates to have a positive influence on their colleagues and those individuals directly and indirectly impacted by their professional practice.

Therefore, the GCOE sets forth the following professional standards of academic and non-academic performance and behavior for students to observe and adhere to.

OVERVIEW OF STANDARDS

The following professional standards for students' performance and behavior have been developed in line with all the University documents pertaining to academic and non-academic standards, which are included in Northeastern Illinois University’s Academic Catalog, Student Handbook, and the Goodwin Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching Handbook.

The NEIU Academic Catalog and Student Handbook contains the following policies:

  • Academic Conduct
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
  • Grade Appeal
  • NEIU Policy on Nondiscrimination
  • National Voter Registration Act
  • Oral Proficiency
  • Policy on Drug and Alcohol Abuse
  • Reasonable Accommodation of Religious Observances
  • Sexual Misconduct
  • Smoke-Free University Policy
  • Student Conduct
  • Student Grievance Policy
  • Student Right to Know Act
  • University Email

Additionally, students must adhere to academic and non-academic behaviors in accordance with the Daniel L. Goodwin Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching Handbook, the GCOE Diversity Proficiencies and the GCOE Technology Proficiencies.

Finally, students are expected to adhere to the professional code of ethics governing their profession and department policies pertaining to academic and non-academic standards.

Students are to achieve the following standards in a satisfactory manner and timely fashion or risk a lower grade and/or removal from the professional degree, endorsement or licensure program. Students in GCOE courses are expected to abide by all policies and procedures contained in the Academic Catalog and Student Handbook, which cover academic and non-academic performance and behavior.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR

A. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate and maintain a satisfactory level of academic competency in all courses and experiences pertinent to their profession.

B. Students in the GCOE are expected to complete all required assignments as delineated in the syllabus and determined by the instructor’s preference.

C. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate developmentally appropriate levels of proficiency in language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, handwriting etc.) as commensurate with those required of the competent professional.

D. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate developmentally appropriate professional, affective, and physical competencies as necessary for their profession.

E. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate attentiveness, disciplined cooperation, interaction, and appropriately timed participation and civility.

F. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate awareness of all the information stated in the above NEIU, GCOE and department documents, especially the NEIU Student Conduct Code pertaining to academic honesty, plagiarism, fabrication, and cheating.

NON-ACADEMIC STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR

A. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate fidelity to the NEIU Student Conduct Code regarding the creation of false information, forgery of documents, abusive/ threatening conduct, theft, possession/use/sale of narcotics, unauthorized possession of alcohol and weapons, harassment, etc.

B. Students in the GCOE are expected to demonstrate dependability and punctuality at the University and in any related professional settings.

C. Students in the GCOE are expected to interact with learners and clients within University courses and professional preparation experiences, both face-to-face and online, in a nurturing and appropriate manner.

D. Students in the GCOE are expected to set a positive example by their dress. A student’s appearance will be clean, neat, and conducive to the professional environment.  

E. Students in the GCOE are expected to maintain a professional identity on all searchable social media and refrain from making available media (e.g., pictures, video, text) that reflects poorly on their professional dispositions.

F. Students in the GCOE are expected to adhere to the confidentiality practices of their profession by not sharing sensitive information or information protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outside of a classroom setting or online.

G. Students in the GCOE are expected to interact with mentors and other people in professional settings in a respectful manner, including receiving advice, feedback, and criticism of tasks performed.

H. There will be no evidence of disruptive conduct as stipulated in the Student Handbook.

I. Students are expected to maintain consistent attendance and abide by the attendance policies established in each course syllabus.

J. Students are expected to communicate in a manner professionally appropriate to the subject matter and/or internship situation.

K. Students are expected to adhere to the University’s value of diversity as stipulated in the Student Code of Conduct.

Certain provisions in these Academic and Non-Academic Standards of Behavior may not be applicable to every GCOE program. In addition, some programs within the GCOE may stipulate performances and behaviors above and beyond those described above as these pertain to standards for quality program preparation, licensure, and accreditation.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE PROCESS

The faculty and professional staff of the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education (GCOE) will monitor students’ adherence to the Academic and Non-Academic Standards of Behavior through the GCOE Disposition and Professional Behaviors Assessment and program or department-specific assessments.

The following procedures will be applied as needed. All involved parties will maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality throughout the application of these procedures.

  1. The faculty or professional staff member observing a student’s conduct or attitudes that fail to meet expected standards shall meet with the student/candidate directly to discuss these concerns. At this stage, the faculty member will clarify the expectations and may provide the student with a plan to remediate the concerns. The faculty member will summarize the plan in writing and inform the Department Chair about the incident. This communication is for progress monitoring purposes only, should other or similar concerns arise about the student at a later point in the student’s program.
  2. If the student does not follow his/her plan and/or concerns persist, the faculty shall complete an evaluation of the student’s dispositions and professional behaviors and forward this assessment to the respective Department Chair. The faculty member may also provide additional written documentation of relevance to the student’s case.
  3. The Department Chair will refer the reported incident to the Department’s Professional Standards Committee (PSC) Chair requesting the PSC Chair to convene the PSC meeting.
  4. The Department Chair shall inform the student in writing of the incident and the referral to the PSC within 3 working days. The Department Chair also will describe for the student the role and procedures of the PSC and the student’s rights and responsibilities within the process.
  5. The PSC and its designees shall investigate and review referred incidents. This review may include but may not be limited to (1) review of relevant documentation, (2) interview with the student(s) involved, (3) interview with the faculty or staff involved, (4) interview with other appropriate University personnel.
  6. Upon completion of the investigation, the PSC will render a written recommendation to the Department Chair regarding the student's academic status and standing in his/her program(s) within 3 working days. The recommendation may or may not include a remediation plan for the student’s growth. If a remediation plan is recommended, the plan will include the specific action steps to be taken by the student along with deadlines by which these steps will be performed.
  7. The Department Chair shall then render a determination of the student's academic status and standing in his/her program(s) within 3 working days. The Department Chair shall inform the student, the PSC Chair, the involved faculty or staff, and the appropriate Department Chair in other colleges of the University of his/her determination in writing.
  8. The student, faculty, or staff may appeal the Department Chair’s decision to the Office of the Dean of the GCOE. The appeal must be initiated within 10 working days of the date of the Department Chair’s notification.